Adventurous Kate contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Uzbekistan is a fascinating country, filled with Silk Road history, stunning turquoise mosaics, and some of the best souvenir shopping I\u2019ve ever experienced.<\/strong><\/p>\n I enjoyed my solo trip to Uzbekistan, which I paired with time in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. This was my first trip to Central Asia, and it couldn\u2019t have gone any better!<\/p>\n My trip across Uzbekistan took me to four of the most popular cities \u2014 Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. <\/strong>I learned Persian miniature painting and suzani embroidery. I gawked at the metro stations in Tashkent and even took a day trip into Tajikistan.<\/p>\n And along the way, I fell in love with this incredible country. And so did many of you, my dear readers. I have never seen such a strong reader response to a trip I\u2019ve taken before! I know many of you will be planning your own trips to Uzbekistan soon.<\/p>\n I love writing my What NOT to Do posts<\/a>, teaching travelers what they should NOT do in different destinations. Because sometimes you need to know what not to do before you figure out what to do!<\/p>\n I hope this post helps you plan your own dream trip to Uzbekistan. Let\u2019s take a look!<\/p>\n This post was published in May 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n Let\u2019s be honest \u2014 not a lot of people visit Uzbekistan before they\u2019ve visited, say, Italy or Thailand or Mexico.<\/strong> It tends to be the thirtieth country people have visited, rather than the third, unless they are from Central Asia themselves.<\/p>\n Because of that \u2014 along with the erroneous belief that anywhere with \u201cStan\u201d in its name is inherently dangerous \u2014 many people assume that Uzbekistan is best suited for expert travelers.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the truth: I was stunned at how easy Uzbekistan was to travel. <\/strong>And I\u2019m not just saying that because I\u2019m a very experienced traveler.<\/p>\n To start, Uzbekistan is a very safe destination where there is little violent crime and almost no street harassment. Additionally, Uzbekistan is a popular destination and has quite good infrastructure at a variety of price points. <\/p>\n On top of that, prices are affordable here. I spent on average $50 per night for a hotel, $2-3 for a Yandex taxi ride, and $6-8 for dinner. That makes it easier to justify staying in a nicer place or booking a higher class on a train.<\/p>\n The most important things for traveling Uzbekistan are researching the cities you\u2019ll be visiting in advance, booking train tickets well ahead of time, getting an Uzbekistan eSIM, and downloading Yandex Go.<\/p>\n Something else I found interesting was that there were SO many large senior tour groups in Uzbekistan. And from a variety of nations, too \u2014 British, American, French, and I was surprised by how many Italian voices I heard.<\/p>\n Who knew the big, scary Stans would be so popular with older folks?<\/p>\n Overall, I have had near-breakdowns in popular travel destinations like Japan and Italy. I didn\u2019t get anywhere close to a breakdown in Uzbekistan. My trip was just smooth<\/em>, start to finish.<\/p>\n I\u2019m putting this near the top because it\u2019s the most important tip on this list.<\/strong> Traveling by train is the best way to get around Uzbekistan \u2014 I took three different kinds of trains and found them fast, efficient, affordable, and very pleasant.<\/p>\n But train tickets tend to sell out extremely fast \u2014 especially the high-speed Afrosiyab trains running from Tashkent to Samarkand and Bukhara.<\/p>\n They often sell out the day they go on sale (!), which is 45-60 days before the trip.<\/p>\n Can you just take the bus instead? Of course you can \u2014 but it takes much longer. My high-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand took two hours, while the bus takes about five hours. One of my guides told me his bus took seven hours due to traffic.<\/p>\n You can book train tickets on your own at railway.uz<\/a>, or you can have an Uzbek travel agency book them for you at a markup. <\/p>\n I used the agency Orex CA<\/a> to buy one of my tickets, just to see what the experience was like, and it was fine, but I could have done it myself with no issues. They charged me 40 USD for a ticket that would have cost about 17 USD, so expect a decent markup.<\/p>\n And if your train is sold out, contact an Uzbek travel agency. I heard that many agencies hold onto tickets on the popular routes, and release them close to the date if nobody buys them. So keep looking, just in case.