How to Travel By Trains in Uzbekistan 2024

Travelling by train in Uzbekistan is surprisingly easy and comfortable. It is one of the best ways to get around the country. In this guide, you’ll learn about the different train options, how to book tickets, and what you should know before using trains in Uzbekistan.

See my Uzbekistan Travel Page for a complete overview of all my travel guides and blog posts about Uzbekistan!

Types of Trains in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan has three different types of trains that you can take all across the entire country. Here is an overview of the different types of trains available.

Sleeper Trains

Uzbekistan has a number of sleeper trains that take you across the entire country. These trains are perfect for getting across the large country of Uzbekistan without wasting valuable travel time. They allow you to travel through the night, while saving on accomodation!

Popular sleeper train routes connect the cities of eastern Uzbekistan (Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara) with cities in the west (Khiva, Nukus).

All sleeper train tickets include:

• Clean Sheets and pillows
• Only USB Plugs in 1st Class (bring a power bank if you are travelling in 1st or second class)
• Free boiling water
• Only A/C in first class

Sleeper Train Categories

There are three categories of tickets for sleeper trains.

3rd Class Shared Sleeper (Platzkartny) – These are open berth sleeping cabins. There is little privacy, but they are safe and comfortable, especially for solo travellers. They are also a great way to meet locals!

Average cost: Most sleeper train routes in 3rd class cost about $15 per ticket. The price can vary based on route and season, but this is a rough estimate.

2nd Class 4-Bed Room (Kupe)– This is a cabin with four beds. There are 2 lower bunks, and 2 upper bunks. The room is not air conditioned, but it does have a large window that can be opened. If you are travelling in a group of 2 or 3, you cannot select all of the lower bunks. Instead, you will have to select 1 lower/1 upper or 2 lower/ 2 upper beds.

Average cost: Most sleeper train routes in 2nd class cost about $20 per ticket. The price can vary based on route and season, but this is a rough estimate.

1st Class 2-Bed Room (Lux) – This room has two beds at ground level (no bunk beds). It has slightly more luxurious interior, as well as air conditioning.

Average cost: Most sleeper train routes in 1st class cost about $40 per ticket. The price can vary based on route and season, but this is a rough estimate.

Regardless of which category of room you purchase, if you do not purchase all of the seats in the carriage, a stranger will be able to purchase the other beds within the cabin.

Afrosiyob

Afrosiyob are high-speed trains that are equally luxurious to any high-speed train in Asia or Europe. They connect the major cities of Samarkand, Tashkent, and Bukhara.

Afrosiyob tickets include:

• Air conditioning in all cabins
• Vendors that sell snacks and tea
• Free tea bag and snacks (from my experience this doesn’t happen on every train)
• Power plugs in all cabins

Afrosiyob Routes

The Afrosiyob only connects three major cities.

• Tashkent <–> Samarkand (2 hours)
• Tashkent <–> Bukhara (4 hours)
• Bukhara <–> Samarkand (1.5 hours)

Afrosiyob Classes

While afrosiyob technically has a first and second class, the entire train is very comfortable and luxurious, and most seats are second class seats. The variation in seat is very small, and I reccomend just booking a standard (2nd class) seat known as sidyachiy.

Average Cost : Afrosiyob tickets tend to range from $8-$15 per ticket, depending on the season and route chosen

Sharq

The third type of train is a standard, Soviet-Era train known as Sharq. While the Sharq is technically faster than the sleeper train, it is much slower than the Afrosiyob. Unlike the sleeper trains, the Sharq train only includes a seat, not a bed. It also travels during the day, which often means wasting an entire travel day on an uncomfortable train. Almost all cities that are connected by the Sharq are also connected with high speed trains and sleeper trains, which are preferable options. The only exception is the Fergana region of eastern Uzbekistan, in which sharq trains may be your best option.

Sharq tickets include:

• Air conditioning in first class only
• free tea
• vendors selling drinks and snacks
• Working USB ports in first class (sometimes)

Average Price: Sharq tickets are usually less than $10, but they take considerably longer than the Afrosiyob and do not include a lie-flat bed like the sleeper train

How to Purchase Tickets for Trains in Uzbekistan

Note: It is important to book in advance, as trains fill up fast, even in the high season! If your plans do end up changing, most of the ticket price is refundable (via your Uzbekistan Railways account) up to 24 hours before departure. Tickets can only be purchased 1-1.5 months in advance.

