# Things to do in Khiva: top sights and where to go

> Khiva is Itchan Kala, an old town of about 650 by 400 metres inside a mud-brick wall: Kalta Minor, the Kunya-Ark citadel, the Juma Mosque, the Islam Khodja Minaret and Tash-Hauli Palace stand 2–5 minutes' walk apart, so one full day covers them all. Nurullabay Palace is just outside the West Gate, while the ancient desert fortresses of Toprak-Kala and Ayaz-Kala are an hour and a half away by car, for a second day.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva

## Ready itineraries

- [One day in Khiva: an itinerary in the best order](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/in-1-day.md): Nurullabay palace, the Kunya-Ark fortress, turquoise Kalta Minor, Pahlavan Mahmud's mausoleum, the Juma mosque with 213 carved columns and Tash-Hauli palace.

## All 10 places with the YesGo score

- [Kalta Minor](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/kalta-minor.md): YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free, outside view. Kalta Minor is Khiva’s unfinished “short minaret”, a tower wrapped entirely in turquoise and blue tiles just inside the West Gate of…
- [Juma Mosque](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/khiva-juma-mosque.md): YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Itchan Kala ticket, ≈ 250,000 UZS. The Juma (Friday) Mosque is a single low hall in the middle of Khiva’s Itchan Kala, its flat roof held up by 213 carved wooden columns…
- [Islam Khodja Minaret](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/islam-khodja-minaret.md): YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Climb ≈ 100,000 UZS. The Islam Khodja Minaret is Khiva’s tallest tower — about 45 m above ground, 56.6 m including its foundations, built in 1908–1910. You can…
- [Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/pahlavan-mahmud-mausoleum.md): YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ 20,000–30,000 UZS, separate. The Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum is the shrine of Khiva’s patron saint, a medieval poet and wrestler, under the biggest dome in the old town…
- [Nurullabay Palace](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/nurullabay-palace.md): YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ≈ 80,000–120,000 UZS. Nurullabay (Nurullaboy) Palace is the last residence of the Khiva khans, a 5–7-minute walk north of the West Gate, just outside the Itchan…
- [Tash-Hauli Palace](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/tash-hauli-palace.md): YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Itchan Kala pass ≈ 250,000 UZS. Tash-Hauli (Toshhovli) is Allakuli Khan's 1830s palace by the East Gate of Itchan Kala: a harem, a reception court and a court of justice…
- [Kunya-Ark](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/kunya-ark.md): YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ≈ 250,000 UZS pass; tower extra. Kunya-Ark (also Kuhna Ark) is the khans' old citadel, a fortress inside Khiva's walled Itchan Kala by the West Gate: throne hall, tiled…
- [Itchan Kala](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/khiva-itchan-kala.md): YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ 250,000 UZS, valid 48 hours. Itchan Kala is Khiva's walled inner town: about 26 hectares of madrasas, minarets, mosques and khans' palaces inside 8–10-metre mud-brick…
- [Ayaz-Kala](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/ayaz-kala.md): YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Token fee, about $1–4. Ayaz-Kala is three mud-brick forts of ancient Khorezm on a hill at the edge of the Kyzylkum desert, 100–110 km from Khiva. Allow 1.5–2…
- [Toprak-Kala](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/toprak-kala.md): YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ 10,000–20,000 UZS, cash. Toprak-Kala is the excavated capital of ancient Khorezm: a 500 × 350 m walled town with a three-towered palace, in the Karakalpakstan…

## Khiva travel guide

Before you go: Itchan Kala inside the walls, minarets and palaces, desert fortresses, getting there, weather.

## Trip essentials

- How many days: 1–2 days: Itchan Kala and the fortresses
- When to go: April–May and September–October
- Getting there: Fly to Urgench + 40 min, or by train
- Visa: Visa-free for many passports, often 30 days
- Time zone: UTC+5

## Key facts

- **1990** — Itchan Kala became Central Asia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site (source: UNESCO World Heritage List, No. 543)
- **≈ 57 m** — height of the Islam Khodja Minaret, the tallest in Khiva (source: Wikipedia, “Islam Khodja Minaret”)
- **19th c.** — the unfinished, turquoise-tiled Kalta Minor minaret (source: Wikipedia, “Kalta Minor”)
- **213 columns** — support the roof of the wooden Juma Mosque (source: Wikipedia, “Juma Mosque (Khiva)”)

## Things to do in Khiva

Khiva is a museum town inside the walls of Itchan Kala: the Kalta Minor and Islam Khodja minarets, the Kunya-Ark fortress, Tash-Hauli Palace, the Juma Mosque and the Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum. In the desert are the fortresses of Ayaz-Kala and Toprak-Kala. Every place with its YesGo score is in the list above; the “Map” button shows them on a map.