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a bit nervous about buying the right tickets, I recommend reaching out to an agency at least 60 days in advance and having them order them as soon as they go on sale. The extra cost might be worth the peace of mind to you.<\/p>\n Whenever I visit a predominantly Muslim country, I get women asking me if it\u2019s necessary to wear a headscarf in public.<\/strong> In most Muslim countries, a headscarf is only necessary when visiting an active mosque.<\/p>\n But I do like to dress similarly to local women when I travel solo. Sometimes that means wearing a long tunic that buttons to my neck (Southern Lebanon), sometimes it means wearing jeans even though it\u2019s roasting out (Cartagena, Colombia).<\/p>\n So how do women dress in Uzbekistan? Some women wear the hijab and dress traditionally in long, loose dresses. Some women wear the hijab and dress in more modern ways, like blazers, wide-leg jeans, and bomber jackets. Some women don\u2019t cover their hair and dress western-style.<\/p>\n But I will tell you this: you do not see Uzbek women wearing short skirts, overly tight clothing, or showing their cleavage.<\/strong> Many women dress stylishly, but they don\u2019t show skin.<\/p>\n And that made me glad that I packed a wardrobe that covered my knees, shoulders, and cleavage.<\/p>\n For my April trip, I mainly wore two kinds of outfits: 1) a knee-length dress over cropped or full-length leggings with a denim jacket on top, or 2) a t-shirt and jeans. I would add on a few more layers (a long-sleeved wrap top, a cardigan) if it was cold.<\/p>\n For a few hours on my last day in Tashkent, I did take off the denim jacket and just wore the sleeveless dress over cropped leggings. Tashkent felt modern enough that showing my shoulders didn\u2019t feel disrespectful.<\/p>\n For men and mascs, if you\u2019d like to dress similarly to Uzbek men, I\u2019d stick to wearing long pants and avoid shorts and tank tops. And PLEASE do not go for a jog shirtless.<\/p>\n I did see some women tourists who were dressed revealingly.<\/strong> In Khiva, I saw a western woman in her sixties wearing leggings as pants with a t-shirt that didn\u2019t cover her butt. And in Samarkand, I saw two twenty-something Russian women in short shorts and tank tops.<\/p>\n They stood out in a bad way. Don\u2019t be that person.<\/p>\n If you try to summon an Uber in Uzbekistan, you\u2019ll be out of luck \u2014 here, the app of choice is Yandex Go, a popular app in former Soviet republics. <\/strong>Be sure to download it before your trip, because you need a phone number to confirm it.<\/p>\n Yandex is vital in Uzbekistan. You can use it as a taxi app, as a food delivery app, and you can even send items to be delivered elsewhere.<\/p>\n And Yandex rides are shockingly cheap. Most of the time, my rides were under 5 USD for a ride across the city, usually 2-3 USD.<\/p>\n I had a lot of early morning departures in Uzbekistan, the earliest at 3:30 AM (yuck!), and I never had to wait longer than five minutes for a Yandex driver. That impressed me.<\/p>\n (There was one exception though: at train stations shortly after trains arrived. When trains arrived, there was usually around a 15-minute wait for a Yandex. And I couldn\u2019t order them early because there usually wasn\u2019t any phone signal until we got to the station.)<\/p>\n As a travel safety educator, I never visit anywhere without an eSIM \u2014 and that\u2019s especially important for Uzbekistan.<\/strong><\/p>\n I used an eSIM from Holafly<\/a> for my trip, and it worked very well. I ordered it before my trip, chose the specific dates for it to be active, and it started working as soon as I landed in Tashkent.<\/p>\n In Uzbekistan, the single most important reason to get an eSIM is being able to order Yandex taxis from anywhere. I found this helpful when it was too dark to walk back to my hotel. I also found having an eSIM very helpful for navigating my way with Google Maps, translating menus, and communicating with my guides via WhatsApp.<\/p>\n Free wifi is not as widespread in Uzbekistan as it is in other countries, and often wifi networks require an Uzbek phone number in order to connect. I was so glad I had unlimited data and didn\u2019t have to deal with that.<\/p>\n I found that my Holafly eSIM had excellent signal in the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva, though you shouldn\u2019t expect signal on trains in the middle of nowhere.<\/p>\n I also love Holafly\u2019s benefit called Always On. Every Holafly eSIM automatically provides 1GB of emergency data per month in more than 70 destinations. If you have a delayed flight or unexpected layover, you\u2019re covered.<\/p>\n You can get 5% off your Holafly Uzbekistan eSIM<\/a> with the code HOLAKATE, and 10% off monthly plans.<\/p>\n This is one of the stranger things I noticed in Uzbekistan \u2014 seat belts are rarely accessible.