Samarkand beyond the landmarks
Most people visit Samarkand on a day tour, which limits you to seeing just the key highlights – the Registan square, the ornately tiled Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanum mosque, and maybe the remains of Ulughbek’s Observatory.
These are all important and impressive sites, and they should definitely be top of the list. But limiting your visit to only these sites means you miss out on a much deeper layer of cultural and historical context. The risk is you see these places simply as tourist sights, somehow separate from the rest of an ancient and complex civilisation.
Here’s a brief look at how you can dig deeper by spending longer exploring Samarkand beyond the landmarks.
Wander Samarkand’s backstreets and local bakeries
Beyond the grand monuments of Samarkand lies a quieter, more authentic experience: wandering the city’s labyrinthine backstreets, where traditional daily life unfolds. Here, away from tourist paths, you’re likely to encounter small neighborhood bakeries known locally as nonvoyxona, where artisans prepare the city’s famous bread (Samarkand non).
Samarkand bread is distinctive, traditionally baked in clay ovens called tandyr, creating a characteristic golden-brown crust and soft, chewy texture. The best way to experience it is straight from the oven: fresh, warm, and fragrant. If you visit you’ll be welcomed with genuine Uzbek hospitality and might get a chance to see the baking process.
To discover these bakeries, simply step off the main streets around central Samarkand, especially in neighborhoods surrounding Shah-i-Zinda or the Jewish Quarter. Mornings are ideal, as most bakeries produce bread early in the day.
Exploring Russian-era Samarkand
For another look at everyday life in Samarkand you can head northwest of the historic center to visit neighbourhoods shaped by the Russian colonial period. Distinguished by broad avenues, leafy parks, and elegant European-influenced architecture, this area offers an entirely different perspective of Samarkand.
Begin around University Boulevard and the adjacent streets, where Tsarist-era buildings have been repurposed as cafés, bars, and restaurants popular with locals. The Alisher Navoi Central Park, a tranquil and beautifully maintained green space, provides an ideal place to relax, offering shaded paths, fountains, and a glimpse into daily local life, particularly in the late afternoons and weekends.
Reaching this area from the Registan or the Old City is straightforward: it’s about 10 minutes by taxi or a leisurely 20–30 minute walk. Visit in the late afternoon or evening when the district comes alive, providing opportunities to mingle with locals enjoying their city at a relaxed pace.
Wine tasting
Okay, Uzbek wine might not be internationally famous, but within the country, Samarkand has long held a reputation for quality local production, benefiting from fertile valleys, a favorable climate, and a winemaking tradition dating back to the late 19th century.
Samarkand’s primary winery, the Khovrenko Winery, located just north of the historic center, provides the most accessible wine-tasting experience. Established in 1868 during the Tsarist era, Khovrenko is Uzbekistan’s oldest and most renowned winery, offering guided tours that include a brief history of Uzbek viticulture, visits to historic cellars, and tastings of several local varieties, including reds, whites, and dessert wines.
Practicalities for visiting are straightforward: the winery is within a short taxi ride or manageable walk from the Registan area. Tastings usually require advance booking (at least one day ahead is recommended), which we can arrange.
Exploring rural villages in the Hissar Mountains
A major historical city is nothing without its hinterland, and less than an hour’s drive south of Samarkand, the lush foothills of the Hissar Mountains offer a peaceful retreat from the city’s heat and crowds. This region provides an authentic glimpse of rural Uzbek life, set against a backdrop of green valleys, orchards, and picturesque mountain scenery.
I like to visit the Hissar Mountains to experience village culture firsthand. Traditional adobe houses, terraced fields, orchards of apricots, apples, and walnuts, and the slow pace of daily routines paint a charming picture of rural Uzbekistan. If you’re lucky you might be invited into a local home for tea and fruit.
Visit in spring for pleasant temperatures and blooming orchards, or in summer to enjoy cooler mountain air. Coming out here provides a refreshing counterpoint to the bustling city of Samarkand and gives you a sense of where these ancient civilisations first originated.
You won’t find these experiences on most generic tours of Uzbekistan. If you’re interested in truly understanding the country and its history, browse our Central Asia tours or get in touch to find the right trip for you.