Last updated: 06.02.24

Welcome to Uzbekistan, a country with less tourism that takes your adventure off the beaten track!

Uzbekistan offers you a rich history, culture and impressive architecture. We only stayed for 2 days in this historic country. Even though we only stayed for a short time, I won’t make you guys miss out on this unique destination and some Uzbekistan travel tips.

To make it even easier for you to plan your visit I have collected “good things to know when you visit Uzbekistan” in this general travel guide to Uzbekistan. Here you will find inspiration about the climate in Uzbekistan, food in Uzbekistan, transportation and more. Furthermore I will share my personal ups and downs in Uzbekistan.

Travel guide to Uzbekistan

If you’re planning a trip to Uzbekistan continue reading this travel guide to Uzbekistan. In this guide you will find some general facts about this hidden gem in Central Asia, which are good to know before visiting.

Language in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan has its own language called Uzbek. Besides their own language many people speak Russian. Don’t expect everyone to speak English, we met quite a lot of locals who didn’t speak English.

Religion in Uzbekistan

The main religion in Uzbekistan is Islam.

Currency Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan has its own currency called Uzbek Som (UZS). $1 is around 12315 UZS.

Transportation in Uzbekistan

The traffic here was a bit crazy.

However we had success using both taxa and train in the country.

Be aware there is a huge difference in the comfort of trains. We did a day tour from Tashkent to Samarkand. On our way to Samarkand we were on a fast train with air conditioning. On our way back to Tashkent we booked the tickets a bit too late and had to take one of their older trains, which is much slower and had no air conditioning. And it was 40 degrees Celsius outside. I don’t recommend you to book the trains last minute.

Food in Uzbekistan

What to eat in Uzbekistan:
If you want to try a traditional Uzbek dish you can try Plov (Pilaf/Palov) – It’s included in the UNESCO Intangible Culture Heritage List and is a dish made of rice and meat.

Unfortunately we didn’t manage to try it in Uzbekistan. When we ordered it, it was sold out. It is mostly eaten at lunch, so we properly just ordered it a bit too late in the afternoon.

Most other dishes are based on the basic traditional ingredients eaten in the region: meat, rice, potato and bread.

Climate in Uzbekistan

In the summer Uzbekistan is very hot and dry, while the winters are very cold.

In the summer the average monthly temperature is approximately 27 degrees Celsius with an average daily max of 35 degrees Celsius in many cities. In the winter the average is approximately -2 degrees Celsius.

Bonus: Best time to visit Uzbekistan:
We have only visited Uzbekistan one time for 2 days in June. I don’t know if we were unlucky but the temperature was very high around 40 degrees Celsius. It’s too hot to explore and walk around a lot. I recommend you to visit earlier or later than we did – Maybe during spring or autumn.

Personal ups and downs in Uzbekistan:

Here is my honest opinion about my short time in Uzbekistan:

UPS:

• Our day tour to Samarkand
• All the spectacular architecture in Samarkand
• Everyone we met seemed very nice even though most of them did not speak English
• The country seemed modern compared to other countries in Central Asia
• It was very affordable

DOWNS:

• It was 40 degrees Celsius – Very hot when you’re exploring outside
• Our train tour from Samarkand without air condition in a slow train (because we booked our tickets too late)

Was it worth it?
It was a short visit, but definitely worth it.

Would I visit again?
Maybe, if I visit again I would like to see different parts of the country and more ancient Silk Road cities.
For now I feel like there are so many countries on my bucket list I haven’t visited yet, so re-visiting Uzbekistan is not my priority right now.

We only stayed for a short visit in this country! But still had the time to admire the impressive architecture masterpieces in the ancient Silk Road city Samarkand (a must visit in the country).

If you consider visiting Uzbekistan, I recommend you to do so! I hope this mini guide clarified some of the good things to know before visiting. If you have questions then you are always welcome to write them here (under the blog post) or directly to my instagram profile @dailytravelmoment.

If you’re curios about how much money we spend in Uzbekistan you can find it is this article: Cost of living in Uzbekistan as a traveler.

Enjoy your planning and stay in Uzbekistan.