Uzbekistan 2025 autonomously - After visiting Uzbekistan I decided to write these notes to give updated information to those who want to visit this wonderful country independently. I immediately draw attention to my much appreciated Lonely Planet which is stopped in 2019 and a lot of information needs to be updated (I am not talking of course about the price list of restaurants, hotels and entrance sites that necessarily have changed): as a pure example the visa is no longer necessary despite being recalled its need several times. Or it incorrectly says that you pay for entry to the sites for the camera and that the ticket to Registan is valid all day (only one entry is worth). Also on public toilets I would clarify: they are charged but only a few leave something to be desired, overall they are acceptable. HOW WE ORGANIZED OUR TRIP Introduction: for family reasons the trip was organized in early August with departure on September 8th, with a flight to Tashkent. Transfer by train to Samarkand, again train to Bukhara and by car from Bukhara to Khiva having found no trains available. Return by plane to Tashkent and from there fly to Milan. The short time allowed us little room for manoeuvre. All independently, accommodation in guesthouses and budget hotels. It is worth considering, for those who can move in time, the possibility of stopping on the way directly to Khiva (by stopping at Urgench, as happened with our Uzbekistan Airways flight) and then make Bukhara, Samarkand and end up in Tashkent. Doing so can avoid internal flight. But keep in mind that we arrived in Urgench at 4am. WHAT TO VISIT Tashkent: the most beautiful thing to see are the subway stations, we visited 13: they seem many but just put them in line, you get off and get back on the next train, all very fast but worth it. The ticket must be made only if you go out and costs 3,000 Som (25 cents). You will see the Uzbek hospitality: as soon as they get on they will compete to make you sit! We liked the Chorsu market where you can also eat and the Friday Mosque which is less than 20 years old but worth a visit. The rest are post-Soviet style boulevards and mansions with some parks and chaotic, trumpeting traffic. It is the typical modern capital with European price malls but clean and quiet. Samarkand: in our opinion the best. Since we were in a guesthouse two minutes from the Mausoleum of Tamerlano, a stop not to be missed, in 10 minutes walk you get to the Registan which is the absolute pearl of the trip. Must-see also in the evening with everything illuminated and music and light show. We didn’t like the fact that inside the Medresse there are a lot of shops. Near Registan there is a park with a pedestrian avenue that leads in 10 minutes to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, the Bazaar and the Hazrat-Hizr Mosque which is across the street. Another 5 minutes away is Shah-i-Zanda, so everything is “in line”. We have also wandered around the less central areas, Samarkand has considerable tourist sites but also maintains its city spirit and in our opinion is more true than the others (Bukhara and Khiva). Through local driver we visited Shakhrisabz, recommended visit. Beware of the heat, it is usually 5 degrees higher than Samarkand: on our trip to Samarkand we found up to 34 degrees in the afternoon, there at noon..... 38! Minimum visit time 2 days + 1 Shakhrisabz. Bukhara: things to see are in a pedestrian area, not too big there are many shops mostly clothing, the most beautiful thing is the square with the Kalon Mosque and the Minaret. The Ark seemed less interesting than I expected. It seemed more touristic than Samarkand, however beautiful. Time to visit 1 day minimum, possibly enter at least one evening. Khiva: the things to see are inside Ichon-kala, basically the fortified area. You can access it freely but if you want to visit some sites like Khuna Ark and various museums you have to buy a cumulative ticket that lasts two days and costs 250,000 Som (17.50 euros). However, it should be noted that the entrance to the Pahlavon Mahmud (magnificent mausoleum), the Islom Minaret (57 meters high) and the Watchtower are not included in the price. The Juma Mosque is also under renovation. The city is a succession of Medresse, very beautiful the Minaret of Kalta Minor. Time to visit 1 day minimum, possibly enter at least one evening. We visited during the transfer to Khiva the fortresses of Toprak Kala, Ayaz Kala, Kyzyl Qala and Guldursun Qala. They are ruined fortresses of 1500-2000 years ago, Ayaz Kala is the most 'fascinating for the view, not everyone does them and are a valid alternative to the usual tourist routes. In the movements you can also meet the cotton fields and other crops, after the endless steppe between Bukhara and Khiva represent a happy news. Lake Aral: we discarded it based on opinions from other travelers and for the cost required. We also assessed that it is not really possible to get a true idea of what it was like before. Fergana Valley: here too it was discarded based on the opinions of those who had visited it. TRANSPORT Plane: