Getting around Uzbekistan: trains, buses, driving and domestic flights

Prices are 2026 estimates in Uzbek som (UZS). Train and flight fares move with class and season, so treat the bands as planning ranges and confirm at booking.

Build the trip around the rail spine. Fly into Tashkent, take the Afrosiyob to Samarkand, continue by Afrosiyob to Bukhara, then decide whether the last leg to Khiva is worth a 6–7 hour train or a flight back through Urgench. Most first trips run Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva in that order and fly out of Urgench or return to Tashkent.

Book trains at railway.uz or in the official app. Seats open on a rolling schedule, and the passport name on the ticket must match the passport you carry. In spring and autumn the good classes go within days, so set a reminder for the morning booking opens. Print or screenshot the ticket; staff check it at the platform.

For the Bukhara–Khiva leg, the regular train is slower but the line now runs into the station by the old town, which removes the taxi transfer from the outlying stop. Night trains toward Khiva and Nukus fill quickly; lower berths go first.

Shared taxis fill the gaps the trains do not serve, especially Samarkand to Shahrisabz and legs inside the Fergana Valley. They leave from stands near bazaars and bus stations once every seat is sold. Agree the price per seat before you get in. The Kamchik pass into the Fergana Valley closes to some vehicles in snow, so check conditions in winter.

Inside cities, use the Tashkent metro and Yandex Go. The metro is fast and cheap, and the stations are decorated halls; photography inside was banned until 2018 and is now allowed. Yandex Go sets the fare upfront, which avoids the tourist prices quoted by street taxis at stations and airports.

Trains are the one part of Uzbek travel where planning pays off most. If the Afrosiyob is full, the Sharq or a regular train still gets you there the same day, just slower. If both are full, a domestic flight or a shared taxi is the fallback.

Renting a car is possible in Tashkent but rarely worth it for the classic route: rail is faster, cheaper and less exposed to police stops and parking problems. A car makes sense only if you want the Fergana Valley, the Aral Sea area or smaller sites off the rail line, and even then a driver is usually the better deal.

Carry your passport on every intercity leg. Tickets are tied to the passport name, and checks at stations are routine. Keep small notes for metro cards, bus fares and toilet fees, and carry tissue for squat toilets at bazaars and bus stations.

There is no nationwide rail or bus pass sold to foreign visitors; you buy point-to-point tickets. Some agencies bundle train tickets with guided city tours, which can be useful when the fast trains are sold out, but compare the total against booking directly.