Uzbekistan is easily the most beautiful country on the ancient Silk Road with the major cities still housing monuments and bazaars from that era. This blog details our Uzbek itinerary and will help you plan your perfect trip!
Uzbekistan is one of the only two double-landlocked countries in the world. A country is called double-landlocked when all of its neighbours are also landlocked – so you will need to cross at least two borders reach the nearest sea/ocean. The only other double-landlocked country in the world is Liechtenstein in Europe.
Trip Snapshot
| Duration | 8 days |
| When we visited | Mid-June 2023 |
| Best season | Late May or early June (April-May and Sept-Oct also good but crowded) |
| Route | Tashkent → Urgench → Khiva → Bukhara → Samarkand → Tashkent |
| Getting there | Fly into Tashkent (or overland from Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan); e-Visa required for Indians, ~3-day processing |
| Budget band | Budget (Som is one of the world’s weakest currencies, very favourable for INR) |
| Travelled as | Family — with a toddler and grandparents |
This Uzbekistan itinerary is built from the 8 days we spent travelling with a toddler and two grandparents in mid-June 2023, hitting Tashkent, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand.
This blog contains:
Best Time to Visit
Uzbekistan has harsh summers – so definitely avoid July and August unless you want to melt away in the dry desert heat. Temperatures stay as high as 38 degrees even at 6pm in the evening. Winters are also very cold with some areas seeing snowfall. So, we are left with a clear window of…
April-May and September-October – months with great weather. This also means that you can expect a lot of tourists in these months. We travelled in mid-June. The best part was that we got a tourist-free experience at all the main attractions. Bad part was that it was starting to get really hot in some places that we visited – which cut short the “outside time” from our day. Our verdict – try to plan your Uzbek itinerary in late May or early June.
Getting Around Uzbekistan, Visa and Currency
If you are flying in, your likely point of entry into Uzbekistan would be the capital, Tashkent. The other options are by road from any of the neighbouring countries – Kazakhstan (Shymkent), Kyrgyzstan (Osh) and Tajikistan (Panjakent). There are border checkpoints where you will need to show your passport and valid visa.
Inside Uzbekistan, you can fly between cities – there are airports in Samarkand, Bukhara, Urgench, Nukus and other major cities as well. The maximum flight duration would be about 1-1.5 hours. You can book tickets directly on the airline’s website – we found better deals there than any of the options available in India.
You can also make use of the high speed rail network which connects major cities. There is a high-speed bullet train called Afrosiyob which connects Tashkent to Samarkand and Bukhara – it goes as fast as 250 kmph and is air-conditioned (unlike some other trains). There are other slower trains as well but make sure you check whether they have AC or not.
We ended up travelling 8 hours through the hot desert in a non-AC train because there was no AC option available.
You can book your tickets on the railways website. For the schedules, make sure you check the official railway website (linked above). We made a mistake of basing our itinerary on train timings that we found on a very reputed blog.
When the time came for booking, we found that there were no trains at the time mentioned in the blog and had to change our itinerary.
Keep road travel as the worst case scenario, unless you enjoy driving through a road with nothing but desert on both sides.
For Indians, e-Visa is the best way to enter the country. You can apply online on the official website (the link changed after we had applied, so not putting it here). You need to fill up a form, attach your photo (as per the guidelines) and pay the amount. If all goes good, you’ll have your visa in your mail within 3 days. Kids below the age of 16 do not need a visa as long as they are travelling with their parents who have valid visas.
The Uzbek currency is the Uzbekistani Som. At the time of our travel, 1 INR was equal to 145 SOM. 1 USD was around 12000 SOM. It is amongst the 10 weakest currencies in the world – in other words, it is one of the few countries where an Indian would feel rich after converting currency.
Ironically, we found the best rates at the Tashkent airport and inside a hotel in Bukhara! ATMs and exchanges may be unreliable, so it is always better to convert some extra cash and have it in hand.
How many days to plan in your Uzbek itinerary?
As always, it is tough to set an upper limit on the number of days to spend. But a good benchmark is to spend 2 days each in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara and 1 day in Khiva. So, that makes it about 7 days.
If you have more time, you can visit Nukus and some of the towns and forts in between Bukhara and Samarkand. We strongly recommend starting your trip at Khiva and then move towards Samarkand via Bukhara. Samarkand is the most grand in terms of monuments – if you visit it first, all other places will look like miniature faded versions of it. So, to build up the experience gradually and enjoy the entire trip, keep Samarkand for the end.
Our Uzbek Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at Tashkent, spend the day relaxing after the long travel.
Day 2: Early morning flight to Urgench (the domestic terminal is in the south and international is in the northern side). Drive from Urgench to Khiva, spend the day exploring the historic town of Itchan Kala in Khiva. Buy knit souvenirs (like socks) – the ones you get here are unique and you may not find them later!
Day 3: Spend the early part of the day exploring a tourist-free Khiva. Board the train to Bukhara at 10am. Treat yourself to a luxurious dinner after the 8-hour hot ride on the train.
Day 4: Visit the Bukhara farmers’ market early in the morning. Come back to the Lyabi Hauz area and explore the monuments. Do some souvenir shopping. Rest during the afternoon and visit Po-i-Kalyan ensemble in the evening.
Bukhara is the best place to buy the iconic “Uzbek man with the bread” souvenir. Once again, don’t leave souvenir shopping till the end – Bukhara and Samarkand have really good options at good prices.
