What to pack for Uzbekistan: a packing list by season

Our rule for every season is layers. Day and night differ by more than ten degrees for much of the year, and the same day can start in a jacket and end in a T-shirt.

• Spring, March to May. Tashkent warms from 16 °C in the afternoon in March to 28 °C in May, with nights of 5 to 14 °C. Bring light trousers and long sleeves, a fleece or a light jacket, and a compact umbrella: most of the rain falls between November and April.
• Summer, June to August. Afternoons of 32–37 °C in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, and almost no rain. Pack loose cotton or linen, long and light rather than short and tight, a wide-brimmed hat and comfortable sandals or breathable shoes.
• Autumn, September to November. September is still summer, about 30 °C. By November afternoons are around 14 °C and nights 0–4 °C. Pack as for spring, with a warmer jacket from late October.
• Winter, December to February. Afternoons of 7–10 °C, nights around zero, and Khiva about four degrees colder. A warm coat, a hat, gloves and a scarf. February is the wettest month in Tashkent, so shoes that keep the water out help.

The figures for every month and city are in our weather in Uzbekistan by month, with a link to the full guide for each month.

In the cities you can dress the way you do at home. Mosques and mausoleums have their own rule, for men and women alike: shoulders and knees covered. Women also cover their hair before entering a mosque. Many sights on a classic route are working religious sites, from Hazrati Imam in Tashkent to the shrines around Bukhara, so it is easier to dress for them in the morning than to carry a change of clothes.

What works: a light scarf or shawl that lives in your day bag, long trousers or a midi skirt in thin fabric, a shirt with sleeves to the elbow. Prayer halls are laid with carpets, and shoes come off at the threshold, which brings us to the next point. Greetings, photographs and the table are covered in what to wear and how to behave in Uzbekistan.

On a day in Bukhara or Khiva you walk more than you expect. The