Do I need a visa for Uzbekistan?

More than 90 nationalities — including the EU, UK, Japan and Korea — enter visa-free for 30 days. US and Canadian citizens use a simple e-visa (2–3 working days). We confirm your exact case at booking.

Is Uzbekistan safe for tourists?

Yes — it is one of the safest destinations in Asia, with very low street crime and a strong culture of hospitality. Solo travellers and women travel comfortably; you are met by our team in every city.

What is the best time to visit?

April–June and September–November: warm, clear days ideal for walking the old cities. July–August exceeds 35°C (we shift sightseeing to mornings); December–February is cold but quiet, with lower prices.

How do I get between the cities?

The Afrosiyob high-speed train links Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara; Khiva is reached by a scenic desert drive or a short flight to Urgench. All tickets and transfers are included in our tours.

Can I pay by card? How much cash do I need?

Visa and Mastercard work in city hotels, restaurants and supermarkets. Keep som in cash for bazaars, taxis and tips — plan on the equivalent of $20–30 a day of walking-around money.

Everyday dress is relaxed and Western. Inside mosques and madrasas, shoulders and knees covered; a light scarf is useful for women in the few active mosques. Comfortable shoes — the old cities are walked.

Uzbekistan

The heart of the Silk Road — turquoise domes, living bazaars and three of the world’s great caravan cities, connected by high-speed rail.

17tours

4.8★avg rating

5UNESCO sites

Why Uzbekistan

Where every city is a chapter of the Silk Road

Samarkand’s Registan, Bukhara’s trading domes and the walled city of Khiva sit a comfortable train ride apart — making Uzbekistan the easiest place on earth to walk through two thousand years of caravan history in a single week.

Beyond the monuments: plov cooked in courtyard kitchens, silk and ceramics workshops that still work by hand, and a visa-free welcome for most travellers.

Visa-free for most — 30–90 days for 90+ nationalities

Best time — April–June & September–November

Getting around — Afrosiyob high-speed trains between the main cities

Currency — Uzbek som; cards in cities, cash in bazaars

Where you’ll go

Six cities our tours visit — the capital in terracotta.

The four great cities

Tashkent The green, modern capital — ornate metro stations, Chorsu bazaar and the region’s best food scene. Known for: metro, bazaars, plov

Samarkand Registan Square’s three tiled madrasas, Tamerlane’s mausoleum and the blue necropolis of Shah-i-Zinda. Known for: Registan, Shah-i-Zinda

Bukhara A whole old town that still lives and trades — minarets, domed bazaars and tea houses around Lyabi-Hauz. Known for: Poi-Kalyan, trading domes

Khiva The walled inner city of Itchan-Kala — a living museum where you sleep inside the fortress walls. Known for: Itchan-Kala

Nukus Gateway to the Aral Sea and home of the Savitsky museum of banned Soviet art. Known for: Savitsky museum

Fergana Silk mills of Margilan and the ceramics of Rishtan — the craft valley. Known for: silk, ceramics

Experiences you’ll remember

Beyond the monuments — what our guests talk about afterwards.

Plov in a courtyard kitchenUzbekistan’s national dish, cooked over fire in a family courtyard — not a restaurant version.

Silk & ceramics workshopsWatch masters work by hand in Margilan silk mills and Gijduvan pottery studios — and try the wheel yourself.

The Afrosiyob trainSamarkand to Bukhara in 90 minutes at 250 km/h — the most comfortable way the Silk Road has ever been crossed.

Registan after darkThe square empties, the floodlights come on, and the tilework turns to gold — our guides time it for you.

Sleeping inside Itchan-KalaYour Khiva guesthouse sits inside the fortress walls — sunrise over the minarets from the roof terrace.

Bazaar morningsChorsu and Siab bazaars at opening time: bread stamps, spice pyramids and the best apricots of your life.

Tours

Our Uzbekistan tours

All 17 Uzbekistan tours

Short Tour

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan Essentials Tashkent → Samarkand

5 days from $650

Uzbekistan Classic: Khiva to Tashkent in 8 Days

Flagship tour

Uzbekistan 4.9(7)

Uzbekistan Classic: Khiva to Tashkent in 8 Days Khiva → Bukhara → Samarkand → Tashkent

8 days from $1,056

Classic Uzbekistan: Tashkent to Khiva in 9 Days

Guaranteed departures

Uzbekistan 5.0(2)

Classic Uzbekistan: Tashkent to Khiva in 9 Days Tashkent → Samarkand → Bukhara → Khiva

9 days from $1,151

How many days do you need?

Three honest answers — each maps to a tour you can book today.

5–6 days The essentials Tashkent plus Samarkand and Bukhara by high-speed train. Tight but unforgettable — right for a first taste. See the 4-day option

8 days The classic All four great cities at a relaxed two-nights-per-city pace, with the desert drive to Khiva. Our most-booked tour. See Uzbekistan Classics

10–12 days Deeper in Add the Fergana Valley craft towns or extend into Nukus and the Savitsky art museum — for returning travellers. See extended routes

When to go

Season by season — terracotta is prime time.

Jan3°C

Feb6°C

Mar13°C

Apr20°C

May26°C

Jun32°C

Jul36°C

Aug34°C

Sep28°C

Oct20°C

Nov12°C

Dec6°C

IdealGoodHot or cold — lower prices

What guests say about Uzbekistan

“We expected monuments; we didn’t expect to feel so welcome. Every evening someone invited us to tea — and our guide knew every courtyard in Bukhara.”

Sofia & Marco · Uzbekistan Classics, September 2026