Thank you for travelling all this way for our founders. While you're here, we'd like the country to give something back. Start with the practical tips for your first day, then the places we take our own guests, the food we argue about, and what's opened in the past year.
What to do when you land, where to get a SIM card, and how to move around the city.
The easiest way is an eSIM set up before you fly (Airalo, Saily or Holafly); it works as soon as you land. For a local SIM, stop at the operator counter in the baggage hall, before you exit: you can't go back in afterwards.
There are ATMs and exchange desks in arrivals. A small amount of so'm covers your first taxi, tips and bazaars; cards work in most other places.
The city centre is about 12 km away, 20–30 minutes. A ride costs roughly 40,000–70,000 so'm ($3–6). Skip the drivers who approach you in arrivals. If we've arranged your transfer, we'll tell you beforehand.
The hotel registers your stay automatically and gives you a slip with a QR code. Keep it until you leave the country.
Buy it online before your trip and install it at home. Data only, no local number, which is all you need for maps, taxis and Telegram.
Look for the Ucell counter in the baggage hall at Tashkent airport. Bring your passport. Tourist packages with plenty of data cost roughly 50,000–150,000 so'm for a month. The counter may be closed for late-night arrivals.
Any official Beeline, Ucell, Mobiuz or Uztelecom store sells SIMs with your passport, often cheaper than the airport. Ask your hotel for the nearest one.
No, not for a short visit. A foreign phone works on a local SIM for at least 30 days without registration, and phones on roaming or an eSIM from abroad aren't affected.
This is how everyone gets around; Uber doesn't operate here. Install it and verify your phone number before you fly. Try linking your card, but foreign cards don't always work, so keep cash as a backup. Check the plate number before getting in.
Fast, cheap and beautiful. Tap a contactless bank card on the turnstile; a ride costs about 1,700 so'm. If your card doesn't work, buy a QR ticket or an ATTO transport card at the station.
Yandex Maps and 2GIS are more accurate than Google Maps in Tashkent, especially for entrances and public transport. Both work in English.
Uzbekistan runs on Telegram. It's the fastest way to reach us, your tracker and most local businesses.
Uzbek and Russian are spoken everywhere; English is limited outside hotels. Download Uzbek or Russian for offline use in a translation app. Two words go a long way: "salom" (hello) and "rahmat" (thank you).
The Afrosiyob high-speed train reaches Samarkand in about 2 hours and Bukhara in about 4. Trains sell out on weekends and holidays, so book early or ask us to help.
Tashkent has changed a lot in the past twelve months. Even if you've been before, these are worth your time.
Old CityThe city's biggest new landmark, opened on 17 March next to the Hazrati Imam complex. Three floors of museum halls on Central Asia's place in the history of science, manuscripts and art. Book a visit slot on its website before you go.
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CentreUzbekistan's first permanent centre for contemporary art, in a 1912 tram depot and diesel station redesigned by Paris-based Studio KO. The opening exhibition, Hikmah, runs to 31 January 2027 and is free.
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Old CityAn 18th-century mosque in the old craftsmen's quarter, restored as a craft gallery and concept store with interiors by designer Nada Debs. The best place in the city for a gift you won't find elsewhere. Closed Mondays.
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Chorsu Bazaar domeIn July 2026, ten modernist buildings from the city's post-1966 rebuild joined the World Heritage List. Among them: the State Museum of History, the Palace of Peoples' Friendship, the State Museum of Arts, the State Circus and the Zhemchug residential tower.
RailA new high-speed train has linked Tashkent and Khiva since May, cutting the trip to about 7.5 hours. Since March, Afrosiyob trains also run to Shakhrisabz on Fridays to Sundays.
Two cities in one. The Old City has bazaars, madrasahs and narrow mahalla streets. The centre was rebuilt after the 1966 earthquake, with wide avenues and the modernist buildings UNESCO just recognised. The best visit mixes both.
A square of madrasahs, mosques and a mausoleum. Its library holds the Uthman Quran, one of the oldest surviving copies in the world.
Cover shoulders and knees; women should bring a scarf.
Open in MapsDirectly across from Hazrati Imam, so see both in one visit. Grand Timurid-style halls with immersive displays on science, scholarship and craft.
Register for a time slot online.
Open in MapsThe city's great market under a giant turquoise dome: spices, dried fruit, nuts, fresh bread and kurt, the salty dried yoghurt balls. Lively, loud and very local.
Go in the morning. Light bargaining is expected; carry small notes.
Open in MapsA 16th-century madrasah right next to Chorsu, with one of the most photographed façades in the city.
Craft gallery and shop in a restored 18th-century mosque. Ceramics, embroidery, woodwork and textiles from master artisans across the country.
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00.
Open in MapsSoviet-era stations decorated like palaces, each in its own theme. Kosmonavtlar and Alisher Navoiy are the classics. A ride costs a few cents.
Tap a contactless bank card at the turnstile.
