Day trip to Khujand / Booking trains

[ba8mki]

Hi all,

I have couple of questions I hope you can help with.

I will in Uzbekistan in a couple of weeks (arriving early hours of Saturday morning Tashkent), and will go to Khujand for the day on Sunday and will then go to Samarkand/Bukhara on Monday.

Q1. I read that the taxis/mini buses leave from the market at Kuyluk to the Tajikistan border. As I will go on Sunday when the market is closed, do the minibuses/taxis still run from there or should I look elsewhere?

Q2. On Monday I will take the 7.30am train from Tashkent to Samarkand and then the 21.03 train from Samarkand to Bukhara. I do not care about the quality of the seat, I just want to get on the train. Can the tickets completely sell out? If so, then I will need to book them in advance.

Thanks, Matt

[Milad]

No idea concerning Khujand, never been there.
Yes, Uzbek trains can sell out, the high-speed Afrosiob trains will likely be sold out a few days before, the slower Sharq trains may or may not sell out, but usually have a better availability. You can distinguish them by the journey time: A Sharq will need about 3 hours for Tashkent-Samarkand, an Afrosiob 2 hours. For Samarkand-Bukhara, the Sharq takes 2 hours, the Afrosiob 1:30.

[steven]

Why not take the direct bus from Tashkent to Khujand? And yes, buses run every day. The market should be open on Sunday btw, closed on Monday.

[ba8mki]

Thanks Milad.
Steven, I heard they only run in the evening. I will only Sunday for a day trip which means the bus isnt possible.
Good to know its open on Sunday. I read it was closed, but that will make everything a lot easier.
Thanks