Plan trips like this one. Open by request.Request access
Destinations

Uzbekistan

Turquoise domes on the Silk Road

historyarchitectureculturevalue
Plan your trip to UzbekistanSee the top things to doPick your cities
37.7 millionPeople
TashkentCapital
Uzbek, RussianLanguage
UZSCurrency
6 to 12 daysIdeal stay
$70-120Typical day

Uzbekistan is the heart of the old Silk Road, with the tiled domes and minarets of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Its cities have been restored and are linked by fast trains, making travel easy. Beyond them are mountains, deserts and the Fergana Valley's crafts. It suits history and architecture lovers who want a friendly, good-value adventure.

Where to start

Top 15 things to do

Tap a card or a pin. Add a place to a day of your trip, or look for tours.

  1. Three grand madrasas with tiled facades around a central square, the iconic image of Central Asia. It is stunning at night.

    2-3 hoursTime needed
    noBook ahead
    Tip. Return after dark when it is lit.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  2. An avenue of mausoleums with some of the finest blue tilework in the Islamic world. It is a pilgrimage site.

    1-2 hoursTime needed
    noBook ahead
    Tip. Go early for soft light and calm.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  3. The ribbed-dome mausoleum of Amir Timur and his family. Its gilded interior is breathtaking.

    1 hourTime needed
    noBook ahead
    Tip. Combine it with the Registan.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  4. A living medieval city of mosques, madrasas and trading domes around the Lyabi-Hauz pool. The Kalyan minaret dominates the skyline.

    2 daysTime needed
    Wandering the squares is free; individual monuments charge entryCost
    noBook ahead
    Tip. Have tea at Lyabi-Hauz in the evening.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  5. A walled inner city of mud-brick walls, minarets and palaces, like a museum of the Silk Road. It is compact and walkable.

    1-2 daysTime needed
    noBook ahead
    Tip. Climb the Islam Khoja minaret for views.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  6. A 12th-century minaret so impressive that Genghis Khan spared it, with a great mosque and madrasa. It is Bukhara's symbol.

    1 hourTime needed
    noBook ahead
    Tip. See it at sunset.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  7. Lavishly decorated Soviet-era metro stations and a huge domed bazaar of spices and bread. Modernist buildings in Tashkent are newly UNESCO-listed.

    1 dayTime needed
    Free entryCost
    noBook ahead
    Tip. Ride the metro to see the stations; it costs very little.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  8. Amir Timur's hometown, with the huge ruined portal of his White Palace. It is a day trip over the mountains from Samarkand.

    Full dayTime needed
    noBook ahead
    Tip. Take the scenic mountain road.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  9. A remarkable collection of banned Soviet avant-garde art gathered by Igor Savitsky. It is far off the beaten path.

    3 hoursTime needed
    noBook ahead
    Tip. Combine with a trip to the Aral Sea.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  10. Rusting ships stranded on desert where the Aral Sea once was. It is a sobering environmental story.

    2 daysTime needed
    with an operatorBook ahead
    Tip. Go with a tour for desert camping.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  11. Mountains near Tashkent with lakes, hiking and skiing. The Charvak reservoir is popular in summer.

    1 dayTime needed
    noBook ahead
    Tip. Take the cable car at Amirsoy.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  12. A fertile valley with Margilan silk workshops and Rishton ceramics. It shows living crafts.

    2 daysTime needed
    noBook ahead
    Tip. Visit the Yodgorlik silk factory.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  13. Ancient mud-brick forts in the desert such as Ayaz Kala. They are part of the UNESCO Silk Roads listing.

    1 dayTime needed
    with a driverBook ahead
    Tip. Stay in a yurt camp near Ayaz Kala.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  14. A desert lake with yurt camps, camel rides and village homestays in the Nuratau mountains. It is between Samarkand and Bukhara.

    1-2 daysTime needed
    yes, campsBook ahead
    Tip. Stay in a yurt for stars.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access

  15. Remains of a 15th-century observatory with a huge meridian arc built by the astronomer king Ulugbek. A museum tells the story.

    1 hourTime needed
    noBook ahead
    Tip. Combine it with Afrasiyab museum.
    See on the map
    TOURSTours and tickets are shown to Hodolog members. Request access
Map: OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins from OpenStreetMap search; check a place before you go.
Not on the map: Kalyan Minaret and Poi Kalyan.
Make it yours

Turn Uzbekistan into your plan

Everything above is open to read. A Hodolog account lets you build the trip around it: pick cities, add places to days, see the weather for your dates.

Plan day by dayAdd any place here to a day of your trip, with times and costs.
Bookings from emailForward flight and hotel confirmations. They land in your trip.
Weather for your datesForecast and usual weather for your exact days, in your units.
Share with your peopleInvite family or friends, split costs, keep one plan.
Request access
Hodolog is open by request for now. Each request is reviewed.
Pick your bases

Cities to visit

Each city with a guide opens its own page: map, where to stay, what to eat.

