Silk Road trade routes and historic architecture: How to explore Uzbekistan by high-speed train

Uzbekistan is well-known for its Silk Highway commerce routes and historic structure, particularly in giant cities Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara – that are all linked by one high-speed prepare route.

Uzbekistan’s premier prepare, Afrosiyob, wasn’t only a sustainable approach for me to journey inside the nation but in addition probably the most environment friendly: my journey from Tashkent to Samarkand was accomplished in simply two hours as a substitute of 5 by street. What can be a 9.5-hour automotive journey between Tashkent and Bukhara could be shortened to only beneath 4 hours too.

As I stepped onto the white prepare embellished with blue and inexperienced stripes, I handed my paper ticket to the conductor who guided me on board.

The prepare is break up into three courses: VIP, enterprise and economic system. Discovering my solution to the economic system class, I stowed my baggage away in one of many many accessible compartments and settled into my denim-coloured seat (or leather-based for those who’re feeling fancy with a VIP ticket). The seat was surprisingly spacious, comfy and excellent for dozing off.

The carriage was completely clear, and the air con offered a break from the blazing solar as we launched into our journey to Samarkand, passing by the luxurious inexperienced countryside and valleys alongside the way in which.

What cities does the Afrosiyob high-speed prepare go by means of?

The rail routes for the Afrosiyob stay fairly restricted exterior of bigger cities. It conveniently connects Tashkent, Samarkand, Navoi and ends in Bukhara, permitting you to go to the key historic and cultural points of interest with ease.

Alongside the journey, fashionable vacationer sights embody the bustling Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent, the mosaiced Hazrat Khizr mosque in Samarkand and the historic Chor Minor – the madrasah of 4 minarets – in Bukhara.

It’s value stating that Afrosiyob’s departure occasions are restricted since there are just a few trains accessible every day. So if you’d like larger flexibility or to cowl smaller cities and areas, a slower prepare (that also departs every day) is likely to be a greater possibility for you.

What are you able to eat on the Afrosiyob?

As my journey progressed, a meals cart made its approach by means of the carriages providing a wide range of snacks like chocolate, crisps, nuts, juice and water to purchase. The treats are barely costlier on board in comparison with exterior the prepare stations, so it’s value stocking up beforehand if you realize you’ll get peckish.

About 20 minutes later, one other cart made its approach by means of, giving us a stunning shock: a complimentary gentle breakfast made up of a croissant, muffin and a espresso sachet. The prepare workers fastidiously poured scorching water for anybody who needed to organize their espresso. In my cosy seat, outfitted with a pull-down tray desk, I loved my breakfast goodies whereas taking within the scenic views passing by.

Travelling whereas Black in Uzbekistan

For prepare lovers, travelling inside Uzbekistan could be comfy, pleasurable and handy. Nonetheless, it’s important to handle some experiences I encountered on the Afrosiyob as a Black lady.

All through my prepare journeys, I confronted challenges that different Black travellers ought to pay attention to. Native passengers on the prepare constantly stared at me and tried to movie me with out my consent. Some people despatched their youngsters to take photos of me.

In a single occasion, an Uzbek man invaded my private house and shouted “Serena Williams” at me. On the prepare platforms, folks had been telling folks to maneuver so they may try to take my image with out asking.

It’s unlucky to have skilled this distressing state of affairs – which repeatedly occurred on and off the prepare. If you’re a Black traveller and select to go to Uzbekistan, it’s vital to concentrate on the challenges you’ll seemingly encounter.

Whereas the prepare expertise itself was comfy, these incidents served as a stark reminder of our realities.

How do I ebook tickets for Uzbekistan’s high-speed prepare?

The Afrosiyob may be very fashionable and because of the restricted variety of trains, you need to at all times ebook your tickets prematurely.

In case you plan to journey throughout the peak season from April to June, you need to goal to safe your tickets a month forward of time. Even throughout the off-season, it’s nonetheless a good suggestion to purchase your ticket at the very least per week prematurely to verify a seat is on the market.

Costs fluctuate relying on the category and route. For an economic system seat from Tashkent to Samarkand, you’ll spend round €8, whereas Enterprise is €11 and VIP class is €16. For the journey from Tashkent to Bukhara, it prices round €14 for economic system, €19 for enterprise and €26 for VIP.

You may reserve your spot on-line at ‘eticket.railway.uz’ – the web page will initially be in Russian however you may swap to English. When you’ve made your reserving, you’ll obtain a QR code to indicate in your telephone to validate, alongside along with your passport.

An alternative choice is to go to the ticket workplace on the prepare station and ebook in individual with a money or card cost. You get a printed ticket this fashion. If you realize the variety of stops you propose to make, you should buy your entire tickets in a single go to keep away from any potential points with availability. You’ll nonetheless want to indicate your passport with a printed ticket.

In case you’re searching for a extra inexpensive possibility, contemplate reserving a spot on the slower Sharq prepare, which is about half the worth of the Afrosiyob. Or there may be the in a single day sleeper prepare for a unique sort of journey.