JUNE 2025

Buchara turned out to be our favorite location in Uzbekistan, it felt like going back in time, walking in an open-air-museum. The old town is mostly pedestrianized, making the city even more picturesque. While it is growing in popularity, it felt less touristy than Samarkand and hotels offer great value-for-money. In this blogpost I will highlight the prettiest spots in Buchara and I have a great recommendation for staying the night.

Where we stayed

We stayed in Lyabi House Hotel, which is located in the heart of the old town. We were able to walk everywhere from our hotel, which made the stay even more perfect. The hotel has a patio and restaurant in traditional Uzbek style, while the rooms are modern and spacious. The breakfast buffet is extensive and is served in one of the most beautiful rooms of the hotel. The restaurant of the hotel is one of the best restaurants in Buchara, though on the expensive side. But the location and quality of the food makes it worth it to pay the extra price. We paid € 90 per night for a three person room including breakfast.

Prettiest spots in Buchara

Nadir Divan Begi Madrasah

The madrasahs in Buchara are truly divine. They used to be religious schools, but most of them are now being used as a shopping complex. This also holds for this one. The exterior is not used, but once you enter the complex there are lots of restaurants and shops. It was very close to our hotel and didn’t get too popular during the day.

Ark of Buchara

This is a 5th century fortress, that now hosts museums and shops, as well as an excavation site. You pay a small fee to enter and get beautiful views over the old town. At the entrance there is a large plaza, with camels, family bikes, golf carts & mini cars. Definitely an interesting juxtaposition to the museums at the ark. It was quite festive on the square and of course Hugo loved to drive a mini cars next to the camels!

Ulugʻbek madrasasi

We found a gorgeous carpet store in front of this madrasah, which made it even more scenic!

Abdulaziz Khan Madrassah

My favorite Madrasah in Buchara, the detailing was just so intricate. I had to be patient to get some good shots, as it is a very popular spot for tour groups.

Kalyan Mosque

The Kalyan Mosque is located at the central square of Bukhara, the Po-i-Kalan. You can enter for a small fee, make sure to cover up correctly. The mosque is beautifully lit at night, so we walked by again to admire the lights.

Lyabi Khause Square

This is a pond, that is surrounded by terraces, great vibes! It used to be the main drinking source for inhabitants and it is one of the only original water basins that is left in traditional style in Uzbekistan.

Chor Minor Monument

This is a short walk outside of the old town and definitely worth subjecting to the heat for!

Restaurants

Buchara is really cozy, has lots of terraces and great restaurants. Some of them specifically worth mentioning:

• Lyabi House restaurant: the restaurant of our hotel, previously mentioned
• Old Bukhara: traditional restaurant, very affordable, touristy but cozy and shaded terrace
• Chasmai-Mirob: doesn’t have the best reviews, but we had a good experience. The rooftop terrace overlooks the Po-i-Kalan, just an unbeatable view! They serve a buffet for lunch, which was fine, on the pricy side for € 10 but includes water as well!