The guide · 30 chapters
Uzbekistan Guide
Everything you need to travel the Silk Road
Continue where you left off Your Uzbekistan passport Curious traveller Level 1 of 5 0pts 0 / 60 places visited 1 visit to Uzbekistan explorer Open passport
Your progress
0 / 30
A chapter counts once opened
0 / 30
0 favorites
No chapters match these filters.
Explore the destination
60 POIs
Full map
Filter by city or category and find the closest point to you.
Filter by category or click a point for details
Chapter01 · 1 chapter
Introduction
The essential read that puts the country on the map before the journey begins.
Introduction to UzbekistanEverything you need to know before you go: flights, basics and how to use this guideRead the chapter↗Chapter02 · 6 chapters
History
The essential moments that explain everything you will see afterwards.
01Sogdiana & the Silk RoadThe Sogdians, Alexander the Great and the first thousand years of Asia's most important crossroadsRead→02The Islamic conquest & golden ageHow Islam transformed Central Asia: from the Samanids to the madrasas of BukharaLocked→03The Mongols & TamerlaneFrom the destruction of Genghis Khan to the reconstruction of Tamerlane: how Samarkand became the capital of the worldLocked→04The Khanates: Bukhara, Khiva & KokandThree centuries of rival kingdoms, slave trade and the last walled cities of Central AsiaLocked→05The Great Game, Russia & the Soviet eraFrom Anglo-Russian rivalry to the Aral Sea catastrophe: how empire transformed Central AsiaLocked→06Independent UzbekistanFrom Karimov to the tourist opening: the country that is rediscovering its own historyLocked→
Chapter03 · 7 chapters
Cities
From west to east, the stops that shape the journey.
TashkentUzbekistan's modern capital: Soviet metro, the Chorsu market and Amir Timur squareOpen city↗02KhivaThe living museum of the desert: the most perfectly preserved walled city on the Silk Road11 min●↗03Nukus, Moynaq and the Aral SeaThe greatest ecological disaster of the twentieth century and the most improbable museum in Central Asia11 min●↗04Nurata and the desertAlexander's fortress, the sacred spring and nights under the stars of the Kyzylkum10 min●↗05BukharaThe most authentic city on the Silk Road: mausoleums, medieval bazaars and the Poi Kalon complex12 min●↗06SamarkandThe jewel of the Silk Road: the Registan, the Gur-e-Amir and the city of Tamerlane11 min●↗07Fergana ValleySilk, ceramics and the densest heart of Central Asia: a valley shared by three countries12 min●↗
Chapter04 · 6 chapters
Culture & daily life
The codes, flavours and rhythms that never fit on a map.
Culture & daily lifeHow Uzbekistan really works: the table, the language, the rhythms of the day, and what no monument will tell youRead the chapter→
Food & culture: plov and beyondWhy plov changes from city to city, bread as a sacred object, and the bazaar as a food system●The rhythm of the dayHow daily life works in Uzbekistan: schedules, customs, and the tempo of a country that is in no rush●Essential phrasebook35 phrases in Uzbek (and some Russian) with pronunciation to get by without English●What to skip (and what to do instead)Tourist traps, expectations vs reality, and where your time is actually worth spending●Books & filmsBooks, films and documentaries to understand Uzbekistan before (and after) the trip●
Chapter05 · 6 chapters
Practical information
Clear answers for travelling with fewer doubts and more freedom.
Visa & entryVisa requirements, passport and customs declaration for travelling to Uzbekistan●Money & exchangeCurrency, exchange rates, ATMs and price reference for Uzbekistan●SafetySafety for travellers, drugs, photography and travel insurance in Uzbekistan●Best time to visitWhen to travel to Uzbekistan: temperatures, festivals and seasonal advice●Transport essentialsTrains, flights, shared taxis and metro in Uzbekistan●What to packClothing, documents and essential gear for travelling to Uzbekistan●
Chapter06 · 4 chapters
Itineraries
Choose a structure and make it yours. No two journeys need be the same.
01Classic UzbekistanThe essential Silk Road circuit, day by day: Tashkent, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, compressible to 9 days or extended to 11. The backbone of the country for the first-time visitor.15 minLocked ↗02With the Fergana Valley12 days adding the mountain crossing and craftsmanship of the Fergana Valley to the classic circuit, day by day: silk, ceramics and the most authentic Uzbekistan.16 minLocked ↗03With Nukus and the Aral Sea11 days adding the most unsettling dimension of Uzbekistan to the classic circuit, day by day: the Aral Sea, Moynaq and the Kala Castles.16 minLocked ↗04With Nurata and the Aydarkul12 days with the Nurata Range, a night in a yurt on the Aydarkul and the Urgut antiques market, day by day. The most diverse itinerary.16 minLocked ↗