Uzbekistan in 15 Days: Tashkent, Samarkand & Tips

Airport tips

Tashkent (TAS)

Islam Karimov Tashkent International is the country's main gateway, with the widest range of international connections. It's modern and manageable, though arrivals queues can be slow. Most nationalities enter visa-free for 30 days, and the e-visa for everyone else is quick and cheap — so border formalities are refreshingly painless. Grab a Yandex Go from the airport into the centre; it's far cheaper than the taxi touts at arrivals.

Samarkand (SKD) / Bukhara (BHK)

Both Silk Road cities have small international airports with a growing number of regional and seasonal flights, handy if you want to skip Tashkent entirely. For most travellers, though, the Afrosiyob high-speed train between these cities is faster, cheaper and far more scenic than flying.

Central Asia

Tashkent

⏱️ Best for a Few Days — the city centre. One full day is plenty to get the feel of the capital before heading to the Silk Road cities. Ride a few of the ornate metro stations, see the Hazrati Imam complex, browse Chorsu Bazaar and stroll pedestrian Broadway in the evening — an easy, relaxed first or last stop on a 15-day trip.
🚇 Get around — the Metro. One of the most beautiful subway systems in the world — each station is a chandeliered, mosaic-tiled work of art. It's cheap, fast, and photographing the stations is now fully allowed.
🏛️ Old meets new — Chorsu & the centre. The domed Chorsu Bazaar is a riot of spices, bread and dried fruit, while a short ride away sit broad Soviet boulevards and gleaming new towers. The contrast is the whole appeal of the capital.
🍽️ Food — the home of plov. Don't leave without a midday visit to the Central Asian Plov Centre, where giant cauldrons of the national rice dish are cooked fresh each morning and sell out by early afternoon.

Central Asia

Samarkand

🕌 The Registan. The single most iconic sight in Central Asia — three towering madrasas framing a vast plaza, covered in turquoise tilework. Come at opening time or stay for the evening light show to beat the tour groups.
⏱️ Best for a Few Days — the highlights loop. Just ~2 hours from Tashkent on the Afrosiyob train, Samarkand's must-sees pack into 1–2 days: the Registan, the glittering Shah-i-Zinda tomb avenue, the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum of Timur, and the huge Bibi-Khanym Mosque — all within easy reach of each other.
⭐ Beyond the Registan — Shah-i-Zinda & Gur-e-Amir. A glittering avenue of tiled tombs and the mausoleum of Timur himself. Quieter than the Registan and, for many visitors, even more atmospheric — especially in the early morning.
🍷 Relaxed evenings. Smaller and calmer than Tashkent, with leafy cafes, a growing boutique-guesthouse scene and even a local winery — an easy, walkable place to slow down for a few days.

Others

Bukhara

🚄 Getting there: Afrosiyob high-speed train from Samarkand (~1.5 hr) or Tashkent (~3.5 hr) 📅 Best time: Apr – May & Sep – Oct — mild and clear; summers are brutally hot, winters cold

The most complete medieval city in Central Asia — a living old town of madrasas, minarets and trading domes you can wander entirely on foot. Far more relaxed than Samarkand, with atmospheric courtyard guesthouses and a slow pace that makes it many travellers' favourite stop. Easy to settle into for several days.

Khiva

🚆 Getting there: Overnight train or ~6 hr drive from Bukhara to Urgench, then a short taxi to Khiva 📅 Best time: Apr – May & Sep – Oct — desert climate; avoid the peak summer heat

A perfectly preserved walled inner city (the Ichan Kala) that feels like an open-air museum — compact enough to see in a day, but magical to stay inside overnight once the day-trippers leave. The most remote of the Silk Road trio, and well worth the longer journey out west.

The Fergana Valley

🚐 Getting there: Shared taxi or bus from Tashkent over the Kamchik Pass (~4–5 hr) to Fergana, Margilan or Andijan 📅 Best time: Apr – Jun & Sep – Oct — pleasant in the orchards and bazaars

The lush, densely populated heartland of traditional craft — Margilan for centuries-old silk weaving, Rishtan for its famous blue ceramics, and bustling bazaars throughout. Off the standard tourist trail, it offers the most authentic glimpse of everyday Uzbek life.

Nukus & the Aral Sea

✈️ Getting there: Flight or train to Nukus, then a guided 4x4 tour out to Moynaq and the dried seabed 📅 Best time: Apr – May & Sep – Oct — the desert is punishing in summer

The remote far west, home to the surprising Savitsky Museum and its world-class collection of banned Soviet avant-garde art. From here you can reach Moynaq, the ghostly ship graveyard left behind by the vanished Aral Sea — one of the most sobering and unforgettable sights in the country.