Cheap flights from London to Samarkand

November is the cheapest month for this route, and the price calendar covers most of the year, so you can let the dates move instead of fixing them. Autumn and winter departures are quieter, while summer and the run-up to the New Year are when seats go first. Compare a midweek flight with a weekend one before you commit — on a connecting itinerary the gap is often wider than the first screen suggests. If you have any flexibility, start with November and work outwards from there.

Nothing on this route is nonstop, so the real choice is where you change and who sells you the ticket. Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways are the full-service names, routing you through their hubs, while Pegasus, Easyjet, Jet2 and Sun Express sit on the low-cost side, where bags, seats and food are usually priced on top of the base fare. Uzbekistan Airways and Air Astana cover legs further east, and Hahn Air and Eurowings turn up on some combinations. Compare the total for the whole trip, not the headline fare, and check what each ticket actually includes before you pay.

Samarkand has a single airport, so you cannot land at the wrong one — the decision sits on the London side, where you pick between London City, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted. From the airport, a taxi or a pre-arranged transfer is the usual way into the city; agree the fare before you set off and have your address written in local script. If your connection lands late, arrange the ride before you fly rather than at the kerb. The part of the journey most likely to go wrong is the change itself, so leave room between flights and check whether your bags are checked through to Samarkand.

Currency

UZS (Soʻm)

Power sockets

Type C, F, I · 220 V

Language

Uzbek

Emergency number

112

Driving side

right

Calling code

+998

Internet domain

.uz

Population of Samarkand

546 k (2020)

Time zone

UTC+05 (Asia/Tashkent)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Decide which London airport you leave from — London City, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted are not interchangeable when a connection follows.
• Check whether your change is on one ticket or two, because separate tickets leave you carrying the risk of a missed connection.
• On low-cost fares, add bags and seats to the price before you compare it with a full-service ticket.
• Confirm the entry rules and the documents you need for Uzbekistan well before departure.
• Look at November first if price matters more to you than exact dates.
• If the connection is overnight, check whether you can stay in the terminal or need a hotel.