SamarkandRegistan_-_Gusjer.jpg: Gustavo Jeronimo from Aranjuez, Spain derivative work: MrPanyGoff, CC BY 2.0
3 nights suggested

Timurid masterpieces.

history · Open the city guide
BukharaEuyasik, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 nights suggested

Living medieval city.

history · Guide coming
KhivaFulvio Spada from Torino, Italy, CC BY-SA 2.0
2 nights suggested

Walled inner city.

history · Guide coming
TashkentBgag, CC0
2 nights suggested

Modern capital and gateway.

city · Guide coming
NukusZartosht, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 nights suggested

Savitsky Museum and Aral Sea.

art · Guide coming
FerganaShakhboz Urinboev, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 nights suggested

Crafts and valley life.

culture · Guide coming
ShakhrisabzNormuratov7, CC BY 4.0
1 nights suggested

Timur's birthplace, an easy day trip from Samarkand.

history, day trip · Guide coming
Found your cities? Add them to a trip with Hodolog.
Request access
Know the map

Regions

Tashkent region

Capital and nearby mountains.

Tashkent metro, Chorsu Bazaar, Chimgan

Samarkand and the centre

Timurid capital.

Registan, Shah-i-Zinda, Shahrisabz

Bukhara and the desert

Oasis city and lakes.

Bukhara, Aydarkul

Khorezm and Karakalpakstan

Western desert and Khiva.

Itchan Kala, Ayaz Kala, Nukus

Fergana Valley

Green valley of crafts.

Margilan, Rishton

Samarkand and the south

Timur's heartland with the great monuments.

Samarkand, Shakhrisabz, Termez

Short on time?

Ready-made routes

Choose how long you have, then add the whole route to a trip as places and nights.

  1. Tashkent, 1 nightsCity.
  2. Samarkand, 3 nightsRegistan and more.
  3. Bukhara, 3 nightsOld town.
Plan your dates

Seasons and weather

Best: April to May and September to October. Warm days and cool evenings, ideal for walking city sights.

Summer is very hot in Bukhara and Khiva, and winter is cold, while mountains near Tashkent are cooler in summer.

Busy and pricey. April to May and September to October. High season: crowds and the highest hotel prices. Book ahead.
Shoulder. March and November. Good weather with fewer people and better prices.
Quiet and cheaper. December to February, cold, and June to August, very hot. Low season: lowest prices and few crowds, but shorter days and some places closed.

January. Quiet season. Lower prices, fewer crowds.

Usual weather in Samarkand

Temperature

32°50°68°86°104°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecDaily highAverage

Rain

0.00.81.62.4JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

January

42°F daily high, 34°F average, 1.4 in

  • Warmest month July (97°F)
  • Coolest month January (34°F)
  • Wettest month March (2.3 in)
  • Driest month August (0.0 in)

Average of past years from NASA POWER, worked out at each city's position. A place far from these cities can be quite different.

Going on specific dates? A Hodolog trip shows the forecast and the usual weather for your exact days. Request access
Know before you go

At a glance

5/5
Safety

The US State Department rates Uzbekistan Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions.

4/5
Getting around

Fast Afrosiyob trains link Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, and flights reach Urgench for Khiva.

5/5
Value

Food, hotels and transport are very cheap.

Good to know

Entry with your passport

Entry rules depend on your passport. Members see the rules for their own passport here.

Passport and visa rules change often and without notice. Always check the official pages before you book and again before you travel.

EntryCheck visa and registration rules on Uzbekistan's official e-visa website (e-visa.gov.uz) before you travel.
PlugsType C, I; 220 V 50 Hz
Tap waternot safe
TippingTip about 5 to 10 percent in restaurants.
PaymentsCash is still common; cards work in bigger hotels, and ATMs are in cities.
Emergency102 police, 103 ambulance, 101 fire (in Tashkent; 02, 03, 01 elsewhere)
EtiquetteHospitality is strong; accept tea and bread. Never place bread upside down. Ask before photographing people.
What to wearCover shoulders and knees in mosques and conservative areas.
DrivingOn the right
Between citiesFast trains link Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, and lines reach Khiva. Domestic flights save time to Urgench and Nukus. Shared taxis are common.
Main airportsTAS, SKD, BHK, UGC
Ride appsYandex Go
Taste it

What to eat

PlovSamsaLagmanShashlikNon breadMantiGreen teaPlov (pilaf)

A short history

Caravan cities here grew rich on trade between China, Persia and Europe. Alexander the Great, Arab armies and Genghis Khan all passed through, and Amir Timur made Samarkand a glittering capital in the 14th century. Russia conquered the region in the 19th century, and it became a Soviet republic. Uzbekistan gained independence in 1991 and has opened up to tourism in recent years.

Researched 2026-10-13. Check official sources and recent changes before you go.

Plan Uzbekistan