Samarkand is Uzbekistan's Silk Road showpiece, a 2,700-year-old city of turquoise domes, the Registan's three madrasas, Timur's tomb and the tiled mausoleums of Shah-i-Zinda.
Local currency: Uzbekistani som (UZS).
Daily budget by traveller style
Typical per-person daily spend in Samarkand.
- Mid-range
- ~$90/day (1,080,000 UZS)
- Luxury
- ~$250+/day (3,000,000+ UZS)
Cost breakdown
Typical price ranges across major spending categories.
Accommodation
- Hostel
- ~$8–15 (~96,000–180,000 UZS)
- Budget
- ~$20–45 (~240,000–540,000 UZS)
- Midrange
- ~$45–100 (~540,000–1,200,000 UZS)
- Luxury
- ~$100–220 (~1,200,000–2,640,000 UZS)
Food
- Street
- 8,000–25,000 UZS (~$0.7–2.1)
- Local
- 35,000–80,000 UZS (~$2.9–6.7)
- Midrange
- 90,000–220,000 UZS (~$7.5–18)
- Fine
- 220,000–450,000 UZS (~$18–38)
Transport
- Bus
- 1,500–2,000 UZS (~$0.13–0.17) per city bus ride (verify)
- Taxi
- 10,000–35,000 UZS (~$0.8–2.9) per city trip
- Airport
- 25,000–50,000 UZS (~$2.1–4.2) by taxi to Samarkand airport
- Daytrip
- 250,000–500,000 UZS (~$21–42) per car for a day to Shakhrisabz or Urgut
Activities
- Registan
- Roughly 70,000–100,000 UZS (~$5.8–8.3) (verify at the ticket office)
- Gur Emir
- Roughly 40,000–75,000 UZS (~$3.3–6.3) (verify)
- Shah I Zinda
- Roughly 50,000–80,000 UZS (~$4.2–6.7) (verify)
- Bibi Khanym
- Roughly 50,000–65,000 UZS (~$4.2–5.4) (verify)
- Tashkent Train
- 311,000 UZS (~$26) Afrosiyob economy one way from Tashkent
Trip budgets by length
What a typical trip to Samarkand costs end-to-end.
3 Day traveller
~$80–140 (~960,000–1,680,000 UZS) per person
7 Day traveller
~$190–320 (~2,280,000–3,840,000 UZS) per person
Money-saving tips
Practical ways to stretch your budget further.
Stay in a family guesthouse near Registan; breakfast is usually included.
Eat plov at lunch for under 60,000 UZS (~$5).
Use city buses and short taxis rather than tours.
Take the economy Afrosiyob train (311,000 UZS, ~$26) from Tashkent instead of a private car.
Free things to do
Memorable experiences that cost nothing.
Siab Bazaar
Registan exterior views
Samarkand Boulevard
Walk through the old town lanes