Silk Road Adventures in Uzbekistan: Khiva with Kids

Khiva at dusk

Firstly... Tashkent

We began our Uzbekistan adventure in Tashkent, the vibrant and surprisingly modern capital city. After the wild, rugged beauty of Kyrgyzstan’s mountains, Tashkent felt like stepping into another world! — elegant Soviet-era architecture, gleaming modern buildings, grand shopping centres and amazing metro stations!

After the long night bus from Bishkek Kyrgyzstan, we booked a Yandex from the bus station to Yakkasaray District, where there are many hotels to choose from, catering to all budgets. We arrived with no accommodation prebooked but it didn’t take us long to find a room. We stayed at the Moon Hotel, which turned out to be a perfect base for exploring the city.

To read more about How To Book a Bus From Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to Tashkent, click HERE

We only had a couple of days in Tashkent. It was really easy to explore and Yandex taxis are incredibly cheap! It’s easy to taxi or train around the city. We visited the Hazrati Imam complex, home to one of the world’s oldest Qurans and a peaceful courtyard surrounded by beautifully tiled madrasas. We also spent time exploring Tashkent’s famous metro stations, each one like an underground art gallery — with a story/theme reflecting Uzbekistans history & culture. And the subway is super cheap! You can travel between stations for as little as 20 cents!

Metro station Tashkent

From Tashkent to Khiva

It was time to start the next leg of our journey. We made our way to Toshkent-Janubiy Station and boarded the 16-hour overnight train to Khiva.

The train journey turned out to be really fun. We booked our tickets through the UzRailway website — definitely worth reserving ahead of time as sleeper berths can sell out quickly. We had a cozy four-berth cabin to ourselves, complete with beds, a little table, and a big window looking out across the Uzbek desert. We packed plenty of snacks for the journey (always a good idea when traveling with kids!).

As the train rattled westward, we tucked ourselves in for the night. The girls loved their little train bunks. In the morning I watched the sun rise over the desert, and we spent a slow, peaceful morning reading and watching the landscape roll by. It really didn't feel like a 16 hour trip!

By 11 a.m. we arrived in Khiva, one of the Silk Road’s most magical cities. From the station, we took a taxi (booked via the Yandex app to avoid any confusion and haggling) straight to Itchan Kala, the old walled city — and wow!

Khiva instantly captured our hearts (in fact our eldest daughter said it was her favourite stop on our overland trip from London to Byron Bay!) Enclosed within massive mud-brick walls, the old town feels like stepping straight into a scene From Aladdin. Every street is lined with turquoise-tiled minarets, carved wooden doors, and sand-colored alleyways that glow at sunset.

Highlights of Khiva

• Kalta Minor Minaret – short, wide, and covered in dazzling blue tiles — it stunning!

Walking the alleys to Kalta Minor Minaret

• Kunya-Ark Fortress – with insanely incredible tiles!!!!

Dancing around Khiva

• Islam Khodja Minaret – the tallest in Khiva and one of the best spots for panoramic views (if you’re up for the climb!).

The history here is amazing

• Evening stroll on the city walls – absolutely magical at sunset, as the light turns the mud walls golden.

A very popular spot at sunset

We stayed at a lovely homestay right in the heart of Itchan Kala — the location couldn’t have been better. Our hosts were kind and welcoming, and although we didn’t share a common language, smiles and gestures did the trick. We prebooked our stay at Mironshox Guest House on booking.com because we wanted to stay in a great location.

Breakfast with a view at our homestay/Bed and Breakfast

We stayed right next to Terrassa Café, the perfect spot for a long, lazy rooftop lunch, watching life unfold below — kids playing & locals chatting.

Rooftop view over Khiva

Khiva felt like a place where time stands still — a living museum, but also full of warmth, rhythm, and everyday life. For us, it was love at first sight.

For families travelling through Uzbekistan, we’d rank Khiva as one of the best cities to explore.

From there we made our way to Bukhara…

Click HERE to read about our next stop!

If you want to read how we travelled from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan Click HERE, it has all the info you need to know.

Bukhara! More incredible history, architecture and tiles 😍

This post contains affiliate links. If you book or buy something through these, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting this blog - it helps us keep sharing family travel inspiration