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Voykit pocket guide · Uzbekistan

Bukhara

Бухоро

Give Bukhara two nights: its old town is the best-preserved in Uzbekistan and easy to walk.

Bukhara is a UNESCO-listed Silk Road city whose historic centre has domes, madrasas and trading arcades within walking distance. It sits in the desert west of Samarkand. Evenings around the Lyabi-Hauz pool are the local focus.

SamarkandKhivaBukhara100 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Uzbekistan
Local name
Бухоро
Best months
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Avoid
Jul–Aug (very hot), Dec–Jan (cold)
Stay
2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
UZS
Money
Soʻm in small notes for bazaars, taxis and tea houses; the largest note is worth little abroad.
SIM and data
Beeline, Ucell, Mobiuz and Uzmobile sell SIMs with a passport at the airport and city shops; registration takes a few minutes.
Emergency
Fire 101 · Police 102 · Ambulance 103 · Unified emergency 112 · Tourist police (Samarkand Posts in the old towns
Plugs
Types C, F · 220 V · 50 Hz · European two-pin plugs fit; bring an adapter for UK or US plugs.
Tipping
Restaurants: A 10–15% service charge is often added; if not, 5–10%.; Taxis: Round up; no tip on app fares.; Guides and drivers: US$5–10 a day for a guide, a little less for a driver.
Water
Not safe from the tap; bottled water UZS 3,000–6,000 in shops. Boiled tea is always safe.
Toilets
Squat toilets at bazaars and bus stations, sometimes a small fee; carry tissue. Hotels and restaurants have Western toilets.

Get in

By air

BHK · Bukhara International
Taxi to the old town

Get around

The old town is walkable; use taxis for the outskirts and the railway station, which is some way out of town.

See and do

Known for

  • Poi Kalyan complex
  • Ark Fortress
  • Lyabi-Hauz
  • Trading domes

Sleep

Old town near Lyabi-Hauz
Walk to nearly everything.
Around Ark Fortress
Quieter, still central.

Language

Uzbek is the state language, written in Latin script, though Cyrillic signs remain. Russian is the common second language in Tashkent and among older people everywhere. Samarkand and Bukhara are largely Tajik-speaking; Karakalpak is spoken around Nukus. English is growing among young people and in hotels.

  • Assalomu alaykum (hello), rahmat (thank you), qancha? (how much?) cover most transactions.
  • Addresses are often given by landmark (oriyentir); save them on a map.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Right hand on heart with 'assalomu alaykum'; men shake hands with men; avoid: Offering a hand to a woman unless she offers first
  • Home visit: Shoes off; bring sweets or fruit; sit where the host shows; avoid: Sitting with feet pointing at people or at the table spread (dastarkhan)
  • Tea: Accept at least one bowl; avoid: Refusing everything offered
  • Bread: Break it by hand, place it face up; avoid: Throwing bread away where people can see
  • Dress: Long trousers or skirts in old towns and villages; avoid: Shorts and bare shoulders at religious sites
  • Elders: Stand when they enter; let them eat first; avoid: Interrupting

Scams and watch-outs

  • Summer temperatures are very high; plan around midday rest.
  • Carpet and souvenir sellers can be persistent.
  • Confirm the train station transfer time when planning connections.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Bukhara yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Poi Kalyan complex
  • Ark Fortress
  • Lyabi-Hauz
  • Trading domes

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

BukharaБухоро

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/bukhara). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.