In Nukus, at the Savitsky Museum, they have paintings by Falk, Kandinsky, Lentulov, and other avant-garde artists from the 1920s–1930s. There are lots of them, some have even been restored. Just amazing – I was blown away!

Now about Muynak. The road there is so-so, takes about 3 hours from Nukus, but totally worth it.
You arrive at the dried-up Aral Sea – there used to be a fish factory, people worked there, but now the Amu Darya river has shrunk, and so has the sea.
There are ship remains standing where the sea used to be. What used to be the sea floor is now desert. Such an epic place!

We had lunch in Muynak at a local café near the market – kind of a hole-in-the-wall place, not fancy at all, but everything was edible and actually tasty.
Foreign tourists eat there too.

In short – here are some notes that might help those planning their first trip.

We flew there with Air Astana and back with Uzbekistan Airways. The flight took about two hours, and they served a light snack. Customs and border control in Tashkent were straightforward.

We picked up local SIM cards right at the airport for $4. Yandex Taxi works fine, but you’ll need to walk past the crowd of pushy taxi drivers at the entrance—just keep a straight face and power through.

Money – Our bank cards worked everywhere, both in stores and ATMs.

We booked hotels in all the cities through Booking.com.

Prices for food and accommodation in Tashkent are comparable to those in Astana—Uzbekistan is no longer cheap. They say rising tourism is to blame. It made me think—tourism is a double-edged sword, especially for those who aren’t directly involved in it.

We spent the whole day exploring the city on foot. The biggest highlight? Going up the Tashkent TV Tower.

On the way back, we stopped by Chorsu Bazaar. Downstairs was calm—we chatted with the vendors and bought spices. But upstairs, where the dried fruits are, was a nightmare!

A whole crowd was waiting by the stairs—six people latched onto us immediately, grabbing our hands and clothes, shoving nuts and raisins in our faces while shouting over each other. We barely managed to escape and literally ran out of there. I wouldn’t recommend that “attraction” to anyone.

Overall, the people were incredibly kind, friendly, and open everywhere we went. Even the police—an officer in Samarkand gave our daughter a carnation flower as a gift.

We traveled between Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara on the high-speed Afrosiyob train—about two hours between each city. We bought our tickets online a month in advance.

I won’t bore you with details about the landmarks—just wow.

Samarkand greeted us with heavy rain and wind, so we had to hire a guide with a car on the spot. He stayed with us until late and even drove us to Samarkand City in the evening.

A fun dinner story – We ate at the halal Afrosiyob restaurant near the ancient settlement. Since it was my birthday, they discreetly served the wine we brought—poured into a teapot. Halal, but with a twist!

Bukhara – If you don’t hire a guide, get a tuk-tuk at the start. For 100,000 som (~4,000 KZT), the driver will take you around all the main sights with plenty of jokes along the way. He won’t provide much in-depth information, but you’ll get the lay of the land and can explore on foot afterward without getting lost.

Shopping – It’s better to buy robes, plates, and other souvenirs on the streets around Chorsu. For example, we bargained a robe for our daughter down to 200,000 som from 250,000 in Bukhara, but the same robes at Chorsu were hanging for 100,000.

Plov (pilaf) – Our daughter liked the Tashkent version best, while I preferred the Samarkand style—Bukhara’s was similar to Samarkand’s. We tried shashlik in several places, but honestly? It’s better in Shymkent.

The weather was warm—we were even walking around in t-shirts in Bukhara.

Overall, it was a good trip—but a one-time thing. Unlike Georgia, we don’t feel the urge to go back.

First off, a huge shoutout to this forum—it made planning our trip so much easier. Now that we’re back, I figured I’d share a few of our own tips!

SIM Cards & Phones:
So, the plan was to grab a local SIM card at the airport, but… the line? Insane. And when we tried at our hotel, they were sold out. Gave up after that! Turns out, WiFi is everywhere anyway—hotels always had it, and even if cafes didn’t advertise it, the staff would often let us use their private network if we asked nicely. My UK phone (Sky) had zero signal the entire trip, so I relied on maps.me for offline navigation. It was mostly reliable but got a bit confused in the twisty alleyways.

