Customs and traditions
Uzbekistan’s residents are incredibly kind, warm and happy and give tourists a fantastic reception.
One should preferably not point to statues of gods or other people. Short shorts and sleeveless t-shirts are not popular either, especially when it comes to women. If you are going to visit temples or other shrines, it is recommended (and sometimes mandatory) that the clothes cover both shoulders and knees so as not to offend the locals. Visit petwithsupplies for Uzbekistan Travel Guide.
As in many other places, certain golden rules apply in connection with visits to temples and mosques. You take off your shoes before entering a temple, mosque or private home. The feet are considered unclean and must not face sanctuaries or temples. The soles of the feet should face down into the ground. It may be a good idea to bring a pair of socks, as the temple floors can be either very cold or very hot, depending on the weather and wind. However, you may have to be barefoot.
Hotel
We have chosen the hotels we stay at because they are centrally located, have good service and pleasant furnishings. In the big cities, e.g. We live in Tashkent, Bhukara and Samarkand in larger hotels with the most common facilities. In other respects, we live in hotels of a lower standard, where e.g. can not always count on having a minibar or hairdryer in the room. There may also be a restriction on the hot water.
On some of our trips we use two-star hotels. The standard is simple, but it is clean and fresh and the hotels are idyllic. The number of stars in the hotel does not always reflect the charm and idyll of the hotel! Regardless of standard, you always have a toilet and bathroom in the room. The final hotel list is sent out together with the departure letter seven days before departure.
Meals
Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel can have both western and local touches. It is typically served as a buffet and consists, in addition to the local breakfast (which can be quite spicy), of eggs, bread, butter, jam, juice, fresh fruit, coffee and tea.
Lunch / Dinner
Uzbek cuisine has clear influences from Turkish and Russian cuisine. The national dish is called plow, and is a kind of stew that consists of rice, meat, onions and carrots that are cooked with plenty of oil. Other classic Uzbek dishes are hearty soups, samosa or grilled lamb. Food in hotels is often tourist-friendly, which means that it is cooked with a little less fat and oil.
Climate and weather Uzbekistan
Below you can read about Uzbekistan’s climate, including the temperatures and weather in Samarkand and Tashkent.
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | CHRISTMAS | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
| Tashkent | ||||||||||||
| Daytime temperature | 6 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 27 | 33 | 36 | 34 | 29 | 21 | 14 | 9 |
| Night temperature | -3 | -2 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 55 | 47 | 72 | 64 | 32 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 34 | 45 | 53 |
| Samarkand | ||||||||||||
| Daytime temperature | 6 | 8 | 14 | 21 | 26 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 28 | 21 | 15 | 9 |
| Night temperature | -4 | -2 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 2 | -1 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 44 | 39 | 71 | 63 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 41 |
Uzbekistan’s climate is a subtropical mainland climate. Large parts of the Uzbek landscape are covered by desert with associated long, hot summers and short but cold winters.
Currency and credit cards
The currency of Uzbekistan is called the Uzbek Sum (UZS). Both banknotes and coins are available in many different denominations.
It is most convenient to switch to the local currency when you are in Uzbekistan. We will have the opportunity to change at the first hotel during the trip. We recommend that you bring cash in USD or EUR, preferably a mixture of both larger denominations such as $ 50 or $ 100, as lower denominations, which can be good to have if we do not have the opportunity to exchange at the hotel during our first day. Often a cumbersome procedure is still used where each banknote must be noted in the cashier’s book. Therefore, in general – the larger the banknotes, the faster it goes.
Credit cards, such as MasterCard or American Express, can be used as a means of payment at most major hotels and in some stores. In recent years, the availability of ATMs for international credit cards has become increasingly common in the larger cities, but it can happen that there is a long way between ATMs.
Uzbek money can only be exchanged for foreign currency upon presentation of a valid receipt from an official exchange. Therefore, you should always save the receipt when switching from USD to UZS should you need to switch back again. This can only be done at the airport on the way home from Uzbekistan.
