– Excursions into the ancient oriental cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and Tashkent during the quieter season;

– Typical Festive lunch/dinners in each city;

– The best hotels in each city. Every day you will see beautiful things from the window of your room;

– An authentic New Year/Christmas activity or event every day;

– The Uzbekistan winter break with a traditional New Year/Christmas lunch, fantastic entertainment programs and planned excursions to the must-see sights of Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan New Year Tour & Christmas Holidays, designed & tailor-made by local travel experts

Day 1. WELCOME TO UZBEKISTAN

Flight from Europe to Uzbekistan and arrival in Tashkent

Arrive in Tashkent, welcome at the airport, and transfer to the hotel for check-in. Time for rest.

Day 2. SIGHTSEEING IN TASHKENT

After breakfast and some time for rest, you will start your journey full of cultural discoveries in Tashkent. Uzbekistan has a wide mix of ethnic groups and during the last 100 years, the Christmas and New Year decorations and traditions have been embodied in Uzbek life. Your expert tour guides will make sure you see the best places during this memorable New Year Vacation in Uzbekistan and see the Uzbek approach to the New Year absorbed in local culture.

In the morning we invite you to visit the most traditional and ancient part of Tashkent – Khastimam, where you will visit the old madrasahs, mosques, minarets, and mausoleums of Central Asian Silk Road architecture. During the visit, you can visit the biggest bazaar of Tashkent – Chorsu Bazaar. You can also visit:

• A couple of beautiful stations of the metro of Tashkent; Pakhtakor and Alisher Navoi are 2 stations of metro decorated in cultural/traditional style;
• The place Mustakillik Maidoni, the park Amir Temur.

The best places to go for New Year & Christmas celebrations in Tashkent:

• Humo Arena – skating on the festive ice rink, a fair of New Year’s gifts, shows with DJs. The show starts at 19:00;
• Anhor Lokomotiv - fabulous parade of cartoon heroes; show of illusions and tricks; New Year's performances of live bands and Uzbek pop stars; New Year's discos; children's masterclasses.;
• Park Tashkent City – a festively decorated park, Santa Clauses, puppeteers, attractions for the kids, café, and restaurants.

Overnight in Tashkent.

Day 3. TASHKENT – URGENCH/KHIVA

Breakfast in the hotel. Early transfer to the Domestic Airport to catch a flight to Urgench (07:50). Arrive at Urgench airport at 09.20 and drive to Khiva (35 km), hotel check-in.

Today you will visit one of the most impressive places in all Central Asia – the Ichan Kala citadel. With some 250+ monuments, this citadel is a museum under the open sky. The visits of the day:

• The west gate – Ata Darwaza;
• The blue minaret – Kalta Minor and its madrasa;
• The Ark citadel with its summer mosque, reception hall, and the Observation tower (optional);
• The Tosh Khovli Palace with the Harem;
• The mausoleum of Pahlawan Mahmud with the biggest dome in the citadel;
• The madrasa Muhammad Rahimkhan;
• The old slave market in the East Gate;
• The Juma mosque – a 1000-year-old mosque with its unique architecture and 213 wooden columns;
• Sunrise/sunset from the top of the walls of Khiva (optional).

Typical lunch, the festive food “8 Ta’m” (8 flavors, 8 different meals of Khiva) in the restaurant Terrassa with a fantastic view over the monuments of the city.

Overnight in Khiva.

Day 4. KHIVA TO BUKHARA (450km, 6-7hrs)

After breakfast, you will take a long and enjoyable drive towards Bukhara through the desert – Kyzylkum. The highlights of the day: encountering some of the rare camels in the desert, enjoying the beautiful panoramic view of the Amu Darya River.

*You can have lunch in a desert teahouse on the road where we recommend you to enjoy delicious shashlik – kebabs.

You will arrive in Bukhara by the end of the day. Free time.

