Khiva sits apart from the rest of the Silk Road route. The nearest airport is Urgench, roughly half an hour away, and because the overland distance from Bukhara is considerable, many travellers treat Khiva as a single, self-contained day rather than a multi-night stop.

The Urgench to Khiva transfer

The drive covers about 35 kilometres of flat, open road and usually takes 30 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. Arranging this transfer in advance is worth doing — taxi availability at Urgench airport can be inconsistent for a first-time visitor working out fares in an unfamiliar language.

Inside Itchan Kala

Itchan Kala, Khiva’s walled inner city, is close to a genuine open-air museum — nearly the entire old town is preserved within its mud-brick walls, unlike Samarkand or Bukhara, where the historic sites sit inside a living, modern city around them.

What to prioritise

• Kunya-Ark, the former royal residence just inside the west gate.
• The unfinished Kalta Minor minaret, Khiva’s most photographed landmark.
• Islam Khodja minaret, the tallest in the city, with a viewing platform near the top.
• The Tosh Hovli palace complex, for its tilework and courtyards.

Pace for a single day

Itchan Kala is compact enough to cover on foot in four to five hours. Arriving mid-morning, taking a midday break out of the heat, and continuing into the afternoon works well for a single-day visit — and if you are staying over, the walls lit at night are worth the extra evening.

Should you stay overnight?

An overnight stay adds the lit walls after dark and quieter streets early the next morning, but many travellers combine Khiva with a same-day flight back given how far it sits from the rest of the route. Either works — it comes down to how much time is left in the trip.

Getting between Khiva and the rest of the route

The overland trip between Bukhara and Khiva crosses roughly 450 kilometres of the Kyzylkum desert — a long day by road. Many travellers use a short domestic flight or the overnight train instead, and decide based on how much time is left in the trip.