we found a situation of confusion on the internal flight, the 10am flight left before instead of our 9am flight and since in Urgench there is only one gate, no loudspeaker and no announcement shouted in English... Be careful in Tashkent there are two terminals, one for local and one international flights, and they are not close. Train: very modern, comfortable and fast Metro: only in Tashkent but very efficient, clean and very nice stations. And cheap. Car: I would absolutely avoid renting, the traffic is challenging; taking a local driver costs less if you want to go out of the usual rounds and the cities are still seen on foot. Yandex Go (local Uber) works very well and very cheap and also has Scooter Service (but watch out for turning on the street). SECURITY AND CURRENCY Country very safe and with great respect for the tourist so much so that, as mentioned, if you get on the subway they will compete to make you sit. There are many controls, although as tourists in the train and metro station you pass the metal detector without problems. At the airport to return to Italy I counted 6 between luggage and passport, take into account because they are more accurate. As for the currency exchange we changed when the dollars arrived at the airport, you can change in many places. ATMs work very well and there are many of them: considering that they apply the official exchange rate with fees of about 2 euros on 150 withdrawals, I prefer it because it allows me to avoid carrying a lot of euros or dollars (plus of course the parcels of local currency). Beware that in some shops they tend to equalize euros and dollars: for example they tell you 10 dollars or 10 euros but keep in mind that the euro is currently worth almost $ 1.20. Bargain if you can, we are not in Morocco but the figures that ask that seem a trifle to us for them are very high. FOOD Lots of meat, usually spit-roasted and good. Some good soups, the samsa we ate really well only in one place in Tashkent. The bread if you find it freshly made is good otherwise it is not great. Plov is always good and has some variations depending on the region. The mantles, a kind of ravioli, are typically meat and resemble Chinese ones, in the Khiva area they also make them with different fillings (spinach, potatoes, pumpkin) and I liked them more. Tea is the most popular, they drink it with meat; you can also find beer, what they call mojito is actually lemonade. The breakfasts are usually hearty and continental. A cuisine not exceptional ultimately but acceptable. CONCLUSION Absolutely worth visiting, a week would seem enough but you have to see if you can combine it with transport, unless you entrust us to local tour operators. And keep in mind that spending at least one evening in each of the three main cities is essential, and not wasted time. Ideal also for single people and young people, given the modest prices, even if for the latter they latitano the fun. We were lucky enough to befriend an Uzbek, this for us is the real added value of a trip not so much the beautiful sites, which are still there, yes! Luca, September 2025

A perfect old man - From the first moment everything was easy when planning our trip. They perfectly accommodated what we were looking for both in the selected hotels and in the visits. Being only two people the schedules of the visits were carried out according to our wishes. Thank you for organizing a trip of THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHT See you forever.

A well-organized, thorough tour of Uzbekistan's sights, tastes and history – Highly Recommend - Really can't recommend this tour group enough. 10/10! We added Tashkent to our itinerary, and every connection to each city (4 in all) was well-organized. Everyone from the drivers, tour guides to hotel management had a printed copy of our itinerary, so there was no need to track anyone down or confirm pick-ups and drop offs. We were a private group of 3. I am a 30-something traveling with my parents in their 60s. I don't typically enjoy organized tours, but the seamless experience and total relaxation that came with not having to do any coordinating for my parents was well worth it. We saw more of Uzbekistan that we ever dreamed, and learned so much from our super personable and interesting guides (and drivers!) in each city. We were directed to fantastic places to eat for lunch and dinners, and our accomodation was always incredibly central. My parents are still surprised at how affordable the tour price was, with all train tickets, transfers, day tours and stay included (and we can only hope we tipped well enough to show our satisfaction!) We saw tours for maybe $100 less that were groups of 25+. No thanks. We were also able to make last-minute adjustments with ease, and our guides helped us track down local markets while offering quirky bits of history to boot. This trip was an unforgettable one – and we have traveled extensively. We saw so much, our camera rolls and journals are full of gorgeous pictures and recollections of truly awe-inspiring sights. You will not regret this trip.