Samarkand has fascinated travellers since Marco Polo: Registan Square, ringed by three madrasas, ranks among the most beautiful in the world.
Tashkent's metro, with its marble palace-stations, was off-limits to photography until 2018 — it was a secret military site.
The fast Afrosiyob train links Tashkent to Samarkand in 2 hours: book early. An eSIM helps: Yandex Go in town, Uzbek translation and cash withdrawals scouted in advance.