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Planning a trip to Uzbekistan? Here you'll find our day-by-day itinerary (The Silk Road: Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva), plus all the practical info to organise your journey: currency, visa, e-SIM, health, plugs and useful numbers.
The climate is continental and arid: scorching summers (over 40 degrees in the desert and the silk cities, June to August) and harsh winters with frost and snow. The best times to visit Uzbekistan are spring (April-May, with the orchards in blossom) and autumn (September-October, with grapes and pomegranates): mild weather, ideal for walking among the monuments and for the night in a yurt in the desert.
Updated: June 2026
You need a passport valid for at least 3 months. Citizens of 45 countries, including EU states, do NOT need a visa for stays up to 30 days, for any purpose of travel; many other nationalities qualify for visa-free entry or a simple e-visa, so check your own requirements before leaving. The border is crossed with a simple stamp.
The currency is the Uzbek som (UZS): the figures are huge (one euro is worth several thousand som). It is still a very cash-based country: bring euros or US dollars in new, undamaged notes, to change at a bank or official exchange office (good rates). Visa/Mastercard cards are increasingly accepted in city hotels, restaurants and shops, but you need cash elsewhere. ATMs are common in towns but do not always have cash: withdraw when you can.
The languages are Uzbek (written in the Latin alphabet, though Cyrillic is still very common on signs) and Russian, the lingua franca among adults. English is understood by young people and in the tourist sector of the big cities, much less elsewhere: a translation app and a few words of Russian are useful.
No mandatory vaccine; keep your routine vaccinations up to date and discuss hepatitis A and typhoid with your doctor. Public healthcare is below the European average, especially in rural areas; in Tashkent there are better private clinics and an international polyclinic where English is spoken. ALWAYS take out insurance covering medical expenses and repatriation. To avoid stomach trouble: drink only bottled water, no ice, avoid raw food and unpeeled fruit.
The main operators are Beeline, Ucell and Uzmobile, with good 4G coverage in the cities. NOTE a peculiar rule: if you use a local SIM, you must declare and register your phone's IMEI at customs on arrival, otherwise the device is blocked on Uzbek networks after 30 days. For a short trip, and to avoid the procedure, the easiest option is an eSIM bought before departure. Roaming with non-local SIMs is expensive.
Power is 220V/50Hz with type C and F sockets, the same as continental Europe: European two-round-pin plugs fit without an adapter.
Uzbekistan is at UTC+5 all year (no daylight saving time).
💡 Travel in spring or autumn (summer in the desert is brutal) and get around on the high-speed Afrosiyob train, booked in advance. Bring euros or US dollars in new notes to exchange, and for your phone go for an eSIM: it avoids the compulsory IMEI registration required for local SIMs. And be ready for Uzbek hospitality: it is among the warmest in the world.