Taxis:
Couldn’t download Yandex because of my UK phone, but Yango worked perfectly (downloaded it before leaving home). Taxis were super easy to book through the app, and if you’re stuck, hotels will happily book them for you too. Only had one ride that didn’t show up in Bukhara, but we flagged down a taxi without a problem.

Trains:
Booking train tickets online through the Uzbekistan Railways website was a breeze. The old “exchange your booking for an actual ticket at the station” thing is definitely outdated. We just showed our digital bookings, and that was it—straight onto the train. And the trains? Fantastic.

Toilets:
Public toilets cost 2,000 som almost everywhere, so keep some small notes handy.

Shopping & Souvenirs:
By the time we reached Khiva, it was almost the end of the tourist season, so we scored some great deals on textiles and coats. Haggling is the norm but super relaxed—none of the aggressive bargaining you might encounter in other countries.

Safety:
Honestly, I’ve never felt safer traveling anywhere.

Places We Loved:

• Samarkand & Bukhara: Exactly what we expected—stunning architecture and just lovely to wander around.
• Khiva: Gorgeous but felt over-restored, like it was built for tourists. It’s all beautiful, but I couldn’t shake the “Disneyland” vibe.
• Tashkent: Total surprise! We only planned to stop there for convenience but ended up loving it. The Chorsu Bazaar was so much fun, and I wish we’d had more time to explore the city.

Food:
Amazing overall, but don’t count on finding plov in the evenings—it’s more of a lunchtime thing. Best meal? A random roadside spot in Samarkand where the owner didn’t speak a word of English. We just smiled and nodded, and the food was absolutely incredible (and dirt cheap!).

Final Thoughts:
We had a brilliant time, and the people we met—hotel staff, drivers, locals—were so kind and helpful. My only regret? Not venturing out of the cities more. Next time for sure!

We took a flight from Tashkent to Urgench with Uzbekistan Airways, which lasted about 1.5 hours. Upon arrival at Urgench airport, we took a taxi to our bed and breakfast located in Ichan Qala, a journey that took nearly an hour. One thing to note is that our luggage took quite a while to arrive at the airport. Before our trip, we had already purchased a SIM card and exchanged some money in Tashkent, so I didn’t pay much attention to the availability of these services at Urgench.

For our transfer from Urgench airport to our accommodation in Khiva, we opted for a pre-arranged taxi through Islambek Tours and Travels, which cost us $15. However, there were plenty of taxis available outside the airport, and we later realized that pre-booking wasn’t necessary, as we could have easily found a ride without the hassle of negotiating a fare.

We stayed at the Khiva Bibimaryam, a charming family-run guesthouse conveniently located near the Kalta Minor and the western gate of the old city. Since our accommodation was inside the walled city, we didn’t need tickets to enter or exit.

The entry fee for Khiva is UZS 200,000 per person, which is valid for two days. However, keep in mind that certain attractions require separate fees: the Islam Khodja minaret (UZS 100,000), the tower near the Ark (UZS 100,000), walking the city walls (UZS 20,000), and the Pahlvun Mohammed Mausoleum (UZS 25,000). We felt that the views from the Islam Khodja Minaret and the city walls weren’t worth the price, especially if you’re on a budget. The tower near the Ark offers better views of the city and the sunset, plus it remains open later than the other attractions.

Khiva truly comes alive in the evening when the monuments are beautifully illuminated. We spent two leisurely days exploring the city, including a visit to the Nurullaboy Palace just outside the walls, which offered a delightful contrast to our experiences in Bukhara.

Before our trip, we exchanged some USD for sums at Tashkent airport at a great rate (1 USD = 12,700 sum). We found that many places, including entrance fees and the Gastronom supermarket, accepted credit cards. Additionally, souvenir vendors were more than happy to take USD at a rate of about 12,500 sum.

