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Bukhara Kalyan minaret Uzbekistan, Bukhara
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BukharaTravel Guide

Uzbekistan4 stories

A living museum of the Silk Road — trading domes, madrasahs and a plaza built around a pond — with a distinctive cuisine to match its history.

Is Bukhara right for you?

When to come

Spring and autumn

Around 37°C by day in July, 7°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Cheap by regional standards — eating, sleeping and moving around all cost little.

What we've planned, and who for

No hour-by-hour route here yet — the guides below cover it by subject instead.

Bukhara is inKind to a budgetAncient wonders
When to go
January: around 7 degrees by day, -2 at night, 17 millimetres of rain, dry.
February: around 10 degrees by day, 0 at night, 24 millimetres of rain, dry.
March: around 17 degrees by day, 5 at night, 25 millimetres of rain, dry.
April: around 24 degrees by day, 11 at night, 22 millimetres of rain, dry. We recommend this month.
May: around 31 degrees by day, 16 at night, 11 millimetres of rain, dry and hot. We recommend this month.
June: around 36 degrees by day, 20 at night, 2 millimetres of rain, dry and hot.
July: around 37 degrees by day, 22 at night, 0 millimetres of rain, dry and hot.
August: around 36 degrees by day, 19 at night, 0 millimetres of rain, dry and hot.
September: around 30 degrees by day, 14 at night, 1 millimetres of rain, dry and hot. We recommend this month.
October: around 23 degrees by day, 7 at night, 3 millimetres of rain, dry. We recommend this month.
November: around 15 degrees by day, 2 at night, 15 millimetres of rain, dry.
December: around 8 degrees by day, -1 at night, 13 millimetres of rain, dry.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

Spring and autumn

Average daily highs, recorded at Bukhara.

Where this comes from

Wikipedia 'Bukhara' weather box, 1991-2020 normals (NOAA)

Budget level

Budget

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
  • Samarkand220 km

    a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, September

  • Tashkent440 km

    half a day's travel · both good in April, May, September

Plan itWhere to stay in Bukharaad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Bukhara

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Bukhara

Hand-painted Uzbek ceramics hung on a wall in Bukhara, glazed in deep blue and gold and decorated with elephants, horses and looping calligraphy.
01
The List

The best day trips from Bukhara: palaces, potters and pilgrims

Bukhara's old city could hold you for days, but the emirate's summer palace, Sufi shrines and pottery towns lie a short negotiated taxi ride beyond the last souvenir stall.

Uzbekistan · 11 min
The bronze statue of Hoja Nasreddin riding his donkey in the shaded, tree-lined Lyabi-Hauz square in Bukhara, with the tiled portal of the Nadir Divan-Begi madrasah behind it.
02
Hidden Gems

Green Bukhara: pools, gardens and shady escapes in a desert city

A desert city drained almost all of its pools a century ago; what survives — the hauz, the courtyards and the gardens beyond the walls — still sets the rhythm of a day in Bukhara.

Uzbekistan · 12 min
A festive platter of long-grain rice pilaf cooked with pieces of meat, garnished with cucumber slices and berries, served on a red cloth
03
Food

What to Eat in Bukhara: A Dish-by-Dish Guide to Silk Road Cooking

Golden plov, tandoor samsa, noodles and green tea by a 400-year-old pond — the dishes that define Bukhara and where to find them.

Uzbekistan · 2 min
The Kalyan minaret's banded brick tower and the turquoise-tiled portal of the Kalyan mosque facing each other across the empty sunlit square at the heart of old Bukhara, two tiny figures crossing below
04
Itineraries

Bukhara Fits in Two Kilometres and Still Takes Two Days

The old city runs barely two kilometres from the Samanid Mausoleum to Chor Minor, which is exactly why most visitors cross it five times over instead of walking it once, in order.

Uzbekistan · 9 min
Our picks

What we'd do in Bukhara

See and do

Eat and drink

Before you go

Practical essentials for Uzbekistan

Money

Uzbekistani som (UZS)

Language

Uzbek is the state language and Russian the everyday second one; English reaches hotels and tourist restaurants in the main cities and little further

Power

Type C/F, 220V 50Hz

Getting around

Fast Afrosiyob trains link the cities; in Tashkent the metro is the practical way around and takes an international contactless card straight at the gate for about 1,700 som, while Yandex Go handles the rest.

Tap water

Not safe from the tap - drink bottled, and be wary of ice, which is usually made from unboiled tap water.

Driving

Right-hand side; the 1968 International Driving Permit is required alongside your national licence, which is valid for 30 days.

Emergency

112 (unified national number); 101 fire, 102 police and 103 ambulance still work

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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