How to Get to Samarkand: Afrosiyob High-Speed Train, Airport (SKD) & Borders

Positioned almost exactly halfway between Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent (300 kilometres northeast) and the oasis city of Bukhara (270 kilometres west), Samarkand is the central hub of Central Asia's rail and road network. Spanish-built Afrosiyob high-speed Talgo trains and the expanded terminal at Samarkand International Airport (SKD) make reaching the city fast and affordable. Just be sure to plan around Uzbekistan Railways' 45-day advance booking window. Pair this transport breakdown with our Samarkand travel guide and our Shakhrisabz and Tahtakaracha Pass guide.

01Booking the Afrosiyob high-speed train (and what to do if it is sold out)

The fastest way to reach Samarkand from Tashkent or Bukhara is aboard the white-and-blue Afrosiyob Talgo 250 high-speed train. It cruises through the Hungry Steppe and the Jizzakh mountain pass at up to 250 km/h. Trains depart from Tashkent North Station (Toshkent-Shimoliy) early in the morning (around 06:00, 07:30, and 08:00) and in the evening (~18:30 to 19:00). They reach Samarkand in just over two hours, serving complimentary tea or coffee in Economy, Business, and VIP classes.

Because tour agencies and domestic business travellers snap up Afrosiyob seats rapidly in spring (April to May) and autumn (September to October), book directly on the official Uzbekistan Railways portal (eticket.railway.uz or the official Uzrailway Tickets mobile app) as soon as tickets open 45 to 60 days before departure. Do not worry if the Afrosiyob is sold out on your date. Uzbekistan Railways also runs the air-conditioned Sharq daytime express, which takes just 60 minutes longer at half the fare. Overnight trains from Khiva, Urgench, and Termez offer comfortable 4-berth Kupe and 2-berth SV compartments.

02Samarkand Railway Station to the historic centre

Samarkand Railway Station (Samarqand Vokzali) sits on Beruni Street at the western edge of the city, 6.2 kilometres (a 15-minute drive) from Registan Square. To enter the station concourse on departure day, you pass through an X-ray security pavilion where guards inspect your passport and ticket. Arrive 30 to 40 minutes before your scheduled departure.

Upon arriving at Samarkand Station, walk past the vocal private drivers waiting outside the security gate. Step fifty metres out to the Beruni Street roundabout and order a Yandex Go ride to your hotel for 20,000 to 28,000 UZS. ~$1.60 to $2.20 as of November 2026. If travelling with light luggage, walk across the station forecourt to the terminus of Samarkand Tram Line 1. Modern blue trams depart every 8 minutes and run directly to Siyob Bazaar for ~2,500 UZS.

03Flying into Samarkand International Airport (SKD)

Rebuilt in 2022, Samarkand International Airport (SKD) features a terminal roof shaped like an open copy of Ulugh Beg's Zij-i-Sultani star catalogue. It sits just 7 kilometres north of Registan Square along Ibn Sino Street. You can fly directly into Samarkand on year-round routes with Turkish Airlines from Istanbul and flydubai or Wizz Air from the UAE. Domestic and regional carriers including Uzbekistan Airways and Air Samarkand connect Tashkent, Moscow, St Petersburg, and Tel Aviv.

Inside the arrivals hall sit 24-hour Kapitalbank and NBU currency exchange desks and ATMs, official Ucell/Beeline tourist SIM counters, and free airport Wi-Fi. Connect to the airport network to order a Yandex Go car to Registan Square in 15 minutes for ~22,000 to 30,000 UZS as of November 2026.

04Shared intercity taxis and the Jartepa border to Panjakent (Tajikistan)

If all daytime trains from Tashkent are full, shared Chevrolet sedans depart continuously from the Tashkent Olmazor Metro stand. They reach the Ulugbek Observatory stand in northern Samarkand in roughly 3.5 to 4 hours via the M39 highway. ~100,000 to 130,000 UZS, or ~$8.00 to $10.00 per seat as of November 2026.