<\/strong> In a typical Yandex taxi, either the seat belts will be pushed deep beneath the seat cushions, or there will be a cover on top of the backseat with no holes for seat belts.<\/p>\n In fact, I counted up the Yandex and taxi rides I took in Uzbekistan. I took 19 rides and there was a usable backseat seatbelt FOUR TIMES. That is it.<\/p>\n The craziest incident was with my driver who picked me up from Khiva\u2019s train station. I noticed there were no seatbelts in the backseat, as usual, and he beckoned me to sit in the front seat, which had a working seatbelt.<\/p>\n I went to put my belt on and he got angry \u2014 gesturing to me, \u201cNo, don\u2019t do that, you don\u2019t have to do that.\u201d I nodded and smiled and put it on and he got angrier, shaking his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. You are good. They<\/em> are bad,\u201d I told him, giving him a thumbs up while giving a thumbs down to the other drivers. He eventually gave up and drove me to my hotel.<\/p>\n From talking to locals, I learned that many Uzbek drivers think it\u2019s an insult to their driving skills if a passenger uses a seatbelt.<\/p>\n So how do you deal with this?<\/strong> If you\u2019re traveling solo like me, sit in the front seat. The front seat usually has a working seatbelt.<\/p>\n If it\u2019s important to you to have working seatbelts in the backseat on every trip, you can hire a car service. These drivers tend to be more professional than Yandex drivers, and you can confirm for certain whether they have working seatbelts.<\/p>\n It will cost a lot more than 2-3 USD per ride, but it will cost less than hiring a driver for the day in France or Japan or Australia.<\/p>\n Many people visiting Central Asia for the first time decide to see the region by a \u201cFive Stans\u201d tour taking in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.<\/strong> Why not knock them all out at once?<\/p>\n Honestly, I understand the urge. But these three-week tours are quite rushed and only take you to the busiest places, when the magic often happens in the quieter stops.<\/p>\n Instead, if you\u2019d like to visit a few different nations, I recommend you pair Uzbekistan with one or two other countries. A Two Stan or Three Stan tour is much more reasonable.<\/p>\n My 17-day trip to Central Asia began with five days in Kazakhstan, which was a good amount of time for Almaty and an overnight trip to Lake Kolsay, Lake Kaindy, and Charyn Canyon<\/a>.<\/p>\n (My original plan was to do five days in Turkmenistan beforehand, but they rejected my Letter of Invitation, likely because I\u2019m politically outspoken with a large following and They Do Not Like That. Oh well, it was their loss and guess what \u2014 I loved Kazakhstan!)<\/p>\n I then did a day trip to Tajikistan from Samarkand<\/a>, visiting Panjakent, the Seven Lakes, and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ruins of Sarazm.<\/p>\n This day trip is easy to add into any Uzbekistan trip, and Tajikistan is visa-free for many nationalities.<\/p>\n Resist the urge to knock out all of Central Asia at once.<\/strong> That\u2019s really a two-trip endeavor.<\/p>\n Now, this one is more for the serious photographers.<\/strong> Uzbekistan is a fantastic destination for photography \u2014 specifically, architectural photography. <\/p>\n The interiors of the buildings are filled with incredible geometric details \u2014 it\u2019s the kind of art you can look at for hours and still discover new things.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s very difficult to photograph these interiors properly unless you have a wide-angle lens. Ideally, a very wide lens.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re more of a casual photographer like me and you\u2019d rather not cart around a ton of lenses, the iPhone has a pretty great wide-angle lens these days. While the quality is not what you\u2019d get with most big lenses, I feel like it gets the job done.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s compare two shots of the ceiling of the Aksaray Mausoleum in Samarkand:<\/p>\n You can see what a difference it makes!<\/p>\n So if you\u2019re a photographer, bring your wiiiiiiidest lens.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t buy a special lens if it\u2019s not in your budget, but perhaps consider renting or borrowing one if you\u2019re keen on photographing the interiors of these buildings.<\/p>\n Or maybe just use your iPhone, like me.<\/p>\n I learned two traditional crafts while in Uzbekistan \u2014 Persian miniature painting and suzani embroidery \u2014 and honestly, these were the BEST things I did on my trip.