How to get from Tashkent to Khiva: direct train, plane or car
Khiva is the most remote Silk Road city in Uzbekistan. We compare direct trains, flying to Urgench and driving across the whole country with an overnight stop.
Khiva sits at the opposite end of the country from Tashkent, in the Khorezm oasis right by the border with Turkmenistan. It is a museum city: inside the fortress walls of Itchan Kala stand dozens of madrasas, mosques and minarets, and in the evening the clay walls glow with warm light. But to see it all, you first have to cover about 1,000 km. Let us look at the three main ways to get there, train, plane and car, and who each one suits.
Distance and time
- By road: about 1,000 km via Samarkand and Bukhara, or across the desert.
- By train: a long journey; most trains run overnight and arrive in the morning, and the time depends on the service.
- By plane to Urgench: about 1.5 hours in the air, plus 35–45 minutes by taxi to Khiva.
- By car: 12–14 hours of driving, so almost always with an overnight stop.
The train: the classic traveller's choice
Since the railway reached Khiva, a direct train from Tashkent has become travellers' favourite way to get here. The logic is simple: board in Tashkent in the evening, spend the night in a compartment, and step off in the morning almost at the walls of the old town. You save a hotel night and a whole day.
What you need to know:
- Compartment or open sleeper. A compartment (kupe) is quieter and has a door; the open-plan sleeper (platzkart) is cheaper but noisier. For such a long trip many people choose a compartment.
- Tickets sell out early. There are few direct trains and demand is high in season. Buy tickets as soon as your dates are set.
- Food for the journey. Bring water, fruit, bread and something filling. There is usually hot water on board, so tea or instant meals come in handy.
- Timetables change. Check the railway's website or app; journey times differ between services.
Besides direct trains, there is the option of breaking the trip: take the high-speed train to Bukhara, spend a day or two there, and then continue to Khiva. For many this is even more convenient, since Bukhara is on the itinerary anyway.
Flying to Urgench
If you are short of time, the fastest option is to fly from Tashkent to Urgench. The flight is about an hour and a half, and from Urgench airport to Khiva is 30–35 km, or 35–45 minutes by taxi. There are several flights a week or a day depending on the season, and fares vary a lot: booking ahead is usually cheapest.
The plane's advantage is speed. The drawback is that you need to add the trip to Tashkent airport, check-in and luggage, and fares rise in high season. A handy plan for anyone with only a week: fly into Urgench, see Khiva, and then travel east by train or car through Bukhara and Samarkand back to Tashkent.
If you need to get to Urgench itself, for example on business, also look at overland options on the Tashkent — Urgench route: drivers travel it regularly.
By car: across the whole country
By car it is about 1,000 km to Khiva, a real journey. Do not try to do it in one day: 12–14 hours at the wheel is exhausting and unsafe, especially with an unlit desert stretch. The best plan is to split it into two days:
- Day one: Tashkent to Bukhara, about 570 km, 6–7 hours. Lunch in Samarkand, overnight in Bukhara.
- Day two: Bukhara to Khiva, about 450 km across the Kyzylkum, 6–7 hours. Leave early in the morning.
This turns the transfer into part of the trip: along the way you see Samarkand, Rabati Malik, Bukhara and the desert by the Amu Darya.
Sharing a ride to Khorezm
Not everyone wants to drive themselves, and a taxi for 1,000 km is very expensive. The middle ground is a seat in someone else's car. On Yo'ldosh, drivers publish trips on the Tashkent — Khiva route: you see the price per seat, departure time and driver's profile, and book in the app. On such a long route it is especially important to agree on stops, luggage and arrival time in the chat beforehand.
Comparison
| Option | Time | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct train | one night on board | saves a hotel night | few trains, book early |
| Plane to Urgench | about 1.5 h in the air | fast | airport transfers, high-season fares |
| Car with overnight stop | 2 days | stops along the way | slow |
| Seat in a car | 12–14 h | cheaper than a taxi | a long day on the road |
When to go to Khiva
The best months are April, May, September and October. Summer in Khorezm is very hot, often over 40 degrees Celsius in the afternoon, so you can only really explore Itchan Kala in the morning and evening. Winter is cold and windy, but there are hardly any tourists and the morning light on the minarets is especially beautiful.
Tips for a first visit
- Buy outbound and return tickets together: return trains from Khiva sell out too.
- If you fly to Urgench, arrange a transfer to Khiva in advance, or take a taxi at the airport after agreeing the price before you get in.
- Allow at least a day and a half to two days for Khiva: Itchan Kala is small, but it is easy to spend a whole day there.
- Bring comfortable shoes: the old town has many steps up minarets and onto the walls.
Trips on the Tashkent — Khiva and Tashkent — Urgench routes are on Yo'ldosh, and all other directions are on the routes page.
Cover photo: upyernoz from Haverford, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.
.jpg){kind=link}