Travelling around Uzbekistan by train: arriving in beautiful Bukhara

Writer: Helena Bergström

Bukhara was the last stop on our train journey around Uzbekistan, and it was also the very best. Bukhara is an amazing city. Apart from seeing a wide range of sights here, it's also a cosy place for relaxed hanging out...

By train from Samarkand to Bukhara

We travelled around Uzbekistan by train, which is a convenient way to travel around the country. High-speed trains run between the major destinations and these are very modern and comfortable. You can buy a ticket at eticket.railway.uz and then you just have to join us! On board you'll find toilets, snacks and any other service you might need. Here you can read about the first three stops of our train journey in the country:

The train from Samarkand to Bukhara took about 1,h hour, by high speed train. Then we arrived in lovely Bukhara!

Check-in at a hotel in the city centre

We checked in at the hotel Caravan Plaza, which is a relatively simple hotel. There is a reception and breakfast service, but not much service otherwise. For us, however, it was perfectly ok - the best thing was that it was a short walk to the old town and all the sights.

Bukhara - a city to discover on foot on your own

Bukhara is a great city to discover on foot, on your own. What we like most, besides all the historical sights, is that it is a very walkable and cosy city.

You'll find most things within walking distance, whether it's historic sites, markets or restaurants. The old historic city centre is also completely free of cars.

In the old town, you'll find Unesco heritage sites as well as shopping and eateries. Peter raised his drone (permission required!) and a small group of curious young Uzbeks came up to have a look. ”Can the drone see my dad?” wondered one of them... Wonderful guys!

In the historic car-free part of town, there's also usually a bunch of cats hanging around...

Bukhara in the evening

It is very safe to walk around Bukhara, regardless of the day of the week or time of day. In the evenings, many of the historic buildings are lit up and the atmosphere is very cosy.

Guided tours to the main sights

One of the days in Bukhara we had a guide to show us around. On the one hand, you can easily get around on your own - it is both safe and easy in terms of distance - but on the other hand, a guide can of course provide a lot of good and interesting information about the places you see.

Ark of Bukhara Fortress

Our guide first took us to the fortress Ark of Bukhara, which is very interesting to visit.

The fortress was built in the 5th century AD and served as a military structure, while also housing a settlement. Royal courts have been held here, and the site includes places such as the throne room, court and mosque, as well as several small museums.

Shukhov Tower

In the neighbourhood of the fortress is Shukhov Tower, which is a Soviet water tower that supplied Bukhara with water until 1975. Today, the tower has been restored and serves as a tourist attraction, with a café, restaurant and viewpoint.

Po-i-Kalan complex

One of the main sights of Bukhara is the complex Po-i-Kalan, located in the centre of the old city. The complex consists of three parts: the Kalan Mosque, the Kalan Minaret and the Madrasah, i.e. the historic Islamic centre of learning, Mir-i-Arab.

Ulugbek Madrassa and Abdulaziz Khan Madrassa

Two more important madrassas are located nearby, and these are just opposite each other: Ulugbek Madrassa and Abdulaziz Khan Madrassa. The oldest of these two, the Ulugbek Madrasah, was built in 1417 during the Timur Dynasty, and is the oldest madrasah in all of Central Asia. Both are very beautiful, filled with ornamentation and blue-green mosaics.

The Mosque Bolo Hauz 

The Mosque Bolo Hauz was built in 1712 and has a unique architecture, which makes it different from other mosques in Central Asia. The mosque is included in the city's Unesco heritage and incredibly beautiful, in its own special way.

Lyabi Hauz Square and Nadir Devanbegi Madrassa 

One of our favourite places in Bukhara is Lyabi Hauz Square - a charming little pond surrounded by beautiful madrassas and cosy outdoor cafés.

Next door, you can check out the madrassa Mr Nadir Devanbegi, built in 1622-1623, is characterised by the fine bird motifs on the front. The depiction of animals on Muslim religious buildings is generally unusual, and in this case can be explained in part by the fact that the building was originally intended as a caravanserai, i.e. a guesthouse for travelling merchants.

Ismail Samani Mausoleum

Another interesting attraction is Ismail Samani Mausoleum. This tomb tells the story of the Samanid dynasty, which ruled Persia and Central Asia in the 8th and 9th centuries, and is interesting because it illustrates the transition between pre-Islamic and Islamic architecture.

Choir Minor

In Bukhara, you also don't want to miss checking out the special building Choir Minor. This is really nothing more than a historic gatehouse, which once led to a now ruined madrassa. However, the building is very beautiful and there is an idea that the four towers symbolise four different religions: Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and Islam.

Delicious meals in Bukhara

You can't just look at the sights when you're a tourist in a city - you need to eat too! We had a number of nice meals at restaurants in Bukhara. Among other things, we had lunch at Chayxana Chinar, which turned out to be a really cosy place.

Here we ate a variety of delicious dishes, including bichak, a kind of deep-fried dumpling, in this case stuffed with spinach, and chicken or beef skewers.

Another day we ate the national dish plov at a restaurant a little outside the centre (Muhammadali Osh markaz). Plov in Bukhara is a little different from plov in Samarkand and we actually liked this variant, which contained raisins, a little more. The bread was, as usual in Uzbekistan, very good!

Crafts, art, music and dance ...

In fact, there are so much more to tell you about from our visit to Bukhara ... namely the crafts, art, music and dance! I realise that this report will be far too long to include all of this... so I'll simply come back soon with a more colourful post. Don't miss it!

More reading about Bukhara and Uzbekistan

Curious about Uzbekistan? We've visited this amazing and fabulous country three times, and have lots of reports and tips. Read our guide to Bukhara or click on the image below to find all our stories from Uzbekistan!