<\/strong><\/p>\n Before my trip, a company called CraftnCulture Uzbekistan<\/a> reached out to me, asking if I would be interested in any of their workshops. WOULD I EVER! Making things is right up my alley, and I knew it would allow me to get to know Uzbekistan even better.<\/p>\n Craftnculture offers workshops in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara in everything from plov-cooking and bread-making to pottery-painting and mosaic-making to knife-crafting and wood-carving. <\/p>\n In Bukhara, I took a Persian mini painting workshop<\/a> from acclaimed artist Rafael Toshev, who guided me through painting a pomegranate tree with watercolors on silk paper. (The silk paper is a lot more finicky than it looks!)<\/p>\n This was SO MUCH FUN. I had forgotten how nice it is to just draw and paint and make art.<\/p>\n I had the best time painting my piece and getting to know Rafael. While we had a translator, Rafael and I soon realized we both spoke French, and we gabbed away the whole time. By the end of the evening, I promised I would send my father-in-law to his upcoming show in London this summer.<\/p>\n In Samarkand, I took a suzani embroidery workshop<\/a> and learned the art of Uzbek embroidery.<\/strong> Artist Feruza guided me, teaching me three different methods of traditional stitching before we settled on the easiest stitch together.<\/p>\n I like to sew and embroider, so I wasn\u2019t a complete beginner \u2014 but a beginner can absolutely do this. It takes some time to get the hang of the stitching, but soon you\u2019ll go on autopilot and fall into a trance.<\/p>\n Feruza and I got to know one another, and she told me she teaches suzani embroidery to everyone in her family \u2014 including the boys. She even showed me pictures sewing at the table with her toddler grandkids.<\/p>\n Best of all, Feruza gave me enough thread that I can continue sewing my piece at home.<\/p>\n Finally, while in Tashkent, I met up with Craftnculture company owner Yusuf, who himself guided me on a food and metro tour<\/a>, which was the perfect introduction to the country. <\/p>\n I got to know him and learn more about the company, and honestly, I\u2019d love to send SO many more people his way. Craftnculture is doing things right.<\/p>\n (I paid for the Persian mini painting workshop<\/a> myself and Craftnculture comped me my suzani embroidery workshop<\/a> in Samarkand and a Chorsu Bazaar and metro station tour<\/a> in Tashkent.)<\/em><\/p>\n In many parts of the world, English is the go-to second language.<\/strong> In Central Asia, however, locals are likelier to speak Russian as their second language, especially if they\u2019re over 40 or from a rural area.<\/p>\n In fact, people in Uzbekistan often defaulted to Russian with me, saying spasibo<\/em> for thank you rather than the Uzbek rahmat<\/em>.<\/p>\n And a few times, young women spoke to me in English on behalf of their families, their mothers and aunts smiling behind them.<\/p>\n Knowing a bit of Russian can be very useful here, and I recommend that you learn a few Russian words. Yes, no, hello, thank you, and numbers 1-5 can make communicating in Uzbekistan a bit easier.<\/p>\n But you never know what might be useful. On my Tajikistan day trip<\/a>, one of my fellow travelers spoke Farsi and our guide spoke Tajik back \u2014 those two languages are mutually intelligible, so they were able to understand each other!<\/p>\n If you\u2019re flying domestically within Uzbekistan, you\u2019ll be flying with Uzbekistan Airways.<\/strong> You might even be flying them internationally.<\/p>\n But Uzbekistan Airways does not take most international cards, including my American and Czech cards. I learned this when it was time to make the purchase and nothing would go through.<\/p>\n So what do you do if an airline doesn\u2019t take your credit cards? I booked the flight through Expedia.<\/p>\n I never book with Expedia or any other OTA (online travel agency) \u2014 it\u2019s much smarter to book directly with the airline, in case your flight gets canceled and needs to be rescheduled. I figured a quick flight from Urgench to Tashkent would be unlikely to have any issues.<\/p>\n And, in fact, it was fine. So if you\u2019re booking on Uzbekistan Airways, book via an OTA.<\/p>\n Wherever I travel, I use credit cards most of the time<\/strong> \u2014 it\u2019s better for points and better for tracking expenses in my YNAB budget<\/a>.<\/p>\n But Uzbekistan is very cash-oriented. I even had to pay a few hotel bills with cash, which is something I hadn\u2019t done in awhile.<\/p>\n I wouldn\u2019t go anywhere in Uzbekistan without a decent amount of cash, because you\u2019ll probably need to hit up an ATM sooner or later. In fact, when I was shopping up a storm in Bukhara, I had to go to the ATM three times in one day!