Uzbekistan

Uzbek is the official language, written in the Latin alphabet since the 1990s, though older Cyrillic signage still appears in places. Russian remains widely spoken and understood, especially in Tashkent and among older generations, and is often more useful than English for basic transactions. English is spoken in tourist-facing hotels and agencies in the main cities, but not much beyond that — a translation app is genuinely useful outside Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara.

Prepaid SIM cards are cheap and widely available at kiosks and mobile-operator shops in the airport and city centers. Buying one requires showing your passport, which the vendor registers against the SIM — a step most travelers from Europe or North America aren't used to.

An eSIM from an international provider is a simpler alternative if your phone supports one.

Tap water is not safe to drink — stick to bottled or boiled water, including for brushing teeth if you're prone to stomach upsets. Pharmacies are easy to find in every city and can help with minor ailments, though English is rarely spoken there. No vaccinations are mandatory for entry, but check current recommendations for hepatitis A and typhoid with a travel clinic before you go, since food and water hygiene outside hotels and established restaurants can be inconsistent.

Uzbekistan has one of the more open visa regimes in Central Asia. Citizens of the EU, UK, and many other countries can enter visa-free for up to 30 days. Travelers from many other countries can apply for an e-visa online before departure, and a small number of nationalities still need a visa arranged through an embassy. Land border crossings from neighboring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan are open to tourists, though hours and paperwork vary by crossing.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

• Dress modestly at mosques and mausoleums — shoulders and knees covered for everyone; some sites ask women to cover their hair, and scarves are usually available to borrow at the entrance.
• Remove your shoes before entering a mosque's carpeted prayer area, though most historic monuments open purely as sightseeing sites don't require this.
• A handshake is the standard greeting between men; wait for a woman to offer her hand first.
• Ask before photographing people, especially at markets and in rural areas.
• Bargaining is expected at bazaars and with souvenir sellers, but not in shops with marked prices.
• Being invited for tea or a meal is a common expression of hospitality — accepting is polite, and a small gift such as sweets or fruit is appreciated if you're visiting someone's home.

Public holidays can affect opening hours, especially around Navruz (the Persian new year, in March) and the Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, when many shops and offices close for a day or more. Most shops and bazaars open daily, including Sundays, though some smaller shops take a midday break in the hottest summer months.

• By train: Uzbekistan Railways runs fast, comfortable trains between the main tourist cities — Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva — including the high-speed Afrosiyob service that cuts the Tashkent-Samarkand trip to about two hours. Book ahead in high season via Uzbekistan Railways e-ticket.
• By air: domestic flights connect Tashkent with Nukus and Urgench, the gateway airport for Khiva, useful for skipping the long overland stretch to Karakalpakstan.
• By shared taxi: on routes without a convenient train, shared taxis are the fastest option between cities and leave when full from a fixed departure point.

Distances between the Silk Road cities are long enough that most itineraries mix train travel with a car or driver for day trips around each stop.

Breakfast is usually simple — bread, jam, and tea — while lunch and dinner center on rice, noodles, or dumplings with meat, alongside a large shared salad of tomatoes and cucumbers. Osh, the national rice pilaf, is the dish most associated with Uzbekistan, and a proper pot of it, cooked over an open fire, is a common sight at weddings and celebrations. Meals are eaten slowly, and green tea is poured constantly throughout.

Street food and market stalls sell samsa, grilled shashlik skewers, and fresh non bread straight from tandoor ovens, especially in the bazaars of Samarkand and Bukhara. Most everyday eating happens in simple canteen-style restaurants or at market stalls, not fine dining — a proper sit-down restaurant is more of a special-occasion choice, even in the bigger cities.

The Silk Road triangle of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva holds most of the country's headline architecture and is the backbone of almost every Uzbekistan itinerary. Shakhrisabz, Amir Timur's birthplace, makes an easy day trip from Samarkand over a mountain pass.

Tashkent, the capital, is most travelers' entry and exit point, with enough Soviet-era architecture and museums to fill a day or two on its own.

In the Fergana Valley, east of Tashkent, Kokand, Margilan, Fergana, Andijan, and Namangan are known for silk weaving, ceramics, and a slower, more rural pace than the Silk Road cities.

Nukus, in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan, is remote but rewards the trip with Savitsky Art Museum's collection of banned Soviet avant-garde art, and is the usual base for visiting the shrinking Aral Sea. Termez, on the border with Afghanistan, has some of the country's oldest Buddhist archaeological sites and sees far fewer visitors than the main circuit.