JULY 2025

Uzbekistan doesn’t seem like the most logical location for a holiday with kids, yet it is exactly what we did. I always say: there are kids growing up all over the world, so if a location seems safe, I would visit it with kids. We visited Uzbekistan for a week, with our toddler and we had a very enjoyable experience. In this blogpost I will share my experience and give my recommendations. 

Uzbekistan with kids

Traveling in Uzbekistan

If you stick to the logical tourist routes, you can easily travel by train. Uzbekistan has comfortable, modern trains and it is a fun way to travel with kids. There are even some stewards that serve food and drinks (paid), so you hardly have to prepare for longer trips. We booked our train tickets in advance on the website of Uzbek railways. Tickets go live 45 days before the trip and it is important to set a reminder for this. The tickets often sell out weeks in advance and you will be stuck with really early, late or slow trains. 

In Tasjkent it is fun to travel by metro, but in most cities you can get around by Yandex, the main taxi app in Uzbekistan. Yandex rides are very affordable, with even 30 minute long journeys costing a few euros. Please note that there are no seat belts in the back of the car in Uzbekistan and no children seats. 

Food in Uzbekistan

I found the food in Uzbekistan to be unexpectedly child-friendly. There are many shared dining options and the cuisine isn’t too spicy. Hygiene standards in Uzbekistan are okay, though it is not recommended to drink tap water. We did have salads and sliced vegetables and our toddler ate those as well. We stayed in three different hotels which had an excellent breakfast buffet, with Uzbek options as well as Western food such as yoghurt and granola. Uzbekistan has some national dishes such as manti (dumplings) and plov (rice, meat, veggies), which are perfect for kids. In the large cities you can find Western pizza style food, but the Uzbek food is too delicious not to try. 

Hotels in Uzbekistan

We had no issues finding three person/family rooms in Tasjkent, Buchara and Samarkand. In the cities there are usually hotels with pools as well. We only booked a hotel with a pool in Samarkand, as that was where we stayed for a longer amount of time.

Kids activities 

We went to Uzbekistan for the silk road history and Islamic architecture, but luckily there are fun activities for the kids as well. Near most tourist spots, you can find “permanent fancy fairs”, with merry-go-rounds, ferris wheels, family bikes and/or little cars. You do not need to pay for the fancy fair itself, but you pay per activity. After visiting a cultural activity, we let Hugo take a ride in one of the activities to keep him entertained. In Buchara you will find a large fancy fair next to the Ark of Buchara, so you can easily combine these activities. The cars are also at the Lyabi Khause Square at night.

In Samarkand we found a fancy fair near our hotel, just a bit outside of the city. It is called Yoshlik Attraction Park. Another thing that is great with kids is the light show at Registan. Hugo loved the changing colors and music!

Of all cities we visited, we found Tasjkent the most suitable for kids. We visited Tasjkent Zoo, the Aquarium and Magic City theme park and they were great. Besides that Hugo had the best time we also found it a great way to get to know Uzbek culture, as you are surrounded by locals. You can read more about these activities in my Tasjkent blogpost.