After moving it year by year on the top of my travel bucket list, I finally succeeded to explore Uzbekistan.  Super thrilled because it’s a dream come true that exceeded my hopes, longing, and expectations. Four years in a row relocating, postponing, and upgrading the Uzbekistan travel program, to eventually materialize almost the way I imagined it, with a little dose of sobering up. I realized the destination needs serious research, good planning, and precise organization for preventing disappointment and loss of money. Still in the process of opening for tourists and learning this amazing Central Asian country is eager to take a shortcut to emptying everyone’s wallet.   

I trust there are crucial pre-travel hacks to know before framing Uzbekistan’s unforgettable journey. It’s totally worth it and makes you believe 1001-night fairytales are turned into a magical reality. But sometimes this reality could kick you out hard, so better absorb the information below to prevent the pain 🙂

Transportation

The transportation issue is the most essential data to bear in mind while planning your Uzbekistan trip. The transport could be missing, tricky, or too expensive, would challenge your skills, mastery, and mindset, and would require your solid preparation and flexibility. But it could be fun as well 🙂

Airports

Arrival to Uzbekistan usually happens through two international airports. The one in the capital of the country – Tashkent (Toshkent, locally pronounced). The other one is in the second largest city and former capital – Samarkand. Two more airports are available – in Bukhara and Urgench (the link to Khiva).

I chose to land in Samarkand and then take off on a return flight from Tashkent, which was a brilliant decision. Both airports are modern, with all basic facilities, about 7 km away from the city, which makes the trip to and from the airport quick, convenient, and cheap. 

I loved the airport in Samarkand. Pretty new, operating since March 2022, the Terminal is designed as an open book and looks impressive. It’s clean, quiet, and welcoming, with lots of greenery outdoors. There is a self-check passport control system that works perfectly for EU passport holders, so no need to wait in a queue at the passport control desk. Up to 30 days stay no visa required for EU citizens. The only requirement is a valid passport for at least 6 months before the expiration date. 

In the Arrivals area, it’s easy to detect the two super important first spots to visit – the local mobile sim card and the Taxi2Go kiosks (I’ll brief you more about the taxi hacks below). Once in the taxi, enjoy the ride to the city through spacious clean boulevards, surrounded by well-maintained flowered alleys that reminded me so much about the Soviet Union style. 

Oh, here I need to open a bracket. Uzbekistan used to be part of the USSR for 67 years and is still heavily influenced by that heritage. This Central Asian republic got its independence in 1991 but is pretty much linked to the Soviet Union’s era. Sometimes it could be for good, and you will get what I mean later.

I would highly recommend hopping on domestic flights for the following routes:

Tashkent to Khiva (Urgench) and back 

Samarkand to Khiva (Urgench)

Bukhara to Tashkent

Bukhara to Khiva (Urgench)

Bukhara airport is super close to the city. The same cannot be said for the train station which is in the neighboring small town of Kagan. I was booking at the last moment and all the domestic flight tickets were already sold out. I didn’t find even a single ticket available on the Uzbekistan Airways website. Uzbekistan is a long long looooong country and most of the significant cities are spread along its length. To give you an idea: The distance between Bukhara and Tashkent on the Bullet train (the speedy one) takes about four hours. On a regular train, it’s eight. On a plane, it’s 50 minutes.

From Khiva to Tashkent, without a plane, the situation looks hopeless. No bullet train. With a regular train, it’s about 14 hours. I never tried it so I cannot share my firsthand train experience. On a plane, from Urgench airport (30 minutes ride from Khiva), it takes one hour and 20 minutes to reach Tashkent. For a 23 kg checked-in suitcase and 8 kg cabin baggage, included in the price, a single ticket is about 65 USD one way.

Taxi

This is the most common way for tourists to move within Uzbekistan cities, reaching sightseeing or going to the airport. Obviously, you need to be well prepared if you don’t want to be ripped off (easy to happen) or to spend a fortune on taxi rides. I would highly recommend you download the local application Yandex.taxi. On my iPhone 14, I was unable to download it but used pretty much the website version that serves the same.

You need to register which works only with a local mobile sim card and number (I’ll give you all info below). Once you succeed, the application works similarly to UBER. You can book a taxi from…to, observe the route, check in advance the expected final price, choose a standard, big, or luxurious car, examine the rate, and also follow the expected time to the destination. Easy, on time, cheap, and hassle-free.

