You will be surprised, but Uzbekistan is not only deserts and majestic mosques. It's a rich history and consistently delicious food. Uzbek markets. Here you can try everything and ask about everything, honestly, honestly.
A great reason to go on a trip and fall in love forever.
Documents
To enter Uzbekistan, citizens of the Russian Federation need to present a valid passport, a visa is not required. If you are planning a trip on your own, and not buying a tour, you will need to go through the registration procedure with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan or in hotels that have a special license to accommodate foreign citizens. When booking a hotel, make an appropriate request and check if such a service is provided.
COVID certificates and PCR tests are no longer required to cross the border.
Tickets
Uzbekistan is one of the few foreign destinations where you can fly a direct flight from Russia. A ticket from Moscow to Tashkent, Samarkand or Namangan and back for one adult will cost about 25,000 rubles.
Food and prices
According to legend, pilaf is cooked every day in every Uzbek family
Uzbek cuisine — a separate type of pleasure: pilaf, shurpa, manti and lagman have long become universally recognized gastronomic classics, but the local menu is not limited to them. From spring to autumn, in addition to hearty meat dishes, you can overeat seasonal fruits and vegetables, drink tea with nuts and sweets, and try the national dessert Khalvaitar, somewhat reminiscent of liquid halva.
Dinner for two in city restaurants will cost you between one and a half to two thousand rubles, beer about 60 rubles per half liter. A kilogram of strawberries on the market during the season costs 30 rubles.
Locations
Tashkent
Capital of Uzbekistan
The cultural and business center of Uzbekistan is striking in its scale – large mosques, huge bazaars. In the Chorsu market in the old part of the city, under a huge domed ceiling, you can taste and buy fruits, vegetables and nuts. The Khuzha Akhror Vali Mosque is the center of Uzbek Islam, Friday prayers are held here, and the Minor Mosque made of white marble shines in the sun and attracts the eye. In the Tashkent TV tower, architecturally ideally fitting into the urban style, you can dine in a revolving restaurant with a view of the city and an impressive menu of national dishes.
Khiva
Sunrise over Khiva
Khiva is under the protection of UNESCO, it is an amazing ancient city with an authentic medieval fortress Ichan-Kala. Each building in the city will tell you its story, there are a huge number of mosques, palaces, religious schools and mausoleums. And you can see the whole city at once by climbing the highest Islam-Khoja minaret.
Samarkand
Registan Square, Samarkand
In its architecture, Samarkand keeps monuments from the time of Tamerlane. There is a medieval observatory here, in the time of Ulugbek the level of development of science singled out the city as one of the eastern capitals. Until now, many madrasas have been preserved here – religious and general education schools, where practical and spiritual knowledge are closely intertwined with each other. A great opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of the city is to visit the Siab Bazaar. This is more than seven hectares of shopping malls with fresh bread, spices, nuts, fruits and meat.
Kokand
The Palace of Khudoyar Khan
The center of the Ferghana Valley with a mixed type of architecture — there are many Uzbek roots and many Russians. In ancient times, Kokand was a trading center on the Silk Road. Now it is also notable for the beauty of cotton fields and impressive vineyards. The Fergana Valley is a place with the mildest climate in all of Uzbekistan, in summer the temperature does not rise above +28, so the land here is very fertile.
Zaamin
Zaamin National Park
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Another place that differs in landscape from the deserts of the country. In Zaamin there are mountains, a reserve with juniper and coniferous forests, gorges, rare species of animals (wolf, Turkestan agama, Turkestan owl and even black storks). And not far from Zaamin, in the village of Pishgor, you can see rock paintings inside a preserved cave
Uzbekistan falls in love with itself at first sight and a short tourist trip may not be enough to visit all its parts. Many routes remain untrodden due to their remoteness. This country impresses not only with its color, special cuisine, but also with incredibly responsive people. Plan a week or two and feel free to go on an adventure.