Ashgabat

Ashgabat holds a Guinness World Record for the number of buildings faced with white marble. The avenues are wide, clean and quiet, with gold domes, fountains and parks between government buildings. After sunset the whole city is lit up and looks completely different.

On a city tour we usually see the Independence Monument, the Arch of Neutrality, the globe-shaped Wedding Palace and the Alem center with its enclosed Ferris wheel, then walk through the Russian Bazaar for dried fruit, sweets and souvenirs. Depending on the tour, the program also includes the National Museum, the Gypjak Mosque just outside the city, an Akhal-Teke horse farm and an evening drive past the illuminated monuments.

Ashgabat International Airport is a short drive from the center, and Ancient Nisa is just outside the city, so both fit easily into a day here. Photos of some government buildings are not allowed. Your guide will tell you where you can take pictures.