Getting Around Samarkand
Samarkand's main sights sit close enough together that most visitors cover the highlights on foot, using buses, trams or taxis for the places that lie further out. The city is split between the old city, with its monuments, shops and old private houses, and the newer city developed during the Russian Empire and Soviet periods, which holds administrative buildings, cultural centres and educational institutions. Knowing which cluster you are heading for makes it much easier to pick the right mode of transport.
Walking the Main Sights
The principal monuments are grouped in two nearby clusters, and walking between them is the simplest approach.
- Cluster one: Gur-i Amir and the Registan.
- Cluster two: Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Shah-i-Zinda and Afrosiyab.
- Further out: Ulugh-Beg Observatory lies beyond Afrosiyab, so take a bus or taxi rather than walking.
Because the two clusters are close together, you can plan a day that moves between them on foot and only resort to vehicles for the outlying sites.
Trams
Two tram lines serve the city from the railway station, which is useful if you arrive by train.
- T2 is the line you want as a visitor: it heads southeast to Siyob Bazaar, about a kilometre north of the Registan.
- T1 runs south to Sartepa and stays well west of the main sights, so it is less useful for sightseeing.
Buses and Minibuses
Public transport beyond the trams is provided by buses and by marshrutkas, the white city minibuses. Be prepared for the minibuses to be tired, crowded and not especially comfortable, but they are a cheap way to cover ground. Fares are paid in cash on board at a standard rate, with a small supplement if you are heading to the outskirts.
Buses also connect the airport with the railway station, which is handy if you are transferring between the two.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Yellow taxis operate all over the city and are the most straightforward option for short hops. Fares are standardised for trips within the city, with a small extra charge for the outskirts, and you should expect to pay more for a night-time run to or from the railway station.
The Yandex Taxi app works well in the city centre and will show you a range of prices to choose from. A local SIM card is recommended, because drivers may phone you if they cannot find your pickup point.
Arriving by Air
Samarkand Airport (SKD) sits just north of the city centre, so the transfer is short and inexpensive. Taxis from the airport into town are cheap, and buses M1, 31 and 52 run from Arrivals to the railway station roughly hourly. The terminal was rebuilt in 2021 and is clean and spacious.
The airport handles daily flights from several Russian cities including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi, with less frequent services from Almaty, Istanbul and Abu Dhabi. Uzbekistan Airways is the main carrier. Domestic flights have become less common as the trains have improved, though a twice-weekly Nukus–Tashkent service calls in, and Centrum Air flies to Urgench (for Khiva).
Arriving by Train
Samarkand Railway Station is clean and modern and lies northwest of the city centre. To reach the centre, take the tram or a marshrutka, or a taxi; night-time taxi fares are considerably higher than daytime ones. The station itself has limited retail, but there is a shopping centre and market a short walk south at the corner of Berumi and Rudakhi, open daily from early morning until late evening. In Uzbek, Tajik and Russian the station is called "vokzal".
Trains run several times a day from Tashkent Central, with the fastest service taking about four hours; a couple more depart from Tashkent Janubiy (South), which is less convenient for most travellers. Services continue west towards Navoi, Bukhara, Alat on the Turkmenistan border, Urgench, Khiva, Nukus and Kungrad, and south to Qarshi and Termez on the Afghan border. A weekly train arrives from Volgograd, with connections from Moscow and Saint Petersburg, via Atyrau in Kazakhstan and then Kungrad, Nukus, Urgench, Bukhara and Navoi, continuing from Samarkand to Tashkent. These trains can sell out, so book ahead.
Arriving by Road
Several bus and taxi stations around the city handle intercity road travel, and each tends to serve particular destinations.
- Samarkand Central Bus and Taxi Station (on Route M37) is a large modern station opened in 2025, with services to Tashkent, Bukhara, Khiva, Shahrisabz and Jizzakh, as well as to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Buses do not run to Tajikistan because of the high altitude.
- Ulughbek Taxi and Bus Station (on Route M37, close to the Mirzo Ulughbek Observatory) serves Tashkent and Jizzakh. Drivers will approach you calling out destinations and prices; you negotiate and then usually wait for the car to fill up, with three passengers in the back. If you prefer not to share, you pay for all the seats. There is a large complex nearby for food, water and cafes.
- Taxi Station to Bukhara and Khiva (on Route M37) handles taxis to Bukhara and Khiva. If you are heading to Khiva, check whether the driver will stop in Bukhara on the way, since that extends the journey. The same fill-up-and-negotiate rules apply as at Ulughbek.
- Kaftarkhona Station (on Panjakent Street) serves Urgut, where there is a famous plane grove with the spring lake Chor-Chinor, and the Tajikistan border at the Jartepa-Sarazm checkpoint. Drivers usually take you to the border, after which you walk across and find another taxi on the Tajik side for Panjakent or Dushanbe.
From Tashkent, buses and shared taxis leave from Sobir Rahimov bus station and follow the M39 via Jizzah; the route crosses a corner of Kazakhstan, which is treated as no-man's-land with no passport checks, though you should keep your passport handy. From Bukhara the approach is by the M37.
Practical Tips
- Group your sightseeing by cluster so you can walk between the Registan and Gur-i Amir, and between Bibi-Khanym, Shah-i-Zinda and Afrosiyab.
- Use tram T2 rather than T1 if you are connecting the railway station with the main sights.
- Carry cash for taxis, buses and marshrutkas; fares are standardised but paid on board or to the driver.
- Get a local SIM card so ride-hailing drivers can reach you by phone.
- Book intercity trains in advance, as services can sell out.