The Samarkand City Guides tackle what every visitor wants to know: when to see the Registan with the courtyards still empty, where plov is cooked properly at lunchtime, which mausoleums cost little and give a lot, and what to do once the monuments light up at night. Each guide is a short, opinionated list with why a place is worth it, what to order or look for, one practical tip and the tourist traps to skip. It opens in your browser as soon as you have paid.
About the Samarkand City Guides
- 145 places
- 6 guides
- 13 languages
- Works offline
- Print or PDF
- Instant access
- Free updates
The six Samarkand guides
Food guide
25 places
Lunchtime plov from the kazan, samsa straight from the tandoor, hand-pulled lagman, the city’s famous round bread and bazaar sweets without the Registan markups.
Things to do guide
24 places
The Registan, Timur’s tomb and Shah-i-Zinda in a sensible order, cheaper mausoleums, free viewpoints and warm stops for cold or wet days.
Family guide
24 places
Parks to run around in, indoor pools, a mall with an ice rink, warm museums for rainy days and lunches children will happily eat.
Nightlife guide
24 places
The Registan lit up after dark, wine from the old Khovrenko winery, chaikhanas for late tea, rooftop lounges and the handful of real bars.
Day trips guide
24 places
Bukhara on the fast train, Timur’s hometown of Shakhrisabz, half-day trips to Urgut and Konigil and the Nurata and Zaamin mountains.
Budget guide
24 places
Free viewpoints, the paid sights that justify the ticket, cheap eats under €5 and low-cost ways to get out of town.
Why an interactive guide beats a list
Tick places off
Mark each place as done and watch your progress, so you always know what is left.
Your own notes
Write notes on any place and add your own finds. They stay on your phone.
One tap to Maps
Every place opens in Google Maps, and the day route puts your picks in a sensible order.
Open now, near me
Filter by what is open right now or what is closest to you.
Works offline
Open the guide once with a connection and it keeps working without data.
Print it or save as PDF
On a computer, print any guide or save it as a PDF to take with you.
Three places from the guides
Ibrahim xoja Lagmon
Chirokchi Street, near the Registan
A tiny lunch counter with a garden hidden at the back, doing two things well: hand-pulled lagman in beef broth and delicate lamb manti. Order a bowl with a pot of tea and you are set. From the food guide.
Hazrat Khizr Mosque
Hill above Siyob Bazaar
A small white and blue mosque on a rise where Bibi-Khanym fills the view and the bazaar spreads out below. It costs nothing to visit, and it stays calm, with locals coming to pray. From the things to do guide.
Ak-Saray Palace
Shakhrisabz, 90 km south
All that remains of Timur’s palace, begun in 1380, is one shattered gateway around 30 metres high, and its sheer scale is the reason to come. The drive from Samarkand crosses a mountain pass and takes about two hours. From the mountains and day trips guide.
Plan your days in Samarkand
Day one: start at Shah-i-Zinda first thing, reach the Registan while the courtyards are quiet, eat plov before 14:00, see Gur-i Amir in the afternoon and return to the Registan square at dusk for the lights. Day two: walk Siyob Bazaar, climb to the Hazrat Khizr Mosque for the view, then take a taxi to the Afrasiyab Museum and Ulugh Beg’s observatory, or catch the fast train to Bukhara for the day. For a cold, wet or slow day, the guides point you to warm museums, a teahouse, the Konigil paper workshop and a tasting at the Khovrenko winery.
Questions about the Samarkand guides
What do the Samarkand City Guides cover?
Six guides with 145 places altogether: food, things to do, family, nightlife, mountains and day trips, and budget. Each place comes with the reason to go, the area, opening notes and one practical tip.
How do I get the guides once I have paid?
The links appear on your order page as soon as the payment goes through, and in your order email too. They open in any browser on a phone or laptop, with no app and no account.
Do the guides work offline in Samarkand?
Yes. Open each guide once with a connection and it keeps working without signal, including your ticks and notes. Map links need mobile data.
Which languages are the guides in?
The guides open in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. You can switch the language inside the guide at any time.
How much is one Samarkand guide?
One guide is €4.99, two are €8.99, four are €15.99 and all six are €19.99.
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