Samarkand

Is Samarkand safe?

Yes. Samarkand is one of the easiest places in Central Asia to visit safely, with very little violent crime and a historic centre full of police and tourists. Uzbekistan's Interior Ministry counted 288 murders in the whole country in 2025, fewer than 1 per 100,000 people, and in Gallup's 2025 survey 86% of people said they feel safe walking alone at night.

The problems are elsewhere: the roads of the surrounding region, which recorded more traffic deaths in 2025 than any other part of Uzbekistan, hospitals that the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary calls generally poor, summer afternoons above 35°C, and a steady trade in overcharging. We score Samarkand 74 out of 100, level with Tashkent and ahead of Almaty (69). Samarkand has fewer people and calmer nights, but less medical care and more dangerous roads. Our Uzbekistan page covers the rest of the country.

The old centre, day and night

Most visitors spend their time between the Registan, the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum, the Bibi-Khanym mosque, Siab Bazaar and the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis. All of them are within walking distance, much of it along a pedestrian street, and police patrol the main tourist area. In the evening the Registan is lit up and full of families, and walking back to a hotel in the centre after dark is normal.

The back lanes of the old town, where many guesthouses are, are dark and quiet rather than dangerous. Carry a phone light, save your guesthouse's location in your maps app, and book a taxi through an app if you are staying further out.

Pickpockets and overcharging

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says pickpocketing and bag-snatching are common in bazaars and on public transport, and warns of distraction techniques. Siab Bazaar, next to Bibi-Khanym, is where to keep a hand on your bag. Split your cash and keep your phone in a front pocket.

The more common cost is overcharging. Drivers at the railway station and the airport quote inflated fixed fares, unofficial guides latch on at the monuments and then expect payment, and shops on the approach to the Registan price carpets, scarves and ceramics for tourists. None of this is dangerous. Buy tickets at the official office, agree prices first, and use Yandex Go or MyTaxi for rides.

Police are generally helpful to visitors, but not always. In January 2025 the regional police dismissed two officers from a patrol battalion after a Korean tourist posted a video in which they told him to leave 50,000 soum in a bin behind a wall at the Registan. If anyone in uniform asks for money, ask for a written ticket and the officer's name.

You must carry your passport at all times; police do check it. Change money only at banks, official booths or ATMs, as street exchange is illegal.

Roads: take the train

Samarkand region, home to 4.38 million people, recorded 242 road deaths in 2025, the most of any region in Uzbekistan, according to figures reported by Kun.uz. That is about 5.5 per 100,000 people, close to the national official rate. Much of it happens on the regional highways rather than in the city, but city streets bring their own risks: fast drivers, crossings that are ignored, and taxis that often have no rear seat belts and run on compressed natural gas with lax safety checks, as the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary notes.

The safest way in and out is the Afrosiyob high-speed train from Tashkent, which also continues to Bukhara. For day trips to Shahrisabz or the mountains, hire a driver through your hotel or a known agency, choose a newer car, and ask for one with rear seat belts.

Hospitals, water and heat

Medical care is the weakest point. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary calls it generally poor across Uzbekistan, says most hospitals are badly equipped and unhygienic, and warns that sterilised equipment is not guaranteed, especially in rural hospitals. For anything serious, plan to go to a private clinic in Tashkent, and buy insurance that covers evacuation. Bring a full supply of your medicines.

Stomach upsets are the most common health problem. Drink bottled or boiled water, and be careful with salads and unpeeled fruit. In winter, the FCDO says air quality is poor in Uzbekistan's major cities, although no annual figure is published for Samarkand.

Heat is the hazard visitors feel most. From late June to August, afternoons are often above 35°C and the monuments have little shade. The country also lies in an active seismic zone with regular tremors. Most are small, but older brick houses would fare badly in a strong one.

How we scored it

Night safety (85) and violent crime (89) are Samarkand's strengths. Health and environment (52) is the weakest factor, for the limited hospital care and unsafe tap water, followed by traffic safety (65), which uses the regional road death count because the city publishes none. Crime figures are national rather than local, so confidence is medium.