Day 5: Morning walk to Chor Minor. Visit the Ark of Bukhara, have lunch and get to the train station for the journey to Samarkand. At Samarkand, visit Amir Timur’s mausoleum, walk along the gardens outside it. Finish the day with the light and sound show at the famous Registan square (it was at 9pm when we went).
Day 6: Have a relaxed breakfast and head to the Registan ensemble. Visit the beautiful madrassahs. Move on towards Shah-i-Zinda complex. Do some souvenir shopping at the Siab bazaar next to the Bibi-Khanym mosque. Take the late evening train to Tashkent.
Day 7: Visit Chorsu bazaar. Have an amazing lunch at Besh Qozon – the Central Asian Pilaf Centre. Beat the afternoon heat with a metro tour. Visit as many stations as time permits (the full list is available here). Walk along Hotel Uzbekistan, Amir Timur square till the Independence square.
Day 8: Fly out to the next destination.
Some more additions possible:
The “Time-is-not-a-constraint” adventurer: Add a couple of cities more to the itinerary. Visit the ship graveyard of the erstwhile Aral Sea.
History Buffs: Visit the State History Museum in Tashkent (next to the Independence Square). Khiva is a must-visit for you!
Uzbekistan Itinerary: Quick Answers
How do you get around Uzbekistan between cities?
We used the high-speed Afrosiyob train between Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara – it hits 250 kmph and is air-conditioned, so that’s the one to book if you have a choice. For Khiva to Bukhara there’s no fast option; we ended up on an 8-hour non-AC train through the desert heat because that was the only slot running. Always check the official railway website for real train times before locking your dates – we based ours on a well-known blog’s schedule and found no matching train when we went to book, forcing a last-minute itinerary change.
How many days do you need in Uzbekistan?
A good benchmark is 2 days each in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara plus 1 day in Khiva – about 7 days total; we stretched ours to 8. If you have more time, Nukus and the towns between Bukhara and Samarkand are worth adding. We’d also recommend starting in Khiva and finishing in Samarkand, since Samarkand’s monuments are so grand that anywhere else feels smaller by comparison if you see it first.
When is the best time to visit Uzbekistan?
We travelled in mid-June and had the main attractions almost to ourselves, but temperatures were still hitting 38 degrees at 6pm, which cut short our time outdoors. April-May and September-October have much better weather but bring more tourists. Our honest verdict: aim for late May or early June if you want a balance of good weather and thinner crowds.
How does the Uzbekistan e-Visa work for Indians?
We applied for the e-Visa online – filled in a form, uploaded a photo to spec, and paid the fee, and had the visa in our inbox within 3 days. Kids under 16 travelling with a parent who holds a valid visa don’t need one of their own.
Is Uzbekistan cheap to travel in, and how should you handle money?
Yes – the Uzbekistani Som is one of the 10 weakest currencies in the world, so it’s one of the few countries where converting cash makes an Indian traveller feel rich (1 USD was about 12,000 SOM when we went). Oddly, we found the best exchange rates at Tashkent airport and inside a hotel in Bukhara rather than at official exchanges. ATMs and money changers can be unreliable, so carry extra cash converted in advance.
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Hope our Uzbek itinerary helps you plan your trip to Uzbekistan. Check out our other Uzbekistan blogs here:
- The Roughest Start We’ve Ever Faced – a cancelled flight, a delayed one and many other challenges kicked off our trip to Central Asia
- Time Traveling in Khiva – A Hidden Treasure of Uzbekistan
- Enchanting Bukhara – A Treasure of the Silk Road. Join us as we explore this oasis
- Samarkand – Where History and Beauty Converge
- Tashkent Tales – The Uzbek “Metro” Capital
- The Uzbek itinerary – plan your perfect trip to Uzbekistan
- The Kazakhstan Itinerary – where we headed next after Uzbekistan
- How to Create an Itinerary – our approach to planning trips like this one
If you have any questions on how to plan your trip, leave a comment below and we’ll be happy to help. Do subscribe to the blog if you like the content. You can also share it with fellow travel enthusiasts.
Thanks for sharing your trip! All of your posts have been helpful. Fingers crossed I get here next year!
Thanks for sticking till the end. Hope you have a safe and wonderful journey!
Hello, I needed to know which airlines did you opt for while flying from India?
Hi. We chose Uzbekistan Airways. There are direct flights from New Delhi to Tashkent. It was a good experience on their Dreamliner. A good low cost alternate is Air Arabia but that goes via Sharjah.
Hello, we are also traveling to Uzbekistan with our toddler(2 year old) what options did you get for food for your kid? Were there vegetarian options also?
Hi! There are a lot of fresh fruits and veggies available everywhere. Salads are part of every meal. There are soups also similar to dal. These along with the ubiquitous Uzbek bread makes for a good meal. Pilaf/Plov is also a good option. All of these are veg friendly and healthy as meals – that’s how we managed for our travel with our 2 year old. Hope you have a great trip!
Hi you already confirm that children under 16 does not require visa, is it for every country,I mean other than India?
Hi. Yes it’s true for all foreign nationals. Here is the link that mentions it. You can always drop a mail to the ministry to double check to get more confidence. https://www.uzbekembassy.in/consular-section/#:~:text=Visa%2DFree%20regime%20for%20foreign%20citizens%20under%20the%20age%20of%2016.&text=They%20may%20enter%20and%20stay,date%20of%20entry%20into%20Uzbekistan.