<\/p>\n Some ATMs look normal but are only for with Uzbek bank accounts. One bank that I perused often was Kapitalbank, with bright yellow ATMs that are easy to spot. <\/p>\n Something else to keep in mind is that you may have a ton of bills on you. At one point I had basically the equivalent of $500 in $5 bills. Just something to keep in mind!<\/p>\n Tashkent, Uzbekistan\u2019s capital, doesn\u2019t get quite as much attention as its other cities, and people often cite it as boring. <\/strong>But that doesn\u2019t mean you should skip it \u2014 I think it makes the perfect landing pad for getting to know Uzbek culture.<\/p>\n On my first full day in Tashkent, I did a Food Tour and Metro Journey in Tashkent<\/a>. This was the absolute best introduction to the city and the country.<\/p>\n Yusuf and I started at Chorsu Bazaar, an immense round market, where he told me about the food and produce and had me try several different items. (I often get overwhelmed when solo in markets, so I really appreciated having a guide to show me what was good.)<\/p>\n Next he took me on a tour of several metro stations \u2014 and they are SUPERB. Tashkent has so many cool metro stations, each of them decorated from top to bottom in different styles. It\u2019s truly a joy taking the metro there, just getting to enjoy the art.<\/p>\n We finished up at a big restaurant specializing in plov, where we shared three different kinds of plov. <\/p>\n (Yusuf laughed at one point because the staff didn\u2019t know who to give the pot of tea because they didn\u2019t know which of us was older. The younger person serves the tea in Uzbekistan! Yusuf is younger, so he served me tea. You get less than half of a cup at a time, and it\u2019s handed to you with your right hand as you hold your left hand over your heart.)<\/p>\n Beyond that, I got to enjoy some cool coffee shops and parks in Tashkent. I\u2019m glad I got to spend time there.<\/p>\n Samarkand is known as the beauty of Uzbekistan, thanks to its glorious architecture. <\/strong>The Registan and Shah-i-Zinda Mausoleum are two of the most spectacular works of architecture in the country. Both stopped me in my tracks multiple times.<\/p>\n And visiting Samarkand is absolutely a MUST; I couldn\u2019t imagine an Uzbekistan trip without it.<\/p>\n That said \u2014 just because a city has wonderful things, it doesn\u2019t mean it has an equally wonderful vibe. I personally didn\u2019t love the vibe of Samarkand as a city, and many travelers I spoke to (though, to be fair \u2014 not all of them!) felt similarly.<\/p>\n Samarkand is EXTREMELY touristy \u2014 it\u2019s basically the Florence of Central Asia. And it welcomes plenty of Uzbeks, Central Asians, and people from all over the world. Because of the crowds, it feels more than a bit theme park-y.<\/p>\n There was also constant traffic in Samarkand, and the energy of the city felt a bit stressful to me. At times, it felt tough even finding a restaurant. A surprising number of restaurants open for lunch were closed for dinner. This did lead me to finding a few holes in the wall, though!<\/p>\n I\u2019m saying this because I often see people go Samarkand-heavy in their itineraries. You don\u2019t have to do that.<\/p>\n So how much time is good for Samarkand?<\/strong> I spent three full days there, with one day being my Tajikistan day trip<\/a>, and that was the perfect amount of time. I could have added an extra day if I had wanted to day trip to Shahrisabz, another cool city nearby.<\/p>\n Uzbekistan has some of the best souvenir shopping I have ever experienced.<\/strong> Some of the most famous products here are silks dyed in colorful ikat patterns, traditional suzani embroidery pieces, and gorgeous patterned pottery.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s not all. There are Persian miniature paintings, bread stamps in a variety of patterns, and tiny pairs of scissors shaped like birds.<\/p>\n Need to buy something for men (which I always find a challenge)? They\u2019ve got knives, too! You bet I bought my husband a cool knife.<\/p>\n But the absolute best shopping in Uzbekistan is in Bukhara. <\/strong>I found the quality of products here to be generally better than what I saw in Samarkand and Khiva, and Bukhara happens to be the home of local arts like rug-weaving and gold zarduzlik embroidery.<\/p>\n Bukhara is also home to three traditional trading domes through which Silk Road travelers passed through on their journey (not unlike a duty-free shop at the airport today). These domes are still active today.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t buy something in another city. If you find something you love, buy it! I bought a piece of suzani embroidery from Feruza, my embroidery teacher in Samarkand, and her work is exquisite.<\/p>\n But I recommend you save the hardcore shopping for once you hit Bukhara. Oh, and budget a LOT more than you were planning. It took all my willpower not to buy an $819 long purple ikat silk jacket.