• placement: fullWidthHero
  • path: destinations/hero
  • containerId: gpt-ad-587313349935
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [320, 50], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "uzbekistan/samarkand",
  "destination": "Samarkand",
  "title": "samarkand",
  "type": "City",
  "city": "Samarkand",
  "region": "Central-Asia",
  "country": "Uzbekistan",
  "continent": "Asia",
  "refresh": 30,
  "refresh_limit": 3
}

Samarkand

No name is as evocative of the Silk Road as Samarkand (Samarqand). For most people it has the mythical resonance of Zanzibar or Timbuktu, fixed in the Western popular imagination by imaginative poets and playwrights, few of whom saw the city in the flesh.

Book
Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2026
Book

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2026

Shop $19.99 USD
App
Lonely Planet App on a phone
Brand New!

Get the Lonely Planet App

World Nomads travel insurance
Trusted Partner

Dreaming of Samarkand? Protect your trip

Travel with confidence. Protect your trip and your wallet.

We don’t represent World Nomads, we receive a fee from quotes using this link. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.

  • placement: fullWidth
  • path: destinations/top
  • containerId: gpt-ad-629502290805
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "uzbekistan/samarkand",
  "destination": "Samarkand",
  "title": "samarkand",
  "type": "City",
  "city": "Samarkand",
  "region": "Central-Asia",
  "country": "Uzbekistan",
  "continent": "Asia",
  "refresh": 30,
  "refresh_limit": 3
}

Get a book. Get inspired. Get exploring.

Explore all books

in partnership with getyourguide

Book popular activities in Samarkand

Lonely Planet may earn a commission from affiliate links on our site. All recommendations and reviews reflect our own independent opinions.

  • placement: fullWidth
  • path: destinations/bottom
  • containerId: gpt-ad-898271062659
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "uzbekistan/samarkand",
  "destination": "Samarkand",
  "title": "samarkand",
  "type": "City",
  "city": "Samarkand",
  "region": "Central-Asia",
  "country": "Uzbekistan",
  "continent": "Asia",
  "refresh": 30,
  "refresh_limit": 3
}