Getting around Ichan Qala was easy; it’s a small area, and we walked everywhere. The only time we needed a taxi was to get to the Khiva railway station for our train to Bukhara. Our guesthouse arranged a metered taxi for us (you can call 1262 or 1504), and the fare to the station was just 12,500 sum.

I just wanted to drop some tips from our trip in early October 2024. Huge thanks to all the previous posts that helped us plan! Now that we’re back, here are some notes that might be useful for anyone else looking for info. This isn’t a full trip report, just some key points in no particular order.

Trip Direction:
We kicked things off in Tashkent due to our flight schedule, then made our way to Samarkand, followed by Bukhara, and finally Khiva, flying out from Urgench on our last day. A lot of travelers seem to do it the other way around, starting from Urgench, but we were really glad we went this route. It saved us an extra internal flight, and if you can plan your last day to catch a direct flight from Urgench, I highly recommend it!

Itinerary:
We spent 2 nights in Tashkent, 3 in Samarkand, 3 in Bukhara, and 2 in Khiva. This gave us enough time to explore the main attractions and still relax a bit. If you’re in a hurry, you could easily cut a night in both Samarkand and Bukhara. For Khiva, one night might be enough depending on your arrival and departure times. We arrived at 5:30 PM and left at 8 AM, which is why we opted for 2 nights.

Sun Heliocomplex, Solar Institute, Parkent:
This was a highlight for us! We couldn’t find much info beforehand, but we had an amazing guide named Shovkat from Tours by Locals. He was super knowledgeable and spoke great English. His passion for Uzbekistan really shone through during our half-day tour. Highly recommend him!

Trains:
We took the Afrosiyob fast train from Tashkent to Samarkand (2nd class) and the slower Sharq train (1st class) from Samarkand to Bukhara. The Afrosiyob was fantastic, but if you only find tickets for the Sharq, don’t worry—it’s still a pleasant ride. Both trains have great luggage storage and helpful staff. We booked our tickets using the Uzbekistan Rail app, though I had a few hiccups with payment at first. Just keep trying at different times, and it should work out!

Traveling from Bukhara to Khiva:
We opted for a car and driver since the train schedules didn’t fit our plans. The drive is pretty long and can get a bit dull, but we made stops at three desert fortresses along the way, which broke up the journey nicely. Honestly, the train would have taken just as long, so it’s really a matter of preference. We loved Khiva—it felt different from the other cities and was a lot of fun! The travel agency we used was fantastic; I’d definitely recommend them!

SIM / eSIM:
I got an Airalo eSIM before leaving the UK, which worked fine for the first day, but then I ran into some issues. I ended up going to a Ucell store near our hotel and snagged a local SIM for just 62,000 Som for 44GB. It was super convenient since the store was just a short walk from the Ateca Hotel Suites where we stayed. We didn’t bother with a SIM at the airport due to long queues, and my Airalo seemed to be working okay at the time. I also had a Turkish SIM from our layover in Istanbul, which worked perfectly.

Taxis / Yandex:
I downloaded the Yandex Go app before our trip and registered with my email, so I didn’t need a local phone number. It worked like a charm—super efficient and affordable! We opted to pay cash during our rides.

Flights:
We flew into Tashkent from Birmingham via Turkish Airlines with a layover in Istanbul. The journey was smooth, and on our way back, we flew from Urgench to Istanbul with Uzbekistan Airways, which was also great. After a few days in Istanbul, we returned to Birmingham with Turkish again. All flights were booked directly through the airlines’ websites without any hassle.

Food:
We were a bit worried about the food options, but we were pleasantly surprised! It was easy to find delicious meals. Just a heads-up for vegetarians and vegans—there might be some challenges; we even saw a vegetarian accidentally served meat once.