<\/p>\n Khiva felt so much different than everywhere else. <\/strong>This is a stunning walled city in the heart of the desert and it genuinely feels like an oasis on the Silk Road.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s far from everything, which is why some people skip it. It\u2019s either a six-hour train ride from Bukhara or an 80-minute flight from Tashkent.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s very much worth the journey. I took a sleeper train from Bukhara that departed at 5:42 AM and arrived around 11:37 AM, and it couldn\u2019t have been more pleasant. My three compartment-mates and I slept a bit, then I read and relaxed with my feet up as we chugged across the desert.<\/p>\n Of course, you need to accept Khiva for what it is. The Ichan Kala, the area within the walls, is 100% geared toward tourism, not unlike Kotor, Montenegro<\/a>, or San Gimignano, Italy<\/a>. If you want to experience local life, you\u2019re going to have to go beyond the walls.<\/p>\n But it is so beautiful, it\u2019s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it\u2019s so visually different to the other popular cities of Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n And if you want to go further west, you can head to the city of Nukus, and even camp overnight at what used to be the Aral Sea, complete with shipwrecks suspended in sand.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to get sucked into only eating plov while in Uzbekistan.<\/strong> It\u2019s ubiquitous, it\u2019s cheap, there are tons of regional variations, and best of all, it\u2019s absolutely delicious!<\/p>\n Plov is a rice dish made with meat, onions, carrots (often a mix of orange and yellow carrots), and other accoutrements like raisins, chickpeas, or apricots. Plov is where the word \u201cpilaf\u201d comes from!<\/p>\n And honestly, it\u2019s easy to end up eating it for every meal in Uzbekistan. But I recommend you get out of the plov zone every now and then.<\/p>\n So, what should you eat besides plov?<\/p>\n Shashlik \u2014 meat kabobs grilled on a skewer \u2014 are a very popular option in Uzbekistan, probably second only to plov, and they also feel like a healthy option after days of heavier cuisine. I would usually get two meats and a vegetable skewer.<\/p>\n Laghman is a popular dish in Central Asia, thanks to the influence of the Uyghurs of western China. These hand-pulled noodles are thick and chewy, and are usually served in a soup with meat of some kind.<\/p>\n Shivit Oshi is a popular dish in Khiva: dill noodles topped with beef and potatoes. Delicious!<\/p>\n I found that restaurants in Khiva were good about communicating local dishes from Khiva and the surrounding Khorazm region.<\/p>\n And if you just feel like a snack, grab a samsa \u2014 a filled pastry. They usually come filled with meat, or sometimes pumpkin or other vegetables, but my favorites were stuffed with a mix of saut\u00e9ed potatoes and onions.<\/p>\n I visited Uzbekistan in April, and that was by design. <\/strong>From what I read, spring and fall are the best times of year to visit, because the summers can be very hot and the winters can be cold and bleak.<\/p>\n April turned out to be a perfect month for Uzbekistan and the Almaty region of Kazakhstan. I had some cold moments (in the mountains of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan), but the days were lovely for the most part.<\/p>\n But Khiva was HOT. Some days, the midday temperatures were as high as 90 F (32 C). In APRIL. I spent the afternoons in Khiva holed up in my hotel room \u2014 there was no reason to be out when it was that hot.<\/p>\n Khiva may be hotter than the other cities, due in part to its location in the desert, but it got quite hot in Tashkent around that time as well. I can\u2019t imagine how hot it gets in the summer months.<\/p>\n For that reason, I recommend you avoid visiting Uzbekistan in summer if possible. <\/p>\n (With my eternal caveat for teachers and other people who must travel in the summer \u2014 if summer is your only option, you can make it work. Just make sure you pace yourself and stay inside in the afternoons.)<\/p>\n At the same time, know that this isn\u2019t necessarily the case for other parts of Central Asia.<\/strong> If you\u2019re visiting high altitude places, especially in Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan or along the Pamir Highway, summer is THE time to go. Some places might be inaccessible outside in summer.<\/p>\n When I first booked my flights to Central Asia, I decided to fly into Almaty, Kazakhstan, and out of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.<\/strong> I would fly from Almaty to Tashkent in between. That\u2019s what made sense at the time.