Tip: the Lyabi Khauz restaurant in the old city is one of the greatest places for dinner.

Overnight in Bukhara.

Day 5. THE SAINT BUKHARA (visits on foot)

Bukhara used to be the biggest Central Asian marketplace for the Silk Road traders and you will really feel it when you see an uncountable number of small bazaars and caravanserais all around the old city. Today you will be walking around Bukhara to visit its most wonderful monuments. The activities of the day:

• Mausoleum of Samanids (9^th century);
• Bolo Khauz – the mosque with 40 pillars and the citadel Ark;
• The complex Kalon with the biggest mosque, the biggest madrasa, and the highest minaret in the city;
• Chor Minor;
• The monuments of the Lyabi Khauz complex.

The Uzbek traditional food Plov and typical New Year’s dinner in a traditional house, vodka included. In Uzbekistan, the New Year is celebrated as a family holiday and this dinner is exactly the same as what most Uzbeks have on their New Year’s Eve table.

Overnight in hotel.

Day 6. BUHKHARA - SAMARKAND (270km, 3-4 hrs)
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Samarkand (260km, 3.5-4 hrs). Arrive in Samarkand by midday. On arrival in Samarkand you can make have lunch and then you will start the guided visits of the city:

• The Registan place and its 3 magnificent madrasas – Ulugh Beg, Sherdor, Tilllakori;
• Bibi Khanum mosque and the bazaar Siab;

In the evening we can offer you a Samarkand by Night trip. Samarkand is the highlight of all tours in Uzbekistan. Tonight, standing in front of the most iconic place of Uzbekistan – the Registan, we will open a local wine or champagne to celebrate your New Year's holiday in Uzbekistan.

Overnight in Samarkand.

Day 7. SAMARKAND

Breakfast at the hotel. Today you will continue the visit in Samarkand and you will see more wonderful monuments and attractions of the city:

• The mausoleum Gur-mir;
• The Shakhi Zinda necropolis and its 20+ mausoleums all in one place which are decorated differently from each other;
• The observatory of Ulugh Beg;
• Samarkand Winery Khovrenko and tasting local wines of Samarkand.

At 16:00 you will be transferred to the train station for taking the high-speed train Samarkand–Tashkent (17:00). Arrival in Tashkent (19:10).

On arrival in Tashkent, you will be transferred to your hotel. The driver will be at your disposal for going to the central squares of Tashkent where you can be a part of the New Year celebrations.

Overnight in Tashkent.

Day 8. FLIGHT FROM TASHKENT TO …

Transfer to the Tashkent International Airport for taking the flight ..

*The end of our services!

New Year and Christmas Tour in Uzbekistan awaits you!

Uzbekistan New Year & Winter Tours Information

We’ve got Customizable New Year Travel Deals which can be long from 5 to 12 days. This package can be tailored based on your interests and we can add so many specific activities of your choice. Based on the dates, timeframe, and flights of your trip, we can prepare a specific Christmas/New Year’s Eve in any city that you want. You can decide to make it a New Year/Christmas in Samarkand or Tashkent or in another city.

The temperature in winter in Uzbekistan

Some years the winter can be colder than and during the coldest days (first weeks of January) you can expect about -5 °C in the north of Uzbekistan. However, in the major tourist areas (Samarkand, Bukhara, Tashkent) the temperature will be much higher. Compared to the early days of January, December is much milder.

Best Places to visit in Uzbekistan during New Year & Christmas

All top places of Uzbekistan can be visited in the winter months. Therefore, our New Year Winter Tour package includes the best classics of Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. And if you have more time and want to experience some unique adventures, the Adventure Winter Vacation Package is a great winter tour that goes to more authentic places like Nukus, the antique desert citadels, Shahrisabz, and beautiful mountain passes. If you don’t have enough time to see all the interesting places of Uzbekistan, you can have a look at the Amazing Winter Tour of Uzbekistan which includes 3 top places: Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara.