Uzbekistan Travel Guide: Samarkand, the Silk Road, and Why You Should Go
There's a moment, standing in front of the Registan in Samarkand at dusk, when the blue tiles go almost luminous — like someone turned a dimmer switch up from behind the facade. I wasn't prepared for it. I'd seen the photos, obviously. But they don't capture the scale, or the silence before the evening crowd fills the square, or the way the mosaics catch the last light and hold it. That's the thing about Samarkand — every Uzbekistan travel guide you read tells you it's beautiful, and they're all understating it. This city was the centrepiece of Tamerlane's empire in the 14th century, a crossroads where Chinese silk traders met Persian scholars and Indian spice merchants. Walking its streets, you feel that weight. It doesn't feel like a tourist reconstruction. It feels like a city that remembers being important.
This guide is for people who want to actually understand what they're getting into. Uzbekistan has changed dramatically in the last few years — e-visas now cost $20, high-speed Afrosiyob trains connect the major cities, and international hotel brands have moved in. But it still hasn't tipped into over-tourism, which means the experience is closer to what Central Asia must have felt like two decades ago for the early overland travellers. This Uzbekistan travel guide covers the three main Silk Road cities — Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva — plus logistics, honest hotel picks, what to skip, and what you'll regret missing.
Getting There and Sorting the Uzbekistan Visa
The e-visa situation is straightforward now, which wasn't the case until a few years ago. Citizens from 93 countries — including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and the EU — can apply online at e-visa.gov.uz. Single-entry costs $20 USD, the application takes about five minutes, processing is 2 business days, and you get a 30-day stay on a 90-day validity window. Print it. Border agents still like paper.
Flights to Tashkent International Airport (TAS) from the US run around $400–$530 one-way, with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul being the most common routing. The Istanbul–Tashkent leg is around 5 hours. From Europe, you're looking at similar routings — Lufthansa connects via Frankfurt, though Turkish is usually cheaper. If you're flexible on dates, Thursday departures tend to run 15–16% cheaper than weekend flights according to Kayak data. Once you land in Tashkent, don't bother spending more than a night — it's fine but it's not the reason you're here.
The Afrosiyob Train: How to Actually Move Between Cities
This is the part most guides gloss over, and it's genuinely important. Uzbekistan's high-speed Afrosiyob train is the spine of any good itinerary. Tashkent to Samarkand takes about 2 hours and costs 75,000–90,000 UZS (roughly $6–$7 USD). Bukhara to Tashkent on the same train runs around 180,000 UZS ($16). Clean, punctual, air-conditioned — I'd compare it to a mid-tier European InterCity train, which is not a low bar in this part of the world.
Book through the official Uzbekistan Railways website (railway.uz) or via 12go.asia if you run into login issues. Do it 6–8 weeks out if you're travelling in April, May, September, or October — those are peak months and the trains genuinely sell out. From Samarkand to Khiva, there's no direct high-speed option; the shared taxi (shared minivan, really) from Bukhara to Urgench takes about 5 hours and costs 50,000–70,000 UZS per seat. Then a 35-minute taxi from Urgench drops you at Khiva's old city walls. It sounds chaotic but it runs reliably — just negotiate the taxi fare before you get in.
Samarkand: Two Days Minimum, Three Is Better
Samarkand gets two days at minimum, three if you want to go slower. The Registan — three massive madrasas framing a square — is the anchor. Entry is around 100,000 UZS (~$8), and the night laser show projected onto the facades starts at 9pm in summer and is free from the plaza steps. Worth staying for. Shah-i-Zinda, the necropolis of tiled mausoleums stretching up a hillside, is a 10-minute walk northeast and hits harder emotionally than the Registan for a lot of people. The azurite blue is more intense there, less restored.
For accommodation, Hotel Bibikhanum is a solid pick — it's rated 8.9 on Booking.com, sits a 10-minute walk from the Registan, and runs from around $56/night. It's not glamorous but it's clean, central, and the staff actually help you figure out logistics. Grand Samarkand Superior Hotel is a step up in amenities (pool, gym, rated 9.2) if you want more comfort at around $80–$100/night. If you want to splurge a bit and have a base with breakfast sorted, Grand Samarkand is the call. Skip the Registan-facing guesthouses that look charming on Instagram — some have serious noise problems after the laser show crowds roll past.
Bukhara: The One That Actually Surprises People
Most travellers expect to like Samarkand more. A lot of them leave preferring Bukhara. It's more walkable, more lived-in, and the old city actually functions as a neighbourhood rather than a monument. The Kalyan Minaret — built in 1127, so impressive that Genghis Khan reportedly spared it when he levelled everything else — anchors the centre. The Ark Fortress, the Samanid Mausoleum (10th century, and somehow still standing), and the labyrinth of covered bazaars round out the must-sees.
