Book the trains in advance! Tickets can be bought online 45 days in advance and are quickly sold out.

Book tickets for the Navoiy Theatre in Tashkent in advance.

Don’t pack any of the following medicines because Usbekistan has a really strict drug policy: https://www.advantour.com/img/uzbekistan/file/medications_list.pdf

Pack appropriate clothes for visiting mosques, e.g. head scarf, socks, long sleeves.

Pack a big purse, to fit the a huge amount of So’m.

Order an eSim. Otherwise, you can still buy a Sim Card at Tashkent Airport right next to the baggage claim.

Download the maps you need on Google Maps. The internet didn’t work well everywhere.

Download the „Yandex Go“ app and register so you have it ready as soon as you leave the airport.

Download the „NazzAR“ app, which many museums use as an audio guide, as there is no good internet connection on site.

Don’t drink tab water, don’t eat raw food.

Exchange some money at the airport, so you have cash to pay for the Yandex taxi.

Order your Yandex while you are still inside the airport and only go to the pick up spot marked in the app when the taxi ist arriving because a lot of drivers will try to lure you in front of airports/train stations.

Ask your hotel to print the „registration“ when you check out. (They will know it). You don’t normally need it, but the border police may ask for it when you leave the country.

Don’t stay at a private host because they can’t print you a „registration“ that you might need at the boarder.

Taxis are really cheap and easy to use with the „Yandex Go“ App.

Most places only take cash. Since the bills can be voluminous to carry, it makes sense to carry US dollars with you and exchange them every other day into Uzbek So’m.

The names of the sights and locations can be spelled really differently because several alphabets and transcriptions are used, which can be confusing.

Don’t be surprised if mosques and medreses (= Koran schools) no longer serve their original function but are now just façades with souvenir shops inside.

Museum visits don’t take much time since there is not much information. That’s why in front of most sights, you can hire a guide for a good price. Moreover, museums can close earlier than the stated opening hours when the staff just decides to make a lunch break or to go home.

Note that visiting hours at mosques can be restricted on Fridays.

The temperatures can change drastically between day and night.

Sights look best at golden hour, so check the sunset time in advance and spent it outside.

Visit Ko’kaldosh Medrese where you can find Calligraphs.

Walk through Chorsu-Bazar where you can buy mostly food, especially nuts.

⭐️📸 Visit the Hazrati-Imam-Komplex, where you can see 1.) the Mausoleum of Kaffal Shashi, the first Imam of Tashkent and 2.) the Koran of Kalif Uthman, a relict from the 7th century that is kept inside the Madrasa Muli Muborak

⭐️🔍 Learn about the life of Timur, a Turco-Mongol conqueror from the 14th century, in the Amir-Timur-Museum. Therefore, you will need the „NazzAR“ App. This knowledge is a requirement for your visit in Samarkand, the former capital of Timur’s empire..

Have a look at the nearby bronze Amir Timur statue and the soviet Hotel Uzbekistan. Close by also is the State University of Law.

(The State Museum of History of Uzbekistan, the largest Archeology Collection in Central Asia is closed for renovation since 2024).

Look at the Metro Stations in soviet style from 1977 decorated in themes, e.g. „Kosmonavtlar“, „Ali Sher Navoi“. Till 2018 it was forbidden to take pictures because of their second use as bunkers against atom war.

Visit a cheap Ballet or Opera at Navoi-Theatre (only on the weekends).

Look at Mastaqilik Maydoni, the place of independence. Before the independence on 1.9.1991, it was called Lenin place and contained a Lenin statue.

Look at Jasorat Monumenti, a monument that reminds of the eathquake im 1966 where Tashkent was destroyed and 8 people died. People from the whole Sovietunion helped with reconstruction.

⭐️📸 Go to Magic City Park in the evening. It’s a shopping centre that also functions as a arcade for kids ans looks like „Disney Land“ at night. You can eat and shop here.

Visit the Museum of Applied Arts for 2h (h) that contains Carpets, Jewellery, Music instruments and learn about Usbek crafts before you haggle on the market and buy souvenirs.

Visit the Polytechnic Museum and learn about the Uzbek Car industry. But only buy a ticket for the first floor, because the second floor costs extra and only contains interactive stuff for children.

The Navvat Lounge Bar serves typical Uzbek food and has a good atmosphere. The waiter explained all the Uzbek food traditions.

Plov

Manti

Shashlik

Samsa

Soup Shurpa

Laghman

Samarkand bread

Watermelon

Uzbek Wine

handwoven Silk Carpets

handwoven Silk/Kashmir Scarves

Chapan/Kaftan

Doppi/Tubeteika

Arabic Calligraphy

Ceramics

Magnets

Lazar Rice, Spices