Urgench is a city in Khorezm, in Uzbekistan.

Get in

By air

Uzbekistan Airways operates twice daily flights from Tashkent (operated by RJ-85, Airbus 320 and sometimes IL 114, flying time 1:30 hrs) and a flight on Saturday (operated by B-757, flying time 1:40 hrs, return flight on Sundays). Flights (as per May 2011) were about 275,000 sum for return ticket ans about 139,000 sum (€ 43) for a single ticket.

You can also reach Urgench on Fridays on Uzbekistan Airways via Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow.

By train

The brand new 1 Urgench Train Station.  has daily night trains to and from Tashkent that make the 19 hour journey across the desert with one major stop along the way in Samarkand. For departure times see the Uzbekistan#Get around section. Taxis from [Urgench] Railway Station to Khiva are about 7,000 som one way. For the Trolley Bus see below.

By bus

If you're really budgeting your cash, you can catch a bus to Urgench from the Hippodrome station in Tashkent. The good news is the journey doesn't take much longer than the train (20 hours) and is only about 20,000 sum. The bad news is you'll be sitting in a cramped space without toilets (the driver decides when to make a pit stop) and minimal ventilation, and no air conditioning.

There are daily buses from Bukhara to Urgench, leaving from Bukhara Avtovoksal. The busses have no air condition. The journey time is about 8 hours and the price about 15,000 UZS on way [Sep 2012] . There is no fixed timetable, the buses leave, when all seats are occupied.

By car

Inter-city "taxi" services are essentially a collection of informal drivers who wait to fill up their cars with passengers and then drive them off to their destinations. They usually charge per passenger; however, you can buy all the seats in a car (typically 1 in the front and 3 in the back) if you're willing to spend the cash. From Bukhara, the next closest Silk Road site, the 460km trip in a shared taxi should cost between 50,000-80,000 sum per person [Sep 2012]. The price can sometimes depend on the type of vehicle you're negotiating for, with Daewoo Ticos costing less and Daewoo Nexia and Matiz brands costing a bit more.

Sleep

• Chorezm Palace Hotel, 2, Al Beruni Str, ☏ 229402NOCC, 49301NOCC. four star hotel in the city centre with 100 rooms, restaurant, lobby bar, sauna, jacuzzi and swimming pool 

Go next

• Khiva - the historical city with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre of Itchan Kala