My short but sweet time in Samarkand had come to an end and I must go back to Tashkent. While I took a Sharq train from Tashkent to Samarkand, on my way back, I was lucky enough to score a ticket on a sleeper train from Samarkand to Tashkent instead!
Buying Tickets of the Sleeper Train from Samarkand to Tashkent
As mentioned from my other post about Sharq Train from Tashkent to Samarkand, there are two ways to book your train tickets: online and directly from the train station. Securing your tickets should be your top priority because the demand is high, and the seat availability are fast moving. I highly recommend booking your tickets online as soon as you can instead of waiting until the last minute, like me.
To give you an idea how in demand the tickets are, I met a South Korean traveler in Tashkent who bought flight tickets within Uzbekistan because she couldn't find tickets at all. Another South Korean traveler I met in Samarkand missed her train and couldn't buy any tickets heading Samarkand from Tashkent for the same day. In the end, she took a taxi all the way to Samarkand for $200! I still remember her angelic face, sweating and exhausted after all that trouble.
All Aboard! Book Your Train Tickets with Uzbek Railways Today!
Buying Tickets Online
With the help of the receptionist of Safarov Hostel in Tashkent, I booked my tickets online few days before arriving moving to Samarkand. I bought them as my return journey from Tashkent and I asked the help of the receptionist because of the following reasons:
- Uzbek Railways website needs a higher bandwidth. Both my cellular data (in Uzbekistan) and the hostel’s Wi-Fi takes forever to load thus I keep losing my seat and connection to the website. So make sure you book it somewhere with a stable connection.
- During the payment stage, I’m paying with my UAE credit card and I need an OTP. The OTP is being sent as SMS on my UAE number and the delay is turtle slow due to the poor reception as well.
Again, as mentioned previously my experience could be rare case but consider these factors when booking your tickets to secure your seats. How did the receptionist helped me if you ask, he let me pay using his Uzbek credit card to secure my seat and I paid him directly with no additional cost. Yep, he did gave me an extra mile of service! I forgot his name though 🙁
Upon booking, I received the train ticket with all the necessary details: date and train timings, journey duration, seat allocation/number, and ticket cost. The ticket cost UZS142,750.00 which is equivalent to around $11! And remember this is a sleeper train from Samarkand to Tashkent via Uzbekistan Railways, I found this to be a steal!
Buying Tickets from the Train Station
The Filipina I met in Samarkand was able to buy a ticket to Tashkent directly at the train station one day prior her trip to Tashkent. She mentioned that tickets were available, and you just pay and go. Again, tickets/seats are subject to availability and unpredictable so it's always a gamble.
Train Station in Samarkand
Location
Samarkand has only one railway station so there's no need to worry about confusion. It is located outside the city center, and you can take the bus (although I couldn't find the bus routes) or a taxi to your accommodation.
From Registan Hostel to Samarkand's train station, the Yandex taxi cost me UZS 20,000 which is equivalent to $1.60. The journey lasted 15 minutes, even with traffic and I had a friendly Tajik driver. We had a nice discussion about his life in Samarkand and my efforts to learn Russian as another foreign language.
Facilities
Compared to Tashkent’s South Station, Samarkand’s train station is quite artistic, at least from my perspective. It is a low-rise building with marble floors, highly detailed ceilings, chandeliers, and warm-toned yellow lighting.
Snacks, beverages and souvenirs are available if needed. There's also a ticket counter, and squat toilets are located in the basement of the building.
Platform
Located directly outside the building, the train platform has numerous tracks. To reach our track, we went through an underground passage to cross to the other side. Here, I met a Russian traveler currently working in Tashkent who chatted with me while waited for our train.
The Sleeper Train from Samarkand to Tashkent Experience
Now, onto the main highlight: the inside look of the train. The compartment has four beds and the overall layuot is similar to the overnight train we took from Baku to Tbilisi back in 2019. I also received linens for the bed and pillows although I didn't use them since the journey to Tashkent was short and I didn't plan to sleep much anyway.
There was no Wi-Fi or food cart on board, and there was a toilet at the end of the car, though I didn’t check it out myself.
Being my second night train experience, I now know how to climb the bed and how to find my comfortable position. I managed to take a good nap in that short amount of time and reached Tashkent around midnight. Just in time, I went straight to the airport for my flight back home.
No delays, comfortable, and affordable, I'd take the same train again in the future to visit Khiva and Bukhara!
