1. Don't Overestimate the Landmarks
   Some users here mentioned that a few hours are enough for each city. We followed that advice to some extent but didn't take it literally, and I regret that—we could have saved even more time. Bukhara? One day max. Khiva? Also one day. Samarkand? A day and a half is sufficient. That’s enough to see the landmarks, stroll through the mahallas (neighborhoods), and grab a leisurely evening meal. (We’re the kind of people who eat quickly during daylight hours to make the most of our time.)

2. Car Rental Experience
   We rented a Nexia through Sixt. No issues with 91-octane gas—it’s widely available. Gas stations were plentiful, the tank was large, but the roads were mostly in poor condition—except for a 200 km stretch in the middle of the Bukhara-Khiva route.

3. Bukhara
   Don’t spend on paid entries to landmarks unless it’s for the Ark Citadel or Kalyan Madrasah. Those are worth it; the rest, not so much.

4. Samarkand
   Here, it’s worth paying to go inside most landmarks, especially Ak-Saray. For some reason, it’s not well-publicized, but it’s fascinating and just a stone’s throw from Gur-e-Amir. (Keep in mind that we love intricate patterns and ornamentation.) Skip Khodja Daniyar and the observatory—these were disappointing and a waste of time and money. Instead, I recommend visiting Ahror Vali Madrasah in the opposite direction. The tiger motifs there, in my opinion, are even more captivating than those in Sher-Dor. Plus, the residential areas feel quite different from the central attractions—very authentic.

5. Khiva
   Khiva was a letdown, honestly. It felt like a movie set, and the ongoing construction of "ancient" monuments didn’t help—new old walls, new old gates, new old tiles... However, walking around after the ticket booths closed gave the place a completely different vibe, much more atmospheric. Regarding tickets: Standard vs. VIP is a scam. Out of the 16 landmarks allegedly included in the standard ticket, maybe three were open when we visited, and none were essential. Now, if I were to do it again, I’d buy an entry ticket + a minaret ticket out of respect for the country. If you don’t feel that obligation, you could technically enter for free—there’s no enforcement. That said, minaret and citadel tickets are only sold outside the citadel.
   Inside the citadel, I wouldn’t recommend buying a ticket—there’s not much to see except for the bastion, which is only slightly taller than the walls (which you can climb for free). Also, many reviews state that the Ichan-Kala ticket is valid for 48 hours, but ours read “one visit for one guest.” We didn’t test this out. Outside Ichan-Kala, the mahallas are being replaced with a garden city. Maybe that’s for the best, but soon the city will be very different from the one I’d heard so much about.

6. Khorezm Fortresses

• Kyzyl-Kala: Half of it has been rebuilt.
• Toprak-Kala: There’s a lot of reconstruction going on over the ancient ruins.
• Ayaz-Kala: Still untouched for now. If I had to choose just one, I’d pick Ayaz-Kala—it has two fortresses, decent preservation, and amazing views from the top. We didn’t have time to visit the others.

7. Shakhrisabz
   An hour and a half is plenty for Shakhrisabz itself. Instead, spend more time at the mountain pass on the way from Samarkand—it was covered in snow when we visited and offered stunning views. Speaking of snow, the road conditions were challenging, with everything from packed layers to slushy chaos. If you’re driving, keep this in mind. The road south of Shakhrisabz toward Karshi was in terrible shape.

That’s about it for now!