Open in MapsA self-guided walk past the newly listed buildings: the State Museum of History, the Palace of Peoples' Friendship and the round State Circus.
Contemporary art from Central Asia and beyond in a beautifully restored 1912 industrial building. Free entry to the opening exhibition.
Hikmah runs until 31 January 2027.
Open in MapsThe green heart of the modern city, with the equestrian statue of Temur and a domed museum dedicated to his era.
Strong collection of Uzbek applied art, suzani embroidery and painting, housed in one of the modernist buildings now on the UNESCO list.
Week 1 mentors stay in Samarkand from 20 to 23 November. The days are full, but evenings after the bus returns are free, and the old centre is compact.
Late November is cold and dark early. Most sites close around 17:00 in winter, so after the program the best plan is the lit façades of Registan and Gur-e-Amir and a late dinner.
Three tiled madrasahs facing one square: the image of Uzbekistan. Inside closes around 17:00 in winter, but the façades are lit at night and visible from the viewing area outside the fence.
The evening light show is seasonal and paused in winter last year, so don't plan around it.
Open in MapsTamerlane's mausoleum, with its ribbed blue dome and gold interior. Small, close to the centre and beautiful after dark.
An avenue of mausoleums covered in some of the finest tilework in Central Asia. Go early for soft light and fewer people.
An active pilgrimage site; dress modestly.
Open in MapsNext to the Bibi-Khanym mosque. Famous for Samarkand bread, dried fruit, nuts and halva; a good stop for edible gifts.
A reconstructed old-town quarter inside the Silk Road Samarkand resort, about 9 km from the centre, with crafts, food stalls and performances in the evening.
Uzbek food is generous, meat-forward and built around bread and tea. Vegetarians can manage with salads, pumpkin samsa, soups and bread; ask for dishes "go'shtsiz", without meat.
Rice cooked in a giant kazan with carrot, lamb and cumin. The national dish, and a lunch dish: it is cooked in the morning and often gone by mid-afternoon.
Flaky pastry from a tandoor oven, filled with lamb and onion, pumpkin or greens. The best street snack in the country.
Hand-pulled noodles with a rich meat and vegetable sauce, either as soup or stir-fried.
Grilled skewers of lamb, beef or minced meat, served with raw onion and bread.
Round flatbread stamped with a pattern. Every region claims to bake the best; Samarkand usually wins.
Large steamed dumplings with lamb and onion, served with yoghurt.
Salty dried yoghurt balls sold at every bazaar. An acquired taste worth trying once.
Served with every meal, poured into small bowls. Your host keeps topping it up.
Tashkent's best-known plov hall near the TV tower, where you watch rows of giant kazans being served. Fast, busy and very local.
Go between 11:00 and 15:00 to see the kazans in action.
Open in MapsNeighbourhood teahouses serve plov, shashlik, salads and endless tea. Ask your tracker or the team for their favourite near your hotel.
Fast trains make the Silk Road cities easy weekend trips. Extra nights and side trips are at your own cost; we're happy to help you plan them.
Registan, Shah-i-Zinda and Gur-e-Amir. If you're mentoring in Week 1 you'll be based here already.
The best-preserved old town in Central Asia, made for walking. Worth at least one night.
A walled desert city like an open-air museum. Trains leave Tashkent on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Tamerlane's birthplace and the ruins of his summer palace. An easy weekend day trip since the new direct train.
Mountains and a turquoise reservoir northeast of Tashkent. In winter, Amirsoy is the nearest ski resort.
Uzbeks are famously hospitable, and visitors are forgiven most things. A few habits go a long way.
A light bow with your right hand on your heart is the warm, polite greeting. Some women prefer not to shake hands; let them lead.
Never put non face down or throw it away. If you are given bread, break it by hand rather than cutting it.
A half-full bowl is a sign of care: your host refills it often. Accept the first bowl, even if you only sip.
Take shoes off in homes and in mosques. Look for the pile by the door.
Cover shoulders and knees; women should bring a scarf for mosques and shrines.
Most people are happy to be photographed, especially at bazaars, but ask first.
Prices at bazaars are a starting point. Shops, malls and restaurants have fixed prices.
Restaurants often add a service charge of 10–15% to the bill. If not, leaving around 10% is appreciated.
The essentials, on top of the travel notes in your handbook.
Uzbek so'm (UZS). Cards work in hotels, restaurants and shops; keep cash for bazaars, small cafés and tips. ATMs are common in the city centre.
Google Pay launched in October 2026 and Apple Pay is rolling out, mostly for local cards so far. Don't rely on your phone alone.
Foreign visitors must be registered within three working days. Your hotel does this automatically and gives you a slip with a QR code; keep it until you leave.
Cold and dry: around 0–10°C by day, below freezing at night. Samarkand and Jizzakh are windier. Bring a warm coat and good shoes.
Type C and F sockets (European round two-pin), 220 V.