| Where | What to see | Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Itchan Kala** | [Itchan Kala](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/khiva-itchan-kala), [Kalta Minor](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/kalta-minor), [Kunya-Ark](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/kunya-ark) | ½ day |
| **Mosques** | [Juma](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/khiva-juma-mosque), [Islam Khodja](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/islam-khodja-minaret), [Pahlavan Mahmud](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/pahlavan-mahmud-mausoleum) | 2 h |
| **Palaces** | [Tash-Hauli](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/tash-hauli-palace), [Nurullabay](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/nurullabay-palace) | 2 h |
| **Desert** | [Ayaz-Kala](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/ayaz-kala), [Toprak-Kala](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/toprak-kala) | 1 day |

Rather not plan it yourself? The list above has a ready itinerary, with places in a sensible order.

## Getting to Khiva

The nearest airport is Urgench, ≈ 35 km away — about 40 minutes by taxi. Flights from Tashkent take about 1.5 hours. From Bukhara it’s a 6–7-hour drive or train ride across the desert.

| From | How | Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **[Tashkent](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent)** | Flight to Urgench | ≈ 1.5 h |
| **Urgench** | Taxi | ≈ 40 min |
| **[Bukhara](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/bukhara)** | Car, train | ≈ 6–7 h |

## Khiva weather by month

Khiva lies in the desert: summer heat reaches 37 °C, winter is cold, about 3 °C by day with frosty nights. April–May and September–October are best.

- **January in Khiva**: day ≈ 3°C, night ≈ -6°C, rainy days: 5. Cold, frosty nights.
- **February in Khiva**: day ≈ 6°C, night ≈ -4°C, rainy days: 5. Cold.
- **March in Khiva**: day ≈ 13°C, night ≈ 2°C, rainy days: 6. Spring.
- **April in Khiva** (best time): day ≈ 22°C, night ≈ 9°C, rainy days: 5. Warm — a great time.
- **May in Khiva**: day ≈ 29°C, night ≈ 15°C, rainy days: 4. Warm, hot by day.
- **June in Khiva**: day ≈ 34°C, night ≈ 20°C, rainy days: 1. Heat.
- **July in Khiva**: day ≈ 37°C, night ≈ 22°C, rainy days: 0. Peak heat.
- **August in Khiva**: day ≈ 35°C, night ≈ 20°C, rainy days: 0. Hot.
- **September in Khiva** (best time): day ≈ 29°C, night ≈ 13°C, rainy days: 1. Warm — the best month.
- **October in Khiva** (best time): day ≈ 20°C, night ≈ 6°C, rainy days: 2. About 20°.
- **November in Khiva**: day ≈ 11°C, night ≈ 0°C, rainy days: 3. Cool.
- **December in Khiva**: day ≈ 5°C, night ≈ -4°C, rainy days: 4. Cold.

Itchan Kala is loveliest at sunset — climb the wall or a minaret.

## Khiva ticket prices

Itchan Kala has a combined ticket covering most museums; the Islam Khodja Minaret and some palaces are extra.

- [Kalta Minor](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/kalta-minor) — Free, outside view
- [Juma Mosque](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/khiva-juma-mosque) — Itchan Kala ticket, ≈ 250,000 UZS
- [Islam Khodja Minaret](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/islam-khodja-minaret) — Climb ≈ 100,000 UZS
- [Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/pahlavan-mahmud-mausoleum) — ≈ 20,000–30,000 UZS, separate
- [Nurullabay Palace](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/nurullabay-palace) — ≈ 80,000–120,000 UZS
- [Tash-Hauli Palace](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/tash-hauli-palace) — Itchan Kala pass ≈ 250,000 UZS
- [Kunya-Ark](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/kunya-ark) — ≈ 250,000 UZS pass; tower extra
- [Itchan Kala](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/khiva-itchan-kala) — ≈ 250,000 UZS, valid 48 hours
- [Ayaz-Kala](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/ayaz-kala) — Token fee, about $1–4
- [Toprak-Kala](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/toprak-kala) — ≈ 10,000–20,000 UZS, cash

## Tips

- Buy the Itchan Kala combined ticket — it’s valid for two days.
- Stay inside the walls — in the evening the town empties and turns magical.

## Questions

### Is Khiva worth visiting?

Yes — a whole walled city of minarets and palaces, Central Asia’s first UNESCO site, best seen with an overnight stay inside the walls.

### How do I get to Khiva?

Fly from Tashkent to Urgench in about 1.5 hours, then take a 40-minute taxi.

## Sources

- UNESCO World Heritage List, No. 543
- Wikipedia, “Khiva”; “Islam Khodja Minaret”; “Kalta Minor”

Facts checked: 09.11.2026

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