Where is the catch? Well…sometimes the taxi looks at the edge of its power or like falling apart. Also, I bumped a few times into unpleasantly dirty seats, but as the distance is short, it’s bearable. Ah, a critical piece of info – do not expect an air-conditioned taxi. At the end of June and the beginning of July, the temperatures in Uzbekistan hit 38 to 40 degrees C but I have never experienced an air-conditioned taxi. The usual ride goes with all windows open, regardless of how windy it could be for the passenger. No one asks you to disagree. Take it or leave it.

In addition, be prepared for the peculiarities of the local culture. It’s not that the Uzbeks are impolite or bad-mannered. On the contrary, they are one of the sweetest, kindest, and most hospitable nations I have ever encountered in my travels. But I never had my suitcase placed in the trunk by a taxi driver. Nor a door open or any kind of help or a trace of chivalry. Remember, it’s a learning process and a completely different culture.

If you are unable to download or use any Taxi application, just be ready to negotiate the price. Uzbekistan accommodates kind of a Middle Eastern culture, and everything is negotiable, including the taxi. When I landed in Samarkand it was Monday and the city was expecting to welcome the Uzbek president. So Yandex taxis were not allowed to reach and stop at the airport. I was forced to deal with Taxi2Go, present at the Arrivals terminal, with an offer of 50,000 Sums (Uzbek currency). That’s double the regular rate of 25,000 Sums from the airport to the city of Samarkand and I already knew it.

 Eventually, managed to only decrease it to 40,000 Sums, despite my long years of negotiating practice. Both parties were aware I had no other choice because of the presidential visit restrictions. Again, all windows open, no air-conditioning but the taxi driver was so kind to guide me and answer my questions on the way to the hotel.

Never, absolutely never, negotiate and pay more than 20,000 Sums (= 1.72 USD) per ride within the city, wherever in Uzbekistan you are. Everything extra is a rip-off. You may not feel it as it’s super cheap, but it’s not worth the quality of the ride. If you are uncertain how to get a taxi, ask your hotel reception for assistance. All receptionists in Uzbekistan (and even every no receptionist) have Yandex. taxi application installed on their smartphones. They can easily book you a taxi through the option “Booking for someone else”, then you pay cash (only) upon arrival at the destination.

Trains

That’s my favorite, most convenient, and cheapest way to move through Uzbekistan. Highly, highly, highly recommended on the line Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara. 

The Railways system is well-developed in Uzbekistan. There is a train called “The Bullet” operated by the leading Uzbek company Afrosiyob. I was on this train twice in VIP class which is like 1st class on European trains. There is also a business class which is pretty much like VIP. And then I saw Econom (Economy) signed wagons on the same train but never been inside (believe to be quite comfortable too).

The Bullet train shortens the travel time between the cities to half the regular one. It’s clean, with folding to sleeping position seats, a power socket under the seat for charging the mobile or laptop (you need to have the two-pin EU plug, not only the USB cable), luggage storage, well-maintained washrooms, and restaurant wagon linked to the VIP class.

There is a catch, though! All the tickets, during the tourist season, are usually sold out a month in advance. Due to my experience, they are not really sold out, but a regular passenger does not have regular access. Let me explain.

There are three ways to buy a ticket safely and cheaply for the Uzbekistan Bullet train. The first one is through the Uzbek Railways official website which miraculously served me twice. I somehow managed to buy the last available seat for both directions I needed just 6 days before my trip. When I tried it in English, the system spitted me out without any chance to book. When I tried in Russian (I speak it fluently), I saw the last available seat and immediately booked it for 112,000 Sums only. Don’t freak out, it’s actually about 10 USD for VIP class on the Bullet train from Samarkand to Bukhara which takes one hour and 45 minutes ride in total.

You need to first register on the Uzbek Railways website with a valid email address. When the ticket is booked and paid online, it’s sent directly to your email address. Regardless of whether the ticket is printed out or saved as a .pdf file on the smartphone screen, both ways are well accepted on board. The system immediately generates the wagon number, the class of service, and the exact seat number booked for the journey.

The second way is through the 12Go.Asia website. When on the Uzbek Railways website there was no seat available for the Bullet train on my return ride from Bukhara to Samarkand, I checked on 12Go.Asia. Found, booked, and purchased the last remaining again at a price of 11 USD. Always check the 12Go.Asia website, as I find it a reliable, quick, and safe way to be updated about all possible options and to secure your preferred one. The ticket looks exactly the same as the one purchased from the Uzbek Railways website.

The third way is from the cash desk at the train station. But it’s risky for many reasons. The chance to get there an available ticket for the Bullet train is close to zero unless someone canceled their trip at the last moment. The other catch is – most probably the cashier doesn’t speak English, so if you don’t speak Russian or the local language, better keep the Google Translate application ready for use. Fingers crossed to be understood and served.

