Uzbekistan Travel FAQ
Visa Questions
Here we have collected answers to frequently asked questions about Uzbekistan e-visa, processing time, fees and others.
Before Arrival
In winter temperature usually varies between -5 and +5 (all temperatures are in Celsius), snow is usual for Uzbekistan, but there are more sunny than cloudy days. Coats, hats, gloves, sweaters are recommended. In spring the weather is mild, day temperature fluctuates between +15 and +25, reaching +30 - +35 close to summer. Casual, lightweight clothing for daytime and light jacket, cardigan for the evening are suggested. If you are planning to visit Uzbekistan in summer, expect +36 - + 42. T-shirts and shorts will work the best. It is highly recommended to wear a hat, a cap or to use parasol.
Early autumn is like spring, T-shirts for daytime and light jacket might be need occasionally for evening time. Mid-October and November are rather cool, you will need light jackets during the daytime and raincoat sometimes. From early till late autumn weather temperature decreases from 35 till 15 degrees.
In some provinces, however, such as Ferghana Valley, it would be better to avoid wearing shorts. Same rule is applied when visiting religious places, mosques, mausoleums, etc. Also, ladies should cover their shoulders and chest and preferably wear a hat or a headscarf.
In summer time it would be advisable to follow the above recommendation to protect yourself from the sun. Also, sun protection lotions can be used.
There are exceptions for importing and using unmanned airborne vehicles (such as drones) for creative groups that will be using them to take photos and videos about the touristic potential of the country. Operators should submit applications to the State Tourism Committee, the Ministry of Culture, and the Uzbek Film Committee, as well as the Ministry of Defense and the State Inspection Service for Pilot Safety about the people who will be operating drones and the places they will be flying.
Important: For citizens flying from Uzbekistan to the EU, there is a limitation on the number of exported liquids in hand luggage: the volume of containers that contain liquids (alcohol, lotions, perfumes, etc.) should not exceed 100 ml, and the total liquid volume should not be over one liter.
If you completed the declaration while crossing the border, keep the copy with the stamp of the customs authority with you until departure. In the case that you lose the customs declaration you filled out on arrival, you will not be able to take any cash out of Uzbekistan. At departure, the customs officer will ask you to fill out a new declaration and provide the copy you have filled out on arrival. You cannot take out more cash than you have brought in the country. You may also be asked to show all the cash and valuable items at the customs checkpoint. If the tourist has more cash than was indicated in the declaration on arrival, the money will have to be left in Uzbekistan: the tourist will be asked to leave the exceeding amount to friends or the travel agency, otherwise the money will be confiscated.
After Arrival
In Tashkent we can offer your such restaurants as Jumanji, Manas, City Grill, Afsona, Caravan, Italiano Vero.
In Samarkand: Astoria, Dastarkhan, Karimbek, Platan, Registan cafe, Old Arba, Zlata Praga
In Bukhara: Bella Italia, Doston-Khauz, Caravan, Olmos, Suzanne Art in the house-museum of Fayzulla Khodjaev.
In Khiva: Khorezm Art cafe in the Alakulikhan Madrassah, Asia Khiva Hotel’s restaurant, cafe of Zarafshan-opa, Malika Kheivak Hotel’s restaurant, National house Zaynab, Malika Khiva Hotel’s restaurant.
In Uzbekistan there are following mobile operators:
Ucell (trade mark of JV LLC “Coscom”)
Beeline-Uzbekistan (VimpelCom Ltd. Group)
Perfectum Mobile
UzMobile
Universal Mobile Systems
In Uzbekistan tipping is not compulsory or expected, however, tips can be given optionally if service is particularly good.
Restaurants/ Cafes/ Bars: most of them automatically apply 10-15% service surcharge to the customer's bill. No additional tipping is needed, however it is appreciated. There are few tourist orientated restaurants that do not charge for the service. There 15-20% tipping would be expected. If the restaurant/café doesn’t have an extra service charge, it usually will be shown on a menu, as charge the service is rather by default.
Hotels: service charge is always included, but bell-boys may expect a small gratuity.
Drivers and guides: tips for drivers and guides services express your appreciation or a reward for extra service and always at your discretion. It is usually given at the end of the tour/service.
Transportation questions
Tashkent subway has three lines and 29 stations. You can easily reach the other side of the city for 40 minutes by the subway.
In such cities as Samarkand and Bukhara, it is recommended to go by taxi, because the distance from one tourist object to another is small enough, and public transport is not as comfortable as in Tashkent.
The average taxi in the cities of Uzbekistan costs $5-10 per trip. To order a taxi is much more convenient, in this case there is a probability that a driver will speak a foreign language. However, along with taxi companies there are a lot of private taxis. The price difference between private taxis and official taxi services is about $2-3 per trip.
General Questions
Tour leader: A person who accompanies a tour group or individual travelers throughout the country or region, usually with a particular knowledge of the region. Their job entails providing commentary, routing the tour, timing the tour and looking after logistics like hotel check-ins, local flight check ins, reservations for attractions, making arrangements for meals. In some cases tour leaders also act as a tour guide and provide sightseeing tours in some places. Tour leaders have a recognized certificate.
Below we give distances between the main tourist cities.
Cities | Distance, km |
Tashkent-Samarkand | 315 |
Tashkent-Shakhrisabz | 390 |
Tashkent-Fergana | 315 |
Tashkent-Bukhara | 575 |
Tashkent-Khiva | 1015 |
Samarkand-Shakhrisabz | 90 |
Samarkand-Bukhara | 265 |
Samarkand-Fergana | 560 |
Samarkand-Khiva | 710 |
Bukhara-Khiva | 445 |
Bukhara-Fergana | 825 |