Flying Carpet" tour - 7 days

- Your odyssey begins in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, a city that has been home to many civilizations for over two thousand years. On arrival at Islam Karimov International Airport, you will be met by our driver, who will take you to a comfortable hotel where you will stay.

- Depending on your arrival time, you'll either relax at the hotel or begin a guided tour of the city, one of the stops on the Silk Road.

- Wander through the bustling Chorsu market, in the heart of the city, among stalls laden with spices, fruit, handicrafts and fabrics.

- Visit Hazrati Imam Square, an architectural ensemble that includes the Barak-Khan Medersa, the Hazrati Imam Mosque, the Muy Muborak Medersa, home to the famous Usman Koran, one of the oldest copies in the world, and the Qaffol Shoshi Mausoleum.

- In the evening, sample local specialities such as plov (rice pilaf), Uzbekistan's national dish.

- After breakfast at the hotel, set off for Samarkand, a center of power and high civilization since ancient times. During the journey, which lasts just over four hours, you'll be treated to an ever-changing landscape, from the verdant plains to the rolling hills on the outskirts of Samarkand, the city of the Thousand and One Nights.

- On arrival at around 1:30 p.m., you'll check into a comfortable hotel and have time for lunch.

- Accompanied by your guide, you'll begin by discovering the Ulugh Beg Observatory, built in the 15th century under the Timurid dynasty and considered at the time to be one of the most advanced observatories of its time.

- Then on to Shah-i-Zinda, a vast necropolis featuring numerous tombs and mausoleums of famous figures, decorated with turquoise and blue ceramic tiles and dating from the 11th to the 19th century. This Unesco-recognized site, a magnificent place devoted to religious rituals, comprises more than twenty buildings.

- In the evening, you'll dine in a restaurant, where you'll enjoy traditional dishes such as shashlik, a typical Central Asian dish, in a setting steeped in history.

- After breakfast, you'll discover the heart of Samarkand, starting with the imposing tomb of Gour Emir, the mausoleum of the great conqueror Tamerlane, also known as Timur.

- Then you'll head for Samarkand's jewel, the center of the Timurid renaissance, the Registan, another UNESCO-protected site. This majestic complex comprises three medersas (or Islamic universities) - Ulugh-Beg, Cher-Dor and Tilla-Kari - representing the power and grandeur of the city. It also includes the Shaybanid mausoleum and, to the northeast, the Chorsu market, an ancient bazaar with an impressive dome.

- Your next stop is the Bibi Khanym mosque, built in honor of Tamerlane's favorite wife. Its proportions and architecture bear witness to the majesty of the Timurid dynasty. Built in the late 14th century, it was completed in the early 15th century.

- Finally, stroll along the aisles of the Siab bazaar, Samarkand's largest market, where you can buy local specialities such as dried fruit, spices and fabrics.

- In the afternoon, you'll visit the Konigil village and its paper mill, "Meros", where you'll discover the traditional paper-making process based on techniques dating back to the time of Tamerlane.

- In the evening, a delicious dinner awaits you in a local restaurant, where you can continue to enjoy Uzbek dishes such as laghman.

- After breakfast, you'll embark on a four-hour drive to Bukhara, during which you'll see for yourself the splendor of Uzbekistan's landscapes. As you pass through lands that were once the setting for the Timurid dynasty, you'll feel as if you're traveling through time, along deserts and plains that have seen centuries of history pass by.

- You'll have lunch before returning to your hotel in Bukhara at around 3pm.

- You'll have the rest of the afternoon to explore the center of Bukhara, one of Central Asia's most ancient cities, with its labyrinth of cobbled streets where you'll discover bazaars, medersas and mosques, all reminders of the grandeur of times gone by.

- You'll end your evening with dinner in a traditional restaurant, where you can enjoy the local cuisine, famous for its diversity and tastiness, with typical dishes such as samsa.

- You'll start by visiting the Samanid mausoleum, one of the masterpieces of 10th-century Islamic funerary architecture.

- Then you'll visit the mausoleum of Chashma Ayub, also known as "Job's Well Mausoleum", a sacred site dating from the 12th century.

- Continue on to the Bolo Haouz mosque, famous for its exceptional carved wooden iwan. Built in the 18th century, it is now a Unesco World Heritage Site.

- Next, you'll visit the famous Bukhara Citadel, a fortress that served as the residence of the emirs and was the center of power from the 5th century until the 1920s.

- Here, you'll pause for lunch.

- In the afternoon, you'll visit the spectacular Poyi Kalon architectural complex, a landmark of Bukhara and one of the region's finest examples of Islamic architecture, testimony to its past grandeur.

- You'll visit Bukhara Photo Gallery, the finest art gallery in Uzbekistan, located in the famous Olimjon caravanserai.

- End the afternoon strolling through the bazaars under the domes dedicated to different trades: Toqi Telpak Furushon, Tim Abdullah Khan, Toqi Sarrofon Bazaar, and Toqi Zargaron.

- The evening ends with dinner in a typical restaurant, where you can enjoy traditional dishes such as halva, a local confectionery.

- After breakfast, on your second day in Bukhara, you'll discover some of the city's lesser-known gems. You'll visit the Tchor Minor. This edifice, located in the historic center of Bukhara, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

- Next, you'll be taken to the Bahauddin Naqshbandi complex on the outskirts of the city, an important place of pilgrimage for Sufis, home to the tomb of the founder of the Naqshbandiyya dervish order, Bahâ'uddin Naqshband. This is another of the 14th-century monuments inscribed on Unesco's World Heritage List.

- Stroll through the gardens surrounding the summer palace of the Bukhara emirs, Sitoraï Mokhi Khossa, a group of luxurious 19th-century buildings in which the emirs took refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city.

- You'll have time for lunch after your visit.

- In the afternoon, 13 km from Bukhara, you'll visit the Tchar-Bakr necropolis, home to the tomb of Abu-Bakr Said, one of the four descendants of the Prophet Mohammed. This site, eminently sacred to Muslims, also houses the tombs of his three other brothers, within walled courtyards.

- Your day ends with dinner in a typical local restaurant, where you can sample local specialities such as achik-chuchuk salad.

- After a delicious breakfast, you'll be taken to the station, ready for a comfortable experience aboard Afrasiab, Uzbekistan's most modern high-speed train.

- And so your "Flying Carpet" tour comes to an end. The Afrasiab will take you back to Tashkent, once again passing through the magnificent landscapes of this extraordinary country that you've discovered in the previous days, allowing you to contemplate them and soak them up one last time.

This seven-day tour of Uzbekistan will have been much more than just a journey; on a "magic carpet", you'll have been able to "fly over" the landscapes, civilizations and history of a country that's a veritable jewel in the heart of Central Asia. With S&P Travel, you will not only have seen breathtaking monuments and landscapes, but also experienced the warmth and hospitality of a people who have been welcoming travelers for centuries. We hope you'll treasure the memories you've made on this "Flying Carpet" tour, and that, in the future, you'll decide to return to visit even more of the wonders of this extraordinary country. Until then, may your next adventures be as memorable and magical as this one was!