Uzbekistan

For five centuries every trader, conqueror and pilgrim crossing Asia passed through these cities, and the architecture they left behind — the ribbed turquoise domes of Samarkand, the intact medieval streets of Bukhara, Khiva's mud-walled citadel — still outguns almost anything in the hemisphere. What has changed is access: a $20 e-visa in three days, direct Tashkent flights from Delhi, and tourism infrastructure that improved beyond recognition in a decade.

The shape of the trip

The classic (6 nights): Tashkent briefly (1 night), the high-speed Afrosiyob train to Samarkand for the Registan, Shah-i-Zinda's tiled necropolis and Bibi-Khanym (2 nights), then on to Bukhara's old town — a living museum where you sleep inside the monument zone (2–3 nights). Ambitious itineraries add Khiva by rail or a short flight.

The money

Uzbekistan is gentle on the wallet: boutique guesthouses in restored merchant homes run ₹2,500–5,000; a feast of plov, shashlik and warm non bread costs ₹400–700; the fast train between cities, under ₹1,200 in economy. Guides are worth hiring here — the history is the destination, and a good one (₹3,000–4,000/day) transforms the tiles into stories.

Worth knowing

Book the Afrosiyob trains a few days ahead — they sell out in season. Carry some cash (cards are common in cities, patchy elsewhere), dress modestly at religious sites, and accept every offer of tea; refusing is the only real faux pas.