Currency / Cards:
There are plenty of ATMs around, and we used Uzbek Som for most transactions, although some places accepted USD as well. All the ATMs we used charged a small fee (about 3%), but honestly, it wasn’t a big deal considering how affordable everything is. We also had no issues using our Visa and Mastercard at hotels and restaurants throughout the trip.

General Impressions:
We were genuinely amazed by how easy it was to get around Uzbekistan and visit all the tourist spots. It’s hard to believe that more people from the UK don’t flock to this stunning country! The rich history, breathtaking sights, and welcoming locals made our experience unforgettable. Plus, we were pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and quality of the hotels and restaurants. I’ll be posting more detailed reviews soon, so stay tuned!

I hope these insights help out future travelers. Thanks again to everyone who shared their experiences while we were planning our adventure!

First things first—if you’re a U.S. citizen, make sure to apply for your visa well in advance. I submitted my application almost three weeks before my trip, and it took the full three weeks to get my visa. You can apply up to 90 days ahead, so don’t leave it until the last minute!

I booked my train tickets 59 days in advance, especially for the Bukhara to Tashkent route, which sells out fast. The trains are super comfortable and efficient, though they do have a tendency to leave 10-20 minutes later than scheduled. For other transport needs, I relied on Yandex, which was incredibly affordable and convenient. I flew into Tashkent from Bishkek and out to Batumi with Uzbekistan Airways, and I was quite pleased with the service, flights, and prices.

Accommodation Highlights

• Tashkent: I stayed at Art Plaza. The first room was lovely, but my second stay was less impressive in terms of cleanliness. The breakfast was decent, though!
• Samarkand: My favorite was Hotel Jasmina—the location is unbeatable, the rooms are comfortable, and the breakfast is amazing. Plus, I had a stunning view of Registan Square right from my window!
• Bukhara: I opted for Everland, which had new and clean rooms. However, the reception was right outside the doors of the first-floor rooms, which might be a problem for light sleepers. It was fine for me, but I would recommend booking early to snag better options.

Food

While the food in Uzbekistan is better than what I experienced in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, it’s not the primary reason to visit. In Samarkand, I enjoyed meals at Shokhrukh Nur, Boulevard, and Dostana. For coffee, head to the gelato kiosk near Registan Square. In Bukhara, Zaytoon offers delicious Lebanese food, while Chalet was decent but nothing to write home about. Magic Carpet has the best coffee, and I found Ayvon to be average with subpar service despite a 20% service fee.

Must-See Sights and Activities

Samarkand was my favorite city. The monuments are more spread out, allowing for genuine interactions with locals. I visited Registan Square at 8 AM one morning and had the place almost to myself—just one other family was there! The parks surrounding the square are perfect for relaxing and meeting local families. Shah-i-Zinda was serene during sunset and early morning visits. I also took a tips-based walking tour with Farrazah on GuruWalks, which was excellent. Don’t miss the 1+1 Oyoq Hammomi Markazi for a fantastic massage after all the sightseeing—just remember to book ahead!

Shopping at the local market was a treat; prices were fair, and the quality was impressive.

Bukhara is stunning but can be quite crowded due to the concentration of sites. I found that 6 PM was the best time to explore, as the light was beautiful, and the crowds thinned out. The Bolo Hauz mosque looks magical reflected in the water about 40 minutes after sunrise. I also enjoyed a tips-based guru walk here and found a local guide who was fantastic. Be sure to check out Art Feruz in the dome near the Ikat gallery—his artwork is breathtaking, and I’m so glad I bought a piece, despite the hassle of carrying it around.

Border Crossing to Tajikistan

I left Samarkand late one afternoon to cross into Tajikistan. The Yandex ride to the border was about $11, but be prepared for a long wait at passport control—only one person was working when I left Uzbekistan. On the Tajik side, I shared a taxi to Panjakent for 30,000 Uzbek SOM. I stayed at the SUGD Hotel, where the owner was incredibly hospitable, and the rooms were basic yet clean. He arranged a friendly driver for a trip to the stunning Seven Lakes area of the Fann Mountains, which was a highlight of my trip.