Central Asia

Bukhara – quick travel guide

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Small city with a nice vibrant old town, many small streets and alleyways. Also more history here than in Samarkand. Feels like the Uzbekistan version of Istanbul.

Bukhara is a great place to be. Feels more local and authentic than Samarkand, also more history than Samarkand. The main open spaces are packed tighter together and feel much less commercial than in Samarkand. Everything is closer together and much more walkable, you won’t even need a Yandex. So definitely, Bukhara will feel more fun. And also, it’s cheaper here.

2-3 days is a good amount to enjoy.

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Uzbekistan – quick travel guide

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Conservative but friendly country of the historic Silk Road, with lots of desert and big picturesque mosques.

One of the 4 “Turkic” STANS…Kazahkstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. I’d say Uzbekistan is the best known tourist destinations. Due to its picturesque colorful mosques. Its conservative culture makes it not as big city fun as Kazahkstan (not much of nightlife or fancy things), not as small town charmy as Kyrgyzstan. And though it isn’t worth staying a long time but it’s very much worth seeing.

Each major city and town on the historic Silk Road can be seen within 2 days (3 if you want to spend time inside each site and museum). And since there’s 4 major towns…Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva. You can see all major sites within 8 to 12 days. And best of all, Uzbekistan is very cheap.

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Almaty – quick travel guide

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Big green city set in a forest in the mountains. (I call it the Mexico City of Kazahkstan.)

Almaty is absolutely the vibe in Kazahkstan. It has everything. Many Kazahks will tell you this is the best place to go. Why? Because the city life is there…all the bars, restaurants, clubs, shopping, activities. But also…the nature is here as well. The whole city is covered in green trees, bushes, and shrubbery everywhere. Feels like you’re walking in a giant park. Yes, the city is hotter temperature than Astana, but you could walk 30km outside all under tree shade if you wanted. A park-like setting is always just outside your door. All the famous lakes (Kolsay, Kaindy, etc), Charyn Canyon, all the nature tours…is also by Almaty.

So whatever you do. Come to Almaty. You can get a good sense of it in 3-5 days. But you also could spend a whole 2 weeks here and not get bored.

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Kazakhstan – quick travel guide

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Lovely mountain country with westernized people of Asian descent, but Russian language and Muslim religion. The culture is also a hybrid of Asian, Russian, and Muslim.

Kazahkstan was my first country in the “STANS” and I loved it. Friendly people, interesting nature/landscapes, nice tourist sites, good food, their culture new and exotic but also relatable at the same time. Very cheap costs. Interesting architecture. It’s a strange mix of Turkish, Asian, and Slavic influences all at the same time.

You could definitely see the 2 main cities in a week. But I’d recommend an extra week so you can visit the nature as well. I thought the nature was beautiful but could also be similar to what you’ve seen before in Switzerland, Canada, America, or Peru.

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Astana – quick travel guide

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Capital city with modern architecture, government buildings, new apartments, and huge open squares with space, cooler fresher air (than Almaty).

Just about everyone in Astana will tell you that you should go visit Almaty because it’s cooler, it more green, has more nature, more culture, more history, more tourist things, and just overall better than Astana in every way. You might also hear claims that Astana people are nicer and more down to earth compared to Almaty people. And also that Astana people “love sky”. Since there’s a whole lot of that. It seems people only come to Astana for school, work, or career. Outside of that, they’d much prefer a life in Almaty.

I’ve been to both cities and appreciate both. Astana stood out for me by its architecture. I’m not talking about the many new modern apartment buildings constantly in development throughout the city. I’m talking about the gold and teal colored ones in the government area. Other than that, Astana stands out with its large city of flat ground and open air where you can see lots of sky and feel cooler/colder fresh air blow around you all day long. This is distinct from Almaty which is kind of like a city in the mountains where the valley traps all the hot air, humidity, and clouds.

All of Astana could be seen in 2-3 days. But you really could get a feel of it (and nice photos) within 1 day, 2 tops. Generally if you’re short on time, everybody (including Astana people themselves) will beg you to go to Almaty instead.

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