Uzbekistan's Growing Appeal for Russian Travelers: Direct Flights, Familiar Language and Plenty of Plov

Uzbekistan is drawing more Russian tourists, and a correspondent for Lenta.ru laid out what makes the CIS country an easy sell. Direct flights link Moscow and Tashkent, with the trip taking four to four and a half hours. Both Russian and Uzbek carriers, including Centrum Air, serve the route.

Russian citizens need a foreign passport to visit. They can stay without temporary registration for only 15 days; on day 16, registration at the place of stay becomes mandatory.

Although Uzbekistan's currency is the sum, dollars are accepted at all markets and shops in Tashkent. Russian is widely spoken throughout the country.

Food is a major draw. Plov and other national dishes are offered in every cafe, restaurant and even market. Russian restaurateurs are entering the Uzbek market too: Maroon, an Eastern cuisine restaurant, opened in central Tashkent at the DoubleTree by Hilton Tashkent and is popular with both Russian visitors and locals. The hotel itself is known in the city, particularly for its rooftop open-air pool with views over Tashkent.

For history-minded travelers, Uzbekistan's past is the main attraction. Those planning a detailed route are advised either to map it out in advance using open sources or to turn to a professional travel agency, such as Veres Vert, which builds itineraries around personal preferences.

Earlier, Russian travel blogger Elena Liseykina described features of Uzbekistan that tourists are usually not warned about. She said residents of the former Soviet country regularly strike up conversations with visitors: a waiter may ask where a guest has come from, while a trader might cut a slice of melon and flatly refuse to take money for it.