Things to do in Uzbekistan

25 things to do in Uzbekistan

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Admire the Registan at sunset

  Watch the evening light set the three majestic madrasas ablaze with turquoise and gold, as the silhouette of Samarkand's iconic square transforms into a scene straight out of a Silk Road fantasy.

  Samarkand

• Explore the ancient Ark fortress

  Tread the ramparts of this massive mud-brick citadel that sheltered Bukhara's emirs for over a millennium, and soak in the panoramic view of the old city from its windswept walls.

  Bukhara

• Visit the Samanid Mausoleum

  Marvel at the intricate brickwork of one of the oldest Islamic monuments in Central Asia, whose baked-earth facade seems to change texture with every shift of the sun.

  Bukhara

• Climb the Kalyan Minaret

  Ascend the 45-metre tower that so impressed Genghis Khan he spared it, and gaze over the domes and madrasas of Bukhara's spiritual heart from its narrow gallery.

  Bukhara

• Walk the blue corridor of Shah-i-Zinda

  Stroll the avenue of mausoleums where cobalt tilework and Persian inscriptions create a kaleidoscope of colour, leading to the revered tomb of Kusam ibn Abbas.

  Samarkand

• Pay respects at Gur-e-Amir mausoleum

  Enter the lavishly ribbed tomb chamber of Timur, the great conqueror, where jade and gold leaf reflect the whispered prayers for an empire laid to rest beneath the fluted dome.

  Samarkand

• Get lost in the walled city of Itchan Kala

  Wander through the mud-walled inner fortress of Khiva, a living museum of mosques, minarets and merchants' houses where the silence of alleyways whispers of caravan days.

  Khiva

• Marvel at the art of Tashkent’s Kosmonavtlar Metro Station

  Descend into a cosmic dreamscape where space-themed mosaics honour Soviet cosmonauts, making this Tashkent metro stop one of the most stunning underground galleries in the world.

  Tashkent

• Haggle for spices at Chorsu Bazaar

  Plunge into the fragrant chaos of Tashkent's historic domed market, where mountains of saffron, dried fruits and freshly baked non beckon under the massive blue cupola.

  Tashkent

• Taste authentic plov at the Central Asian Plov Centre

  Join the lunchtime queue at this beloved Tashkent institution where massive kazans simmer with rice, meat and carrots, delivering the definitive version of Uzbekistan's national dish.

  Tashkent

• Swim in the freshwater Lake Aydarkul

  Emerge from the Kyzylkum Desert to find this vast, shockingly blue lake, a haven for wildfowl where you can float in warm water and picnic on the sandy shore beneath boundless skies.

  Aydarkul Lake

• Ride a camel across the Kyzylkum Desert

  Trek into the red-sand expanse on the back of a Bactrian camel, sleeping in a traditional yurt camp and waking to listen the silence of the dunes under a dome of stars.

  Kyzylkum Desert

• Hike through the Chimgan mountains

  Follow wildflower-lined trails up the slopes of the western Tian Shan, where juniper forests give way to panoramic views of snow-capped peaks only an hour from Tashkent.

  Chimgan

• Relax by Charvak Reservoir

  Unwind on the turquoise shore of this mountain lake, a favourite summer escape for Tashkent families, with boat rides, beachside chaikhanas and the jagged peaks as a backdrop.

  Charvak

• Examine astronomical instruments at Ulugh Beg Observatory

  See the excavated sextant track of the 15th-century star-gazer prince, whose measurements of the solar year rivalled modern accuracy, revealing a hidden scientific golden age.

  Samarkand

• See silk production at Yodgorlik Silk Factory

  Watch master weavers at their handlooms in Margilan, where rainbow-coloured ikat silks emerge from centuries-old techniques, and feel the finished fabric in your hands.

  Margilan

• Discover the Avant-garde treasures at Savitsky Museum

  Stand before a startling collection of banned Soviet avant-garde art hidden for decades in remote Nukus, its vast halls holding the second-largest Russian avant-garde collection on earth.

  Nukus

• Explore the ruins of Ak-Saray Palace

  Gaze up at the colossal surviving portal of Timur’s white palace in Shakhrisabz, its once sky-high entrance arch still bearing fragments of vivid mosaic heralds of a ruined empire.

  Shakhrisabz

• Watch the sunset over Lyab-i-Hauz

  Sit at the edge of the historic pond, now ringed by tea-houses and mulberry trees, as the setting sun turns the surrounding madrasas golden and the call to prayer floats over the water.

  Bukhara

• Visit the summer palace of Sitorai-Mokhi-Khosa

  Step into the lovingly restored garden retreat of Bukhara’s last emirs, where a fusion of Russian colonial and Persian design fills every salon with mirrors, gilded carvings and cool breezes.

  Bukhara

• See the oldest Quran at Khast Imam complex

  Approach the Uthman Quran, a bloodstained manuscript said to date from the 7th century, displayed in the library of this serene Tashkent religious ensemble centred on the tomb of a revered scholar.

  Tashkent

• Tour the ornate Khudayar Khan Palace

  Enter the lavish last residence of a Kokand ruler, where 114 rooms once glittered with gilded ceilings, carved wooden pillars and a throne room that rivaled the finest courts of Asia.

  Kokand

• Raft the Chatkal River in Ugam-Chatkal National Park

  Paddle through the fast-flowing whitewater descending from the Chatkal Range, surrounded by walnut-fruit forests and vertical cliffs in one of Central Asia's most biodiverse protected areas.

  Ugam-Chatkal National Park

• Sip green tea at Tashkent’s Navat Tea House

  Settle into a wooden divan at this modern yet warmly traditional chain, pouring yourself endless bowls of fragrant green tea while sampling the dizzying variety of Uzbek sweets and pastries.

  Tashkent

• Dance at the Soviet-era Steam Bar

  Descend into this subterranean Tashkent hotspot housed in a former steam bath, where craft cocktails, live DJs and the vaulted brick ceilings create an electric fusion of past and present.

  Tashkent