Khiva, Bukhara & Samarkand, 7 Nights

The airport is close to the centre, and after check-in the day is yours. This first night sets up the morning flight west, so keep the evening simple. Amir Timur Square and the Broadway pedestrian street are within walking distance of most central hotels, and they are lively after dark, with portrait artists and snack stalls. Tashkent's sightseeing comes at the end of the trip, so there is no need to rush it now.

A short transfer to Tashkent's domestic terminal for the flight to Urgench, about an hour and a half, then around 35 km by road to Khiva. The hotel is in or beside the Itchan Kala, the inner town surrounded by mud-brick walls. The afternoon is free. Walk the walls near the west gate, Ota Darvoza, at sunset, when the clay turns gold and the tiled minarets catch the last light.

The whole walled town is a UNESCO site, small enough to explore on foot in a day. Kalta Minor is a wide, tile-covered stump of a minaret, left unfinished in the 1850s. The Kunya Ark was the khans' fortress and residence, and the Islam Khodja minaret is the tallest in Khiva and worth the climb. Juma mosque's dim hall stands on over two hundred carved wooden columns, some of them centuries old. Tosh Hovli palace and its harem courtyard, tiled in blue and white, finish the afternoon, with the Pahlavon Mahmud mausoleum on the way.

The longest drive of the trip, about 450 km across the Kyzylkum, the red sand desert, with long stretches beside the Amu Darya river and a stop for lunch at a roadside café. You arrive in Bukhara in the late afternoon, so the walk that evening stays close to the hotel. Lyabi-Hauz, the seventeenth-century pool shaded by mulberry trees, is surrounded by madrasas, and the Kalon minaret is lit up nearby. Dinner is at the teahouses around the water.

An early start in Bukhara. The Ark was the emirs' fortress. At Poi Kalon, the Kalon minaret of 1127 rises beside the great mosque and the Mir-i-Arab madrasa, and Abdulaziz Khan's madrasa is richly painted. On the way out of town, stop at Sitorai Mohi Khosa, the last emir's summer palace, which mixes European and Central Asian styles. Then drive about 270 km east to Samarkand, arriving in time for the Registan at dusk.

A full day in Samarkand. Start at the Registan, where Ulugh Beg, Sher-Dor and Tilya-Kori madrasas frame a single square. Gur-e-Amir, Timur's mausoleum, has a ribbed turquoise dome over a jade tombstone. Bibi-Khanym was built as the largest mosque in Timur's empire, and the Siab bazaar next to it sells dried fruit, nuts and round Samarkand bread. In the late afternoon, take the Afrosiyob back to Tashkent, arriving in time for a late dinner.

The capital, seen at last. Start at the Hazrati Imam square and its library, home to a seventh-century Quran. Chorsu bazaar's dome is nearby. In the rebuilt centre, the Monument of Courage marks the 1966 earthquake, and Amir Timur Square has the Timurid museum. Ride a few stops of the metro, opened in 1977, where each station is decorated differently. Magic City, a new leisure park with themed streets and fountains, is an easy evening option for families.

Breakfast, and depending on the flight time, an hour at Alay bazaar for dried apricots, pistachios and halva, or the craft shops near Broadway for suzani embroidery and ceramics. The airport is close to the centre, so the transfer is quick. Keep a little Uzbek som for last-minute purchases and airport coffee, and pack dried fruit in checked luggage rather than hand baggage.