<\/p>\n And so the Uzbekistan portion of my itinerary had me travel by train from Tashkent to Samarkand to Bukhara to Khiva, then I flew from Urgench Airport (near Khiva) back to Tashkent.<\/p>\n But when I was at Urgench Airport, I saw that people were boarding a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul. WHAT? Who knew that was even an option?!<\/p>\n Turkish Airlines is very well-connected in Central Asia, and they run flights from Istanbul to Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Urgench.<\/p>\n Had I known that, I would have flown home from Urgench (assuming the price was decent). I didn\u2019t really have a reason to go back to Tashkent, and because I always give myself a generous buffer with flights, I basically added on two extra days that I didn\u2019t need.<\/p>\n However\u2026I enjoyed those last two days in Tashkent.<\/strong> <\/p>\n I stayed at Lotte City Hotels Tashkent Palace<\/a>, a four-star hotel in a nice neighborhood for just $117 per night. I went to the Museum of Applied Arts. I took long walks. I visited lots of coffeeshops. I hung out with my friend Megan<\/a>.<\/p>\n And you know what? After nine days of family-run guesthouses, Uzbek food, and early mornings, it was nice to chill in a plush, anonymous hotel, order room service lasagna, and decompress a bit before flying home.<\/p>\n It might have added two extra days, but that was a great way to end my trip to Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n More on What NOT to Do:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Adventurous Kate contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks! Uzbekistan is a fascinating country, filled with Silk Road history, stunning turquoise mosaics, and some of the best souvenir shopping I\u2019ve ever experienced. I enjoyed my solo trip to Uzbekistan, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":362947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[144437,184245],"tags":[11395,11514,13668,74635,184246],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-362946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uzbekistan","category-what-not-to-do","tag-avoid","tag-common","tag-mistakes","tag-uzbekistan","tag-what-not-to-do"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC5864-683x1024.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC5864-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>Don\u2019t assume Uzbekistan is an intimidating or difficult destination.<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Cozy-train-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Cozy-train-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\")
Don\u2019t wait until the last minute to book train tickets.<\/h2>\n
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-and-Muxtarama-in-Bukhara-Uzbekistan-friend-768x1024.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-and-Muxtarama-in-Bukhara-Uzbekistan-friend-768x1024.jpg\")
Don\u2019t wear revealing clothing.<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Chorsu-Bazaar-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x672.jpg\"\/)
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Chorsu-Bazaar-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x672.jpg\")
Don\u2019t forget to download the Yandex Go app.<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Registan-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-Best-Shot-1024x678.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Registan-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-Best-Shot-1024x678.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nDon\u2019t visit Uzbekistan without an eSIM.<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Cars-at-Seven-Lakes-Tajikistan-1024x683.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Cars-at-Seven-Lakes-Tajikistan-1024x683.jpg\")
Don\u2019t freak out if there isn\u2019t a working seatbelt in your car.<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Mausoleum-in-Bukhara-Uzbekistan-1024x722.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Mausoleum-in-Bukhara-Uzbekistan-1024x722.jpg\")
Don\u2019t take a \u201cFive Stans\u201d tour.<\/h2>\n
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-in-Charyn-Canyon-Kazakhstan-1-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-in-Charyn-Canyon-Kazakhstan-1-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-at-Seven-Lakes-Tajikistan-1024x784.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-at-Seven-Lakes-Tajikistan-1024x784.jpg\")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Shah-i-Zinda-Mausoleum-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-Interior-768x1024.jpg\"\/)
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Shah-i-Zinda-Mausoleum-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-Interior-768x1024.jpg\")