Mercure Bukhara Old Town is the best hotel anchor for the city. It runs around $85–$110/night, has a pool, a spa, and their restaurant (Plov Emirate) serves some of the best plov in the city — go at lunch when it's freshly made, not dinner. It's part of the Accor group, so it's bookable on the app, and the location is right on the edge of the old city walls. If you want something smaller and more local, Hotel Amelia sits inside the old town proper and costs half the price.
Khiva: The Most Intact Silk Road City You'll Ever Walk Through
Khiva is the strangest one. The entire inner city — Itchan Kala — is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it's surrounded by intact mud-brick walls. You walk through a gate and you're suddenly in a place that looks more or less identical to how it did in the 18th century. No cars inside. No chain restaurants. Just mosques, caravanserais, and the stubby turquoise cone of the Kalta Minor Minaret, which was abandoned mid-construction in 1855 when the emir died.
Stay inside the walls if you can swing it. Khiva Siyovush Hotel is inside Itchan Kala at Islam Khoja 63 — basic rooms but the location is ridiculous, and waking up inside those walls at 6am when the light is low and the tour groups haven't arrived is the whole point of coming here. Hotel Bankir Khiva is another option that's slightly more polished. Khiva is genuinely a half-day city if you move fast, but it rewards slower walkers. Climb the city walls at sunset. Perfect.
What to Eat and Where to Eat It
Plov is the national dish — lamb, carrots, rice, cooked in a kazan (cast iron cauldron) over wood fire — and it's genuinely excellent in Uzbekistan in a way it simply isn't anywhere else. Every city has a plov centre, but in Tashkent the Central Plov Centre on Beruniy Street has been feeding the city since the 1980s and serves 5,000 portions a day. They stop when the plov runs out, usually by 2pm. Go early.
Shashlik (skewered meat grilled over coals), lagman (hand-pulled noodles in broth), and samsa (baked pastry filled with lamb and onion) are the everyday staples. In the bazaars — especially the Siyob Bazaar in Samarkand — bread stalls sell non flatbread fresh from tandoor ovens. Buy one. Eat it standing up with a $0.50 cup of tea from the stall next door. Best $1.50 meal of the trip, genuinely.
Practical Money and Cash Realities
Bring US dollars. Clean, post-2010, no tears. The Uzbek Som (UZS) runs at roughly 1 USD = 12,000 UZS as of early 2026, but the Som isn't available outside Uzbekistan, so you'll change money on arrival. Banks in Tashkent give the best rates. There are ATMs in the main cities but they can be unreliable — don't depend on them as your primary plan.
Outside the international hotels, cash is everything. Markets, taxis, street food, small guesthouses — none of it takes cards. Budget somewhere between $40–$80 USD per day per person depending on your accommodation level; $40 covers mid-range guesthouses and street food comfortably, $80 gets you a hotel like Mercure Bukhara with meals. Entry tickets across all the major sites add up to maybe $15–$20 total. This is still an inexpensive destination by Western European or US standards.
Travel Gadgets That Actually Help Here
A few things that earn their weight on a trip like this. A power bank — 20,000 mAh minimum — matters because you'll be photographing mosaics all day and the USB port situation in guesthouses is unpredictable. Universal plug adapters are necessary (Uzbekistan uses Type C and F, same as Europe). A Google Pixel 9 or iPhone 16 Pro handles the low-light tile photography well without needing a mirrorless camera. Bring a wide-angle lens attachment if you do carry a proper camera — the Registan is genuinely too wide for a standard lens at close range.
For navigation, Maps.me offline works reliably in all three cities and is more accurate than Google Maps in Khiva specifically. A VPN (ExpressVPN or NordVPN) is useful since some Western apps run slowly. Not blocked outright, just sluggish.
Do's and Don'ts for Your Uzbekistan Trip
| Do's | Don'ts |
|---|---|
| Book Afrosiyob train tickets 6–8 weeks out for spring/autumn travel | Don't assume your card works outside major hotels — carry cash always |
| Exchange money at Tashkent banks for the best UZS rates | Don't visit the Registan at midday in July — it's 40°C+ and the tiles bleach in the flat light |
| Stay inside Itchan Kala walls in Khiva for the early morning atmosphere | Don't skip Shah-i-Zinda in Samarkand — it consistently outranks the Registan emotionally |
| Eat plov at the Central Plov Centre in Tashkent before 2pm | Don't exchange money with street traders — rates look good but short-changing is common |
| Get the e-visa through the official e-visa.gov.uz portal ($20 USD) | Don't pack only one bag for a week+ trip — laundry services are cheap and easy |
| Visit Bukhara's bazaars on weekday mornings when locals shop | Don't take an Uber or Yandex Go for everything — negotiate shared taxis for city-to-city legs |
| Bring a printed copy of your e-visa to the airport | Don't rely solely on ATMs — they run out of cash in smaller cities |
| Buy non flatbread fresh from tandoor ovens in Siyob Bazaar | Don't book Registan-facing guesthouses without reading noise reviews |
| Wear modest clothing when visiting mosques and madrasas | Don't skip Khiva because it feels far — the 5-hour Bukhara-to-Urgench taxi is worth it |
| Travel in April, May, September, or October for ideal temperatures | Don't underestimate the walking distances — Khiva aside, cities are more spread out than maps suggest |
FAQs
Do I need a visa for Uzbekistan as a US or UK citizen?
