Like other countries, Uzbekistan has many methods of transport, though there are means of travel that you want to choose instead of others for both comfort and convenience.
Trains
During my stay, I used trains and found them to be a clear winner out of every transport channel regarding ease of changing cities during your trip, though don’t mistake this with the quality of travel. If you are a person who values class in service and equipment, then this could get a little hard, especially on long trips. Plan your trip to ensure you take long train rides during the cold, as there is no shower or air conditioning on board, along with very unclean equipment, i.e. toilets. There is an incredibly simple and quite comfortable main line of transport that goes around from Tashkent through to Bukhara, passing Samarkand on the way. The line consists of two main express trains. The optimal time to take these is at night, especially if you’re traveling all the way from Tashkent to Bukhara, or in the morning to Samarkand. The trains provide comfortable sleeping cars, and the sound of the train stopping will awaken you in the morning. If you’re travelling in the main season, make sure to book your tickets in advance as the speed trains are sold out quickly. Make sure to bring your passport and cash for buying your tickets. As a bonus, if you plan on traveling to Russia afterward, you can hop on a train from Tashkent and go all the way to Moscow, which takes three days.
Taxi
If you have a lot of money, Taxi’s are the best option. There is some negotiating that has to be involved, as you might have guessed there is a lot of drivers who take advantage of tourists and will rip you off. One of the best recommendations I can give is to share a trip with a local friend you met before getting into the taxi (so the driver and friend aren’t doing a hustle), this way he can look out for you if your getting ripped off. When taking a taxi in a public place, expect there always to be a shared seat. I took two taxi’s during my whole stay, purely for getting around the city, and in both situations, the drivers were willing to wait up to 30 minutes for another passenger. Also in regards to being ripped off, learn some of the language so you can interpret the price that the driver is charging the new passengers, often they will demand from you a high rate while charging locals regular payment due to language barriers.
Car/Driver
Cars seem like the appropriate option, but be wary. When I visited Uzbekistan, I was planning to rent a vehicle until some nice people recommended me not to unless I knew the country landscape. If you do choose to rent a car, always be sure to bring credentials, as previously mentioned there is a lot of patrols, when being stopped it isn’t uncommon to be in a situation requiring a bribe, as soon as you validate your identity you will be left alone. A very good altnerative is to hire a local driver in Uzbekistan.
Bus
Since buses don’t operate interstate that often, they don’t serve many purposes for backpackers or anyone visiting. If you do plan to take the bus, it is more of a scheduling process rather than spontaneous; it is quite hard to find information on the dates and times, which are also known to change based on the fluctuation of transport holdings and stops. When taking a bus, ensure that you buy tickets in advance, the reason being is that a lot of locals are on due to the low prices in comparison to other forms of transport, so make sure you plan, or you risk being left out.
There you have it. You now possess extensive knowledge about being a backpacker or traveler visiting Uzbekistan, from the best season to visit, to the most delicious foods to taste. Most importantly, do not over-stress it, you’re meant to have fun, in fact before I visited I was aware of a quarter of the above information and managed to get around safely!
