Silk Road: route guide

Decide first how much of the route you actually want. The Silk Road spans China, Central Asia, Iran, the Caucasus and Turkey, and no one travels all of it in one go. The most rewarding short version is the Uzbekistan core: Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, linked by fast trains and short drives, done comfortably in 7–10 days.

If you want the full overland crossing from Xi'an to Istanbul, plan 3–6 months and treat visas as the real project. Most travellers do a hybrid: fly into a hub such as Tashkent, Samarkand or Almaty, then travel overland between nearby cities.

The historic network runs west from Xi'an across China's Gansu corridor to Kashgar, then through the Tianshan range into Central Asia, on through Iran and the Caucasus toward Turkey and the Mediterranean. The UNESCO Chang'an–Tianshan Corridor covers about 5,000 km from Xi'an to the Tianshan border region; the Zarafshan–Karakum Corridor added in 2023 runs through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan toward Merv.

For planning, treat the route as a chain of hubs rather than a line. Coordinates below are approximate city centres.

Distances and times below are for the common overland links. Rail is the fastest and most comfortable option in Uzbekistan; elsewhere you rely on shared taxis, buses or your own vehicle. Times are estimates and vary with border waits.

Central Asia has a continental climate: hot, dry summers and cold winters. The comfortable windows are April–June and September–October, when days are warm and nights cool. July and August are very hot in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, with temperatures often above 35 °C.

Winter travel is possible and cheap, but many mountain roads close and some sites run shorter hours. In China's Xinjiang, spring and autumn are also the best months. Check current travel advisories before booking, as conditions and access change.

Book accommodation in each hub rather than along the road; distances between towns are long and there is little in between. In Uzbekistan, guesthouses in Bukhara's old town and Khiva's walled Ichan Kala put the main sights within walking distance. Samarkand's hotels cluster near Registan and the train station.

In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Almaty and Bishkek have the widest range, from hostels to business hotels. In Iran and Turkey, city-centre hotels near the bazaar or old quarter work well. For the full overland route, plan one or two rest days per week in a city with good hotels.

Visas are the main planning task. Rules differ by nationality and change often; check each country's official immigration site before you book. Some Central Asian countries offer visa-free entry or e-visas for many passports, but confirm for yours.

Carry a paper and digital copy of your passport, take out travel insurance that covers the countries on your route, and register with your embassy where required. For driving, an International Driving Permit is useful; check whether your licence is accepted and whether you need a local permit. Cash matters: carry enough local currency for small towns, as card acceptance is uneven outside major cities.

Pack for big temperature swings, a reusable water bottle, and a translation app. Learn a few phrases in Russian, which still works as a lingua franca across much of Central Asia.