Yes, but it's easy. Both US and UK citizens can apply for an e-visa online at e-visa.gov.uz. The fee is $20 USD for a single-entry visa. Processing takes 2 business days, and the visa is valid for 90 days with a 30-day permitted stay. You don't need to visit an embassy — apply online, download the PDF, and print it before you fly. Citizens of 93 countries total qualify for this e-visa route, including Canada, Australia, and most EU member states.
What's the best time of year to visit Uzbekistan?
April–May and September–October are the sweet spots. Temperatures are comfortable — 20–28°C in the Silk Road cities — the light for photography is better than summer's flat bleach, and the Registan crowds are thinner than July-August peaks. July and August get extreme: Samarkand regularly hits 40°C+. December and January are cold (Bukhara can drop below freezing) but flights are cheaper and the Registan at dawn with snow on the tiles is genuinely special if you don't mind layering up.
How many days do I need for Uzbekistan?
Ten days is a comfortable window to cover Tashkent (1 night), Samarkand (2–3 nights), Bukhara (2 nights), and Khiva (1–2 nights). Seven days works if you move quickly and skip Tashkent beyond the airport. Two weeks lets you add Shahrisabz (Tamerlane's birthplace, an easy day trip from Samarkand), or slow down and actually sit in the teahouses. Don't try to do the whole country in 5 days — the Bukhara-to-Khiva leg alone eats 6 hours.
What are the best hotels in Samarkand and Bukhara?
In Samarkand, Hotel Bibikhanum is the best value for central location — rated 8.9 on Booking.com, from around $56/night. Grand Samarkand Superior Hotel is the step-up option with a pool and a 9.2 rating. In Bukhara, Mercure Bukhara Old Town is the most reliable international-standard option at $85–$110/night, with a pool and a genuinely good restaurant. If budget is tight, Hotel Amelia in Bukhara's old town is half the price and walkable to everything. In Khiva, staying inside the Itchan Kala walls at a smaller property like Khiva Siyovush Hotel is the move — the location alone justifies the slightly basic rooms.
Is Uzbekistan safe for solo travellers?
Yes, and notably so. Uzbekistan has one of the lower crime rates in the region, petty theft is uncommon compared to tourist-heavy Western European cities, and solo women travellers report feeling generally comfortable — though modest dress (covered shoulders and knees) reduces any unwanted attention near religious sites. The main irritation is taxi negotiation, which can feel aggressive but rarely escalates. Save yourself the stress and agree on a fare before you get in, or use Yandex Go (Uber's regional equivalent) where available in Tashkent and Samarkand.
Can I use a credit card in Uzbekistan?
At international hotels (Mercure Bukhara, Hyatt Regency Tashkent), yes. Everywhere else, assume no. The bazaars, taxis, small guesthouses, street food, and most restaurants outside the capital run cash-only. Bring USD in clean, post-2010 notes — nothing wrinkled, no tears, no pen marks. Exchange at Tashkent banks for the best rate. Budget $100 USD cash minimum for each city beyond Tashkent.
What should I NOT miss in Samarkand?
The Registan at dusk (free laser show from the plaza steps at 9pm in summer). Shah-i-Zinda necropolis in the morning before 9am when it's quiet. Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum — Tamerlane's actual tomb — which is smaller than the Registan but strangely affecting. And the Siyob Bazaar for a morning hour: dried fruits, fresh non bread, spice stalls, and a working market that hasn't been sanitised for tourists. Skip the souvenir shops along the main boulevard — prices are inflated and the stock is mostly the same between shops.
How does the Afrosiyob high-speed train work?
The Afrosiyob is Uzbekistan's flagship high-speed train, comparable to a decent European intercity service. Tashkent to Samarkand costs $6–$7 in economy class and takes about 2 hours. Samarkand to Bukhara is another 1.5 hours. Book via railway.uz (the official site) or 12go.asia if you have login issues. The trains are clean and punctual. Economy class is perfectly comfortable — business class isn't necessary unless you want more legroom. Crucially, bring the booking confirmation on your phone and a passport, as they check both on board.