Don\u2019t leave your wide-angle lens at home.<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Aksaray-Mausoleum-Ceiling-Close-Up-1024x689.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Aksaray-Mausoleum-Ceiling-Close-Up-1024x689.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Aksaray-Mausoleum-Ceiling-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Aksaray-Mausoleum-Ceiling-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-Persian-Mini-Painting-Workshop-Bukhara-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-Persian-Mini-Painting-Workshop-Bukhara-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\")
Don\u2019t just sightsee in Uzbekistan \u2014 learn a craft, too.<\/h2>\n
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-and-Feruza-suzani-embroidery-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-and-Feruza-suzani-embroidery-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"Guide](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Yusuf-at-Chorsu-Bazaar-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"Guide](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Yusuf-at-Chorsu-Bazaar-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Uzbek-Women-at-Shah-i-Zinda-Mausoleum-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-778x1024.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Uzbek-Women-at-Shah-i-Zinda-Mausoleum-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-778x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nDon\u2019t expect locals to speak English.<\/h2>\n
![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Uzbekistan-Airways-Flight-Urgench-Airport-1024x757.jpg\"\/)
![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Uzbekistan-Airways-Flight-Urgench-Airport-1024x757.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nDon\u2019t expect to book Uzbekistan Airways with your credit card.<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kapitalbank-ATM-Uzbekistan-768x1024.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kapitalbank-ATM-Uzbekistan-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nDon\u2019t go anywhere without cash.<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Mosque-metro-station-in-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x723.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Mosque-metro-station-in-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x723.jpg\")
Don\u2019t skip Tashkent.<\/h2>\n
![\"Samarkand's](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Registan-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-Early-Morning-1024x620.jpg\"\/)
![\"Samarkand's](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Registan-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-Early-Morning-1024x620.jpg\")
Don\u2019t go all in on Samarkand.<\/h2>\n
![\"Shops](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Shops-in-Bukhara-Uzbekistan-1024x685.jpg\"\/)
![\"Shops](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Shops-in-Bukhara-Uzbekistan-1024x685.jpg\")
Don\u2019t buy souvenirs until you get to Bukhara.<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Khiva-Uzbekistan-at-Night-1024x717.jpg\"\/)
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Khiva-Uzbekistan-at-Night-1024x717.jpg\")
Don\u2019t assume Khiva is too far away.<\/h2>\n
![\"Three](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Plates-of-Plov-in-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"Three](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Plates-of-Plov-in-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\")
Don\u2019t only eat plov.<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Shashlik-on-a-plate-in-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Shashlik-on-a-plate-in-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laghman-Noodles-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laghman-Noodles-Samarkand-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Shivit-Oshi-Green-Noodles-Khiva-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Shivit-Oshi-Green-Noodles-Khiva-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Samsa-Pastries-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Samsa-Pastries-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Khiva-Uzbekistan-Tall-Building-1024x681.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Khiva-Uzbekistan-Tall-Building-1024x681.jpg\")
Don\u2019t come in summer (unless you have to).<\/h2>\n
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-I-love-Tashkent-sign-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kate-I-love-Tashkent-sign-Tashkent-Uzbekistan-1024x768.jpg\")
Don\u2019t backtrack to Tashkent\u2026unless you want to.<\/h2>\n