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🇺🇿Things to Do in Uzbekistan
From Samarkand's turquoise-domed Registan to the walled city of Khiva - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Uzbekistan holds three of the great Silk Road cities - Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva - each with turquoise-tiled madrasas and minarets that rank among the most striking Islamic architecture anywhere in the world, and each considerably less visited than their historical importance would suggest. Here are 6 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Registan, Samarkand
Three monumental madrasas arranged around a square, covered in turquoise and blue tilework, and widely considered one of the most spectacular public squares in the Islamic world.
📍 Samarkand
🚉 Nearest station: Samarkand, served by the Afrosiyob high-speed train from Tashkent in just over two hours, then a 10-minute taxi to the square.
Bukhara Old City
A UNESCO World Heritage old city with the Kalyan Minaret - reportedly the only structure Genghis Khan spared when he sacked the city in 1220, supposedly out of admiration for its height.
📍 Bukhara
🚉 Nearest station: Bukhara, about 12km from the centre at Kagan, with taxis and marshrutkas covering the gap; the Afrosiyob from Tashkent takes about four hours.
Khiva (Itchan Kala)
A completely walled inner city, effectively an open-air museum, with dozens of madrasas, minarets and mausoleums preserved within its mud-brick walls.
📍 Khiva
🚉 Nearest station: Khiva, which now has its own terminus a short walk from the walled city, with overnight trains from Tashkent and a link from Urgench 35km away.
Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand
An avenue of mausoleums built over several centuries, with some of the finest surviving tilework of the entire Timurid period lining both sides of the path.
📍 Samarkand
🚉 The avenue of mausoleums is 2km north-east of the Registan - taxis are cheap, or it is a 25-minute walk past the Bibi-Khanym mosque and the Siyob bazaar.
Gur-e-Amir, Samarkand
The mausoleum of Timur (Tamerlane), the 14th-century conqueror who made Samarkand his capital, and whose ribbed turquoise dome architecturally influenced later Mughal buildings including the Taj Mahal.
📍 Samarkand
🚉 Timur's mausoleum is a 15-minute walk south of the Registan along the University Boulevard, or a short taxi ride from anywhere in the centre.
Tashkent
Uzbekistan's capital, with an ornately decorated Soviet-era metro system considered one of the most beautiful in the world, alongside the Chorsu Bazaar's domed market hall.
📍 Tashkent
🚉 The metro is the way around, and its stations are decorated well enough to be a sight themselves - Kosmonavtlar and Mustaqillik Maydoni are the two most photographed.
Mark Uzbekistan, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Uzbekistan?
10 days lets you comfortably connect Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva by train, which now runs a fast, direct service between the main Silk Road cities.
What's the best time to visit Uzbekistan?
April-June and September-October have the most comfortable temperatures. Summer is very hot, especially in Bukhara and Khiva; winter is cold but the historic sites remain fully open.
Is Uzbekistan good for a first-time visit?
Yes - the high-speed Afrosiyob train connects the main Silk Road cities easily, and tourism infrastructure has improved considerably in recent years, including visa-free entry for many nationalities.
Do I need a visa to visit Uzbekistan?
Many nationalities, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most of the EU, can visit visa-free for short tourist stays; other nationalities can typically apply for an e-visa online. Check the official visa information for your nationality: e-visa.gov.uz.
What are some things to do in Uzbekistan on a tight budget?
Uzbek food (plov, shashlik) is very cheap, the high-speed train between Silk Road cities is inexpensive relative to the distance covered, and many historic sites charge modest entry fees compared to similarly significant monuments elsewhere.
Can I rent a car in Uzbekistan, and what licence do I need?
You can, but the high-speed trains between Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are fast, cheap and comfortable, and shared taxis fill every other gap - most visitors never rent. If you do, an International Driving Permit is required alongside your home licence, and the minimum age is generally 21 to 25. Hiring a car with a driver is common and often costs little more than self-drive. Fuel can be methane rather than petrol in rural areas, which is worth checking when you collect the car. Official information is published by the State Tourism Committee at uzbekistan.travel, with government services at my.gov.uz.