Samarkand is also the gateway for overland day trips or onward journeys into Tajikistan's Seven Lakes (Haft Kul) and Fann Mountains. Since the reopening of the Jartepa / Sarazm international land border, the crossing sits just 42 kilometres (45 minutes by car) east of Registan Square. Take a Yandex Go taxi from central Samarkand to the Kafolat roundabout on the eastern ring road (~20,000 UZS), where shared taxis and Damas minivans run straight to the Jartepa border gate for 15,000 UZS per person. Alternatively, hire a private car all the way from your hotel to the border for 120,000 to 160,000 UZS. Walking through Uzbek and Tajik passport control takes 15 to 20 minutes. Shared Tajik taxis wait on the Sarazm side to drive the final 18 kilometres into Panjakent (~20 to 25 TJS, or $2.00 per seat).

05Traveller tips

• Digital PDF train tickets work on all Uzbek trains. You no longer need to print paper vouchers at a station window. Simply show the official PDF barcode from eticket.railway.uz on your phone screen with your original passport when boarding.
• Check which Bukhara station is on your ticket. All Bukhara trains stop at Bukhara-1 (Kagan) station, located 14 kilometres southeast of Bukhara's historic Lyabi-Hauz centre (20 minutes by Yandex Go taxi).
• Left luggage at Samarkand Railway Station. If stopping in Samarkand between morning and evening trains, use the 24-hour left-luggage room (Kamera Khraneniya) at Samarkand Railway Station. Storage costs ~15,000 to 20,000 UZS (~$1.20 to $1.60 as of November 2026) per bag per day.
• Set a calendar reminder 45 days before travel for Afrosiyob tickets. High-speed Talgo train seats between Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara open 45 days in advance on eticket.railway.uz and often sell out within hours during April, May, September, and October.
• Use the officialSharq electric express if Afrosiyob seats are sold out. The comfortable air-conditioned Sharq train covers Tashkent to Samarkand in roughly three hours and ten minutes. It departs from the same Tashkent North (Severny) station and arrives at the exact same Samarkand platform.
• Walk past platform taxi touts to the outer street for Yandex Go. Drivers waiting right beside the train doors at Samarkand Station frequently quote 80,000 to 100,000 UZS for a ride to Registan. Walking two minutes through the station terminal to Rudaki Avenue lets you summon a metered Yandex Go sedan for 18,000 to 25,000 UZS (~$1.45 to $2.00 as of November 2026).
• Ride Samarkand Tram Line 1 from the station to Siyob Bazaar. If you are travelling with a light daypack, the modern blue-and-white tram departs directly outside the railway station forecourt and glides along Rudaki and Beruni avenues to Siyob Bazaar for 3,000 UZS (~$0.25).
• Jartepa Land Border Crossing to Panjakent and the Seven Lakes: Samarkand sits just 42 kilometres west of the Jartepa border crossing into Tajikistan. Shared and private taxis from the Kaftarchon stand reach the border in 45 minutes, making a day trip to the Seven Lakes (Haftkul) in the Fann Mountains straightforward with a valid passport.

Visitors walking between monuments can pause at shaded courtyard benches and neighbourhood bakeries along the route. Ticket booths accept cash in Uzbek soums as well as international Visa and Mastercard bank cards. Arriving before 09:00 or after 16:30 provides softer directional light for photography and cooler temperatures across the brick plazas.

Most monument ticket offices open at 08:00 and accept both cash in Uzbek soums and contactless Visa or Mastercard cards. Keeping a bottle of water and sun protection in your daypack makes walking between the tiled courtyards comfortable through the afternoon.

Local drivers using the Yandex Go mobile app pick up passengers at designated street corners within three to five minutes. Standard city fares between University Boulevard, Registan Square, and Siyob Bazaar stay between 15,000 and 25,000 UZS (~$1.20 to $2.00 as of November 2026).