Best places to visit in Uzbekistan

Tashkent is a nice city to visit - Uzbekistan has some economic development here, far from the traditions of the East and very touristy cities of the West.

Urgench is a crossroads when traveling towards Khiva. Beyond this asset, the city has no particular appeal.

Khiva is a small, fortified town located in the middle of the Uzbek desert. The town is an open-air museum with an enormous number of Islamic religious monuments that are open to visitors.

Bukhara is considered to be the holiest city in Central Asia. It's a key stop on a trip to Uzbekistan between mosques, madrassas (Islamic schools), and even mausoleums that have been here for thousands of years. 

Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most visited country, and Samarkand was a key staging post on the Silk Road with its celebrated Islamic monuments.

Founded as a military fortress by Alexander the Great in 300 BC, Nurata has little of interest to offer to modern travelers.

Shakhrisabz is authentic! I really enjoyed walking around here. The architectural heritage has not yet been renovated and it is far from the tourist crowds.

While the city of Urgut lacks architectural significance, it does play host to one of the country's most lively and remarkable bazaars.

Like the rest of the Ferghana Valley, Kokand is not a town that attracts a lot of tourists; nonetheless, a day spent there can be full of pleasant surprises.

The main city in the eponymous valley, Fergana is rather new but nice, and remains an ideal gateway for discovering the natural wonders of the area.

Located deep in the Ferghana Valley, Margilan is a town with a rich history, and which is famous for manufacturing silk.

The largest Uzbek town in the Fergana Valley, Andijan still bears the scars of the massacre of May, 2005.

The country's second city, Osh, has retained relatively little of its three millennia of history, but it nonetheless remains a pleasant place for a brief stopover.

Rishton is a nice little village with a number of pottery factories. Perhaps it isn't worth staying 3 days, but coming here is a good idea!

The appeal of Nukus as a destination boils down to the Savitsky Karakalpakstan State Museum of Art, which - for what it's worth - is absolutely fantastic. Otherwise... there's not much else.

Meaning "hot lake" in the Kyrgyz language, Lake Issyk Kul offers magnificent views of the surrounding snow-capped mountains.

A former port on the Aral Sea, Mo'ynoq is now a city in the middle of the desert due to the recession of the lake.

This historic, ruined city dates from the first to sixth centuries, and Toprak Kala bears witness to the glory of the Khwārezm culture.

The capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, is a bright, golden, immaculate city with unparalleled charm and mystery.

Merv is an ancient, historic Islamic city on the Silk Road and is one of the finest examples of early Islamic culture.