Khiva to Tashkent: night train or a flight from Urgench

Once you have seen Khiva, you face a question many people put off until the last minute: how to get back to Tashkent. The distance is the same as the other way, about 1,000 km, but the situation is different. Most travellers already have a flight home booked, a limited budget for the rest of the trip and a week of travel fatigue. So rather than the fastest option, choose the one that suits you. Here are three scenarios.

Scenario 1: the night train, saving time and money

The night train from Khiva or Urgench to Tashkent is the classic choice. You spend your last evening in Khiva, watch the sunset from the walls of Itchan Kala, board the train and wake up in the capital. The journey does not eat into daylight hours, and you save on a hotel.

Compartment or open sleeper

• Compartment (kupe): four berths behind a closing door. Quieter, easier with luggage and for families. More expensive.
• Open sleeper (platzkart): an open-plan carriage, cheaper but noisier, with less personal space. Perfectly fine for budget travellers.
• Upper or lower berth. The lower is more comfortable, but neighbours store luggage under it; the upper is quieter but harder to climb into.

How not to be left without a ticket

There are few direct trains from Khorezm, and demand is high in the tourist season. If you are arriving in Khiva from the east, buy your return ticket to Tashkent in advance, ideally at the same time as your ticket to Khiva. If there are no seats from Khiva on your day, check trains from Urgench, 30–35 km away.

Timetables and journey times vary between services, so check the railway's website or app.

Scenario 2: flying from Urgench, when time matters more than money

If you have a flight home that evening or only one day left, the best option is to fly from Urgench to Tashkent. The flight is about an hour and a half, plus 35–45 minutes by taxi from Khiva to Urgench airport.

Things to consider:

• Fares vary a lot. In high season, tickets for the next few days get much more expensive, and buying a few weeks ahead is usually cheaper.
• Connecting to an international flight. If you are flying home via Tashkent, leave several hours between flights, or better still, spend the night in Tashkent.
• Luggage. Domestic flights may have stricter baggage allowances than international ones; carpets and ceramics from Khorezm may not fit into the free allowance.

Scenario 3: by car, if you want to see the road

Driving from Khiva to Tashkent in one day takes about 12–14 hours, and it is not worth doing without an overnight stop. But split over two or three days, it becomes a rich itinerary:

1. Khiva to Bukhara across the Kyzylkum, about 450 km, leaving early.
2. A night in Bukhara and an evening at Lyabi-Hauz.
3. Bukhara to Samarkand with a stop at Rabati Malik, about 270 km.
4. Samarkand to Tashkent, about 300 km.

This works well if you reached Khiva by train or plane and missed the middle of the country. If you need to go straight to the capital, look for trips on the Khiva — Tashkent route, or from neighbouring Urgench on the Urgench — Tashkent route. There are usually more cars from Urgench to the capital, as people travel from there regularly for work and to see family.

Shared rides: a long road for less

A private taxi for 1,000 km is expensive. A seat in someone else's car costs several times less, and drivers on this route often stop overnight or share the driving. On Yo'ldosh you can see the departure time, price per seat and driver's profile, and use the chat to ask where the stops will be and when the driver expects to reach Tashkent.

Comparing budget and time

Your last evening in Khiva

If you leave on the night train, you have a whole day in Khiva. Here is a good way to spend it:

• in the morning, climb the walls of Itchan Kala before it gets hot;
• in the midday heat, rest in the shade of a madrasa or in a teahouse;
• in the evening, watch the sunset from the city wall or a viewpoint;
• before evening, take your luggage out of the hotel, or arrange for them to keep it until you leave.

In short

• Tight budget and no rush: the open sleeper.
• Want a good night's sleep: a compartment.
• Short on time or connecting to a flight: the plane from Urgench.
• Need to reach a specific address or want flexibility: a seat in a car.

Trips on the Khiva — Tashkent and Urgench — Tashkent routes are published on Yo'ldosh, and other directions are on the routes page.

Cover photo: Felix O, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.