If you still picture a backward post-Soviet country, that stereotype is long out of date: high-speed trains, tidy cities, card payments and a fast-growing tourism scene
The food alone is worth the trip. From plov to lagman, you can order it almost anywhere and not regret it, from a roadside canteen to a proper restaurant. Also try tandoor samsa, shashlik, manti and fresh non bread. Plov is such a big deal here that UNESCO lists it as intangible cultural heritage. Tip: plov is a lunch dish, and the best places run out by mid-afternoon. In Tashkent, try Besh Qozon, where it's cooked in giant cauldrons
Samarkand and Bukhara are stunning, the architecture is unbelievable: turquoise domes, endless mosaics, madrasahs that look unreal in person
- Samarkand: Registan Square (see it by day and lit up at night), the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Gur-e-Amir (Tamerlane's mausoleum), Bibi-Khanym Mosque
- Bukhara: the Po-i-Kalyan complex with the Kalyan Minaret, the Ark fortress, Lyab-i Hauz and the old trading domes. Smaller and cozier, an open-air museum to wander
Practical tips:
- The Afrosiyob high-speed train links Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, Tashkent to Samarkand takes about two hours. Book ahead, it sells out
- Best time: spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October), summer is very hot
- Carry some cash in som for bazaars, and haggle in markets
- Dress modestly at mosques and religious sites
Who I'd recommend it to: anyone into history, architecture and food, and anyone who wants to see the real Silk Road. Uzbekistan beats expectations