About Uzbekistan, some background info
Uzbekistan is a modern country with a few main characteristics thanks to its rich history.
First of all, a large part of it is a desert and located on the famous ancient Silk Road that connected Europe with China. Uzbekistan is approximately half-way and therewith a trading post where goods where sold and exchanged. People of different religions met and lived here together peacefully since the old days. Some of the architecture is very similar to Iran.
Second, Uzbekistan has been part of the USSR for 80 years. The Russian language is spoken everywhere as a 2nd language what makes it easy for Russians to travel. There are many. Several 100,000s fled Russia after the war with Ukraine and now live in Uzbekistan. Younger Uzbeks are also learning English, so they can communicate with the rest of the world.
Uzbekistan is a Muslim country, but how one practises is completely up to the person. We saw families where the mother wears a scarf and is mostly covered, while the 20-something year old daughter shows her long hair, wears make-up and modern clothing. It is great to see this much freedom. Uzbeks compare this with Islam in Turkey, but I think they are even freer.
Capital Tashkent
Tashkent is the major city in Uzbekistan and hosts the main international airport. Most travellers start their journey here. There are several nice things to see and do, for example the market hall (Chorsu Bazaar), Hazrati Imam Complex (mosques) and Amir Timur Square & Hotel Uzbekistan, with wide avenues and parks nearby. Preferably you would do this by metro to see some of the famous subway stations. The subway, with old and modern trains, standard and art-like stations is a must-do.
Also interesting is the Central Asian Plov Centre, where you can taste the famous plov (aka. pilaf). There are many people here and the plov (a rice with meat dish), that is prepared in huge pans, tastes great.
Samarkand
Samarkand is the first stop after Tashkent and a real highlight.
Registan Square is the place to hang out and admire old architecture. The massive square is surrounded by three religious schools (Madrasas) where philosophy, astronomy, mathematics and Islam were taught. By day you can view and enter all of this, by night you can enjoy a great light show from the deck just outside the square.
In walking distance from Registan Square are a nice market and the “tomb of the King”, where conqueror and statesman Timur is buried. Not much further is the Necropolis with several mausoleums in a nice, colourful street. To see all this you will need 1 or 2 days.
Bukhara
Bukhara Is the 2nd stop along the Silk Road and is easy to reach by train.
The city square with two beautiful Madrasas and a decorated stone minaret forms the centre of this 2000 year old city. The Minaret is also known as the Tower of Death, because till approx. 100 years ago criminals were executed by being thrown from the top. Do spend some time here.
Not far away are the fortress of Bukhara and a nice mosque with wooden pillars. Vendors sell good-looking 2-sided short vests for women.
We stayed in a small hotel near the Labi Hovuz Lake in the heart of the old city. From here it is an easy walk in all directions. The pond is surrounded by shopping and dining options, straight at the water front. Highly recommended.
Khiva
Khiva is the 3rd must-do stop on the Silk Road. It is the smallest city of the three and considered an open-air museum. Don’t worry, it is not really a museum. You can walk through it at and take pictures no cost (with very few exceptions). There are shops and restaurants (recommended: Terrassa and Sofra Restaurants).
The old city of Khiva is surrounded by an intact wall. Within the wall everything is old. There are no tall buildings or large, fancy hotels and you walk from spot to spot. It really is quite charming and pleasant, but after 1-2 days you will have seen enough. We stayed in a tiny hotel within the city walls.
From Khiva you can travel to Lake Aral. This was the 3rd largest lake in the world, till irrigation projects in the USSR around 1960 dried up the rivers that contributed water to the lake. Now only 1/10th of the lake remains and the rest is desert.
After Khiva you can return to Tashkent either by 20 hours train or bus ride or by a 1.5 hour US$100 flight from nearby Urgench (easily reachable from Khiva by trolley bus or taxi). Some people also travel on a group tour or overlanding tour further west to Turkmenistan.
Other Places of interest, travelling further
A large part of Uzbekistan is a desert, but part of it is very fertile and produces an excellent harvest. 20% is covered by tall mountains with beautiful lakes. There are a few areas to enjoy these Swiss-like landscapes, for example just outside of Tashkent and the Hisar Range near the border with Tajikistan.
Many travellers we spoke to, combined Uzbekistan with Almaty (in southern Kazakhstan), Kirgizstan and Tajikistan. If you enough time, you can certainly consider this either as an independent traveller or in a group tour, where all hotels, transport and tickets will have been arranged by the tour operator. A popular tour is “visiting 4 stans”.
We continued from Uzbekistan by plane to Urumqi, Western China, for a trip through the remote provinces of Xinyang and Tibet.
Getting around Uzbekistan
There are buses and trains that take you around the country. Especially trains need to be arranged and booked in advance. Only with lots of luck you may be able to get next-day-departure tickets. The local population also use the same kind of transportation, which is very affordable. Between Samarkand and Bukhara you can even take a taxi and leave whenever you want.
Metro, Taxi & Hail Rides are extremely cheap. The “Yandex Go” app on your phone makes travel in cities very easy and affordable.
Many people visit Uzbekistan on a Group Tour. We have seen groups from China and Europe (Germany, Italy, France). This makes complete sense because of the difficult-to-get tickets and language issues. Tour Guides can also explain history and take you to hidden places.
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