Top attractions in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan's appeal is concentrated along the Silk Road line: Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva hold the tiled madrasas and mausoleums that define the country's image, while Tashkent works as the modern capital and transport hub. A high-speed train links Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, which makes the classic route straightforward.

The guides collected here cover Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Uzbekistan overall. Climate splits the year cleanly: spring and autumn are the practical seasons, summer in the desert cities is extreme, and winter can be genuinely cold. Restoration work on the monuments has been extensive, and how much of what you see is original varies from site to site — worth knowing before comparing photographs with expectations.