To book tickets, use the Uzbek Railways website. The website has an English site, although names can sometimes be in Russian.

Here is an overview of city names in Russian if needed:

Tashkent – Ташкент
Bukhara – Бухара
Khiva – Хива
Samarkand – Самарканд

Steps to Booking Tickets online:

1. Choose your dates and destinations on the search function of the website
2. A page will come up that show the travel options for your route. Some of the train types may be in English, and some may be in Uzbek Cyrillic. Sleeper trains are often listed as Пассажирский. All other non-English options are usually Sharq trains. Sharq and Afrosiyob trains typically only show the price for a standard, second-class tickets, while sleeper trains will show multiple options for different classes.
3. Choose the train that you would like and press continue in the lower right-hand side
4. The website will then require you to register. You can register with email or other verification methods, such as Google or Facebook.
5. Once you have registered, you will be taken to a page to select your seats. Select the seat (or bed) that you would like, and then fill in your passenger details below. Check that you “agree to insurance rules” and click continue. (For sleeper trains, it is preferable to select a lower bunk if you are booking 2nd or 3rd class)
6. Double check your booking details and confirm again.
7. You will then be taken to the payment page. You can pay by credit card via stripe.
8. After payment, your tickets will be confirmed and sent to you via email.

Printing tickets: It is not necessary to print tickets in advance if you can access the QR code on your phone to show the ticket inspector

Cancelling tickets: You can cancel your tickets for a partial refund up to 24 hours in advance by logging into your Uzbekistan Railways account and selecting “return ticket”. We did this when our plans changed during our 6 Day Uzbekistan Trip, and the refund arrived back in my account within a few days.

What to Do if Train Tickets are Sold Out

Train tickets in Uzbekistan sell out quickly! However, just because it says a particular route is sold out, it does not mean that the entire train is actually sold out.

Uzbekistan railways reserves a certain amount of seats for each leg of the journey. So for instance, if a train is going from Bukhara->Samarkand->Tashkent, they will only reserve a certain number of seats for each leg.

If you find the seats sold out for the leg that you want, it is worth checking if seats are available for a longer leg of the journey. For instance, if you want to go from Khiva to Bukhara, but the tickets are sold out, check and see if there are tickets available from Khiva to Samarkand on a train that also stops in Bukhara. The seat will be more expensive, but it will guarantee that you can get on your train.

Preparing for Uzbekistan Train Journeys

Getting to the Station

I reccomend getting to the train station at least 30 minutes in advance, as you will have to have your luggage checked before entering the station.

Once you get into the station, the staff at the train station is fairly helpful in helping you to find your platform. However, it should be fairly self-explanatory, as a few minutes before your train departs, many people will get up and walk to the correct platform.

Luggage Storage

In general, sleeper trains don’t have a lot of space to store your luggage. You can fit some bags underneath the lower bed, but there is no designated storage. If you plan on travelling by sleeper train, I reccomend packing light.

Afrosiyob trains do have luggage storage, like the kind found on European sitting trains.

What to Bring on Overnight Trains

Snacks/ Easy Meals: Overnight trains can be long, and it is a good idea to bring snacks and water with you! There will be people selling snacks, but they are a bit more expensive, and you’re not sure when they will come. I reccomend bringing foods that don’t spoil easily, as there is not refrigeration. You can also bring containers of instant noodles, as there is boiling water available for free to prepare them.

Warm Clothes in Winter: If you travel in the winter, the sleeper trains can be a bit cold. I reccomend brining extra jackets or sweatshirts.

Power Bank: USB plugs or outlets are only in the first class, and they may not always work. Be sure to bring a fully-charged power bank!

Ear Plugs/Sleep Mask: If you are a light sleeper, be sure to bring a set of ear plugs and a sleep mask to help you get a better night of sleep.

Toilet Paper: This is not entirely necessary, but sometimes the toilets run out of toilet paper, so it can be helpful to bring your own supply of tissues.

Perfect Uzbekistan Itinerary by Train

This is the route we took on our 6 day Uzbekistan itinerary!

• Tashkent/Samarkand to Khiva by sleeper train
• Khiva to Bukhara by sleeper train
• Bukhara to Samarkand by Afrosiyob.
• If you are flying out of Tashkent: Samarkand to Tashkent by Afrosiyob

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For a detailed guide of planning travel to Uzbekistan, check out my perfect 6 day itinerary here.

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Check out all of my Uzbekistan guides here.

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