[Uzbekistan] A Day Trip from Tashkent to Samarkand | Riding the Afrosiyob High-Speed Train [Travel Edition]

Monday, April 28, 2025

This was the day I took a day trip from Tashkent to Samarkand on Uzbekistan's high-speed train, the Afrosiyob.

I have a lot to write about, so I'll start with the [Travel Edition]✍️

Check out the previous post here

Feel free to check out my packing list here too♪
(Thank you for featuring it in today's notable articles on note!)

To those who followed me because of this article, thank you so much!

Here is a helpful guidebook

Staying inside the station is super convenient! Heading to the 6:30 AM Afrosiyob

At 6:30 AM, I headed to Samarkand on the Afrosiyob train departing from Tashkent Station (travel time: approximately 2 hours and 18 minutes).

I stayed at a hotel located inside Tashkent Station this time.

Thanks to that, I was able to leave the hotel 20 minutes before departure and still make it with time to spare!

Technically, the official recommended arrival time at the station is 30 minutes before departure, but staying at a station hotel is definitely the best option.

※ I plan to write more details about this accommodation on my blog!

The ticket gate...? It's not there!? And look at that crowd!

There was a machine inside the station to scan QR codes, so I tried it just in case, but...
almost no one else was doing it (lol).

Without anything resembling a ticket gate, I just glided straight onto the platform.

And there, I was met with the sight of a huge crowd of people waiting!

It was more of a "huddle" than a line.

The train had arrived early and was already parked about 20 minutes before departure.

Boarding with a bit of "assertive spirit"

When I went to the front of my carriage, there were many people, but no line...

Moving forward little by little, I used my "assertive spirit" to show my passport and ticket to the attendant, and managed to board safely! (I never ended up using the QR code.)

This check took quite a bit of time, so

the departure was also a little under 10 minutes behind schedule.

With this style, maybe it's no wonder it's late...?

The very last seat was way too comfortable!

Our seats were the two seats at the very back.

It was a quiet and calm space, and more comfortable than I imagined.

It was worth the effort to book them on the day reservations opened two months ago...!

I really recommend booking high-speed train tickets as early as possible.

The seats are wide, the windows are large, and you can see the scenery perfectly, so it really boosts the excitement of the trip.

By the way, the ticket price for this Afrosiyob train was 270,000 som (approx. 3,045 yen)
.

For this level of comfort, this price felt like a great deal by Japanese standards!

The vendor came by many times! But...

While in motion, staff selling juice, fruit, ice cream, and more from trays walked back and forth many times.

The ice cream was piled high in cups, and the fruit was neatly cut and plated—it looked quite luxurious!

…but, it didn't look like they were selling much.

I even found myself worrying unnecessarily, wondering, "What happens if all of this goes unsold?" Haha.

A surprise snack time! It was free.

Along the way, there was a surprise service where they suddenly handed out paper bags filled with snacks and asked, "Tea or coffee?"

This was, believe it or not, free!

I asked for tea and munched on the sweet snacks as a substitute for breakfast.

However, inside the paper bag, there was also an instant coffee stick included, and I was a bit confused, wondering, "When am I supposed to use this?" Haha.

For those who ordered coffee, it seems they were properly served coffee in a cup right there, so "Then what was this stick for?" remained a bit of a mystery until the end.

By the way, my husband, who was sleeping, got his snack, but he missed out on the tea. Haha. Timing is everything!

The scenery is peaceful, but there are some strange sights too

The scenery outside is a continuous, peaceful green landscape.

I relaxed and gazed blankly at the view while we were moving.

However, along the tracks on the way, there were people who looked like staff members wearing orange vests standing there, and they appeared repeatedly, even in places without stations.

I'm sure it's for safety checks and the like, but it was a bit of a strange sight.

Also, there were places where it looked like they were opening and closing the railroad crossings by hand, and I was a bit surprised, thinking, 'Oh, so that's how it is...!'

It was a strange sight that felt like time travel.

Arrived in Samarkand in no time!

With that, 2 hours and 18 minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and we arrived at Samarkand Station!

It was a high-speed rail experience unique to Central Asia, different from Japan's Shinkansen.

Next time, I will bring you the Samarkand Sightseeing Edition✨

Look forward to it!

Feel free to check out the packing list for this trip here!

I also have a blog♪

Many people had this guidebook!