Why did I mention earlier the tickets for the Bullet train are not really sold out? When you cannot buy a ticket either online (notified no seats available), or at the cash desk (called Kassa) then you expect the tickets to be over. But on my ride from Bukhara to Samarkand the VIP class wagon was half occupied only. Lots of empty seats and no one claimed to have them.

My quick research deepened the story and found out that travel agencies pre-bought part of the tickets. When the time comes and desperate to have a ticket (like me) passengers are looking for one, the travel agencies step forward and offer triple the price. They bear the risk if there is no demand like on the above-mentioned train route. For instance, a VIP one-way Bullet train ticket from Bukhara to Samarkand coming from the Uzbek Railways website is about 10 USD max. I got it offered for 35 USD through a travel agency but was lucky enough to spot the last available seat online.

Here I need to open another bracket and add my experimental train ride which I approached with plenty of doubts. The lucky trend has finally abandoned me, and I was struggling to find a Bullet train ticket from Samarkand to Tashkent. I tried all three possibilities above + the fourth one, a travel agency well known for delivering tickets at the last moment. Nothing worked out as all the tickets were truly sold out. So, I booked online on the Uzbek Railways website a ticket in 2nd class for another type of train called Sharq.

Outside this train looks exactly like the old trains from my childhood, still in use in the former communistic countries. But if you noticed, I made a remark “outside”. Inside it was quite modern and clean (not like the Bullet train though). Each seat comes with a USB charger(didn’t work in my case). The Sharq train was running Samarkand – Tashkent distance for 4 hours and 10 minutes. With the Bullet train it takes half of it. Sometimes Sharq was shaking so critically that I thought we could derail. But the local passengers remained calm. This is how I found it’s the normal way to ride. To be honest Sharq’s experience in general was nothing but good despite the fact my seat was damaged and remained in the max lying position, as the mechanism for folding up didn’t work at all.

Both Sharq and Bullet Train had Food & Beverage service on board. Like every train, the prices were triple but quite affordable. A cone of one scoop (one and a half) of ice cream costs 20,000 Sums (1.72 USD). If you get it in the city, it’s going to cost you 6 to 8,000 Sums (= 0.70 USD). Sandwiches, fresh sliced fruits, snacks, and virgin mojito are going for the same price per item. I should advise it’s impossible to miss a train stop as a voice system announces the stops in the local and Russian language and a screen alert pops up for the upcoming train stop on the Bullet Train.

Local sim card and Internet

Getting a local sim card upon landing in Uzbekistan or an Esim card prior to your trip is a must. The Esim, card I would recommend in case you are combining Uzbekistan with a visit to the neighboring countries – Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, or Turkmenistan. It will serve you well in the region and you can choose your plan depending on the duration and the purpose of the trip.

But if you planned only Uzbekistan for about 5 to 14 days, then the local Sim Tourist packages will do well. I have read plenty of articles prior to my trip about bloggers visiting Uzbekistan and most of them recommended the Beeline package for foreigners. It was like a copy/paste, everywhere Beeline. Now experiencing Uzbekistan, I have no idea why?!

The most convenient and cheap package is offered by a telecom provider called Mobiuz. I bought the one for 77,000 Sums (about 7 USD) that ensures 15 GB of mobile Internet and lasts about a month. It was a big mistake though. For a week a barely spent 1 GB as all the social media, including Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp etc. are provided free of charge extra and are not part of the mobile plan. Just by trying to secure enough Cellular data, I bought an “expensive” plan which was not necessary.

Check all the options and if social media and communication channels are provided free of charge, I advise you to buy the cheapest possible mobile plan from Mobiuz. I won’t recommend you rely on WIFI outside the hotel. Restaurants and bars could advertise free WIFI but I experienced several times not working or turbulent Wi-Fi there, so having a stable Internet connection on your smartphone is the best choice. 

At the same time, you would need an Uzbek mobile number to register for a taxi and other applications or to call the local numbers in case of an emergency. Bear in mind to always type first the Uzbek phone code +998 and then the number, regardless of whether you register your number or call someone within Uzbekistan. By the way, I tried to call foreign numbers and it didn’t work with this mobile plan.

It seems like this blog became too long. Let me catch my breath and continue in the next one about the Uzbek currency, using credit cards, the language, what to never do, day trips, local food, and how exceptional and one-of-a-kind the Uzbeks are. I hope the detailed information above is going to serve well your upcoming Uzbekistan trip. The rest is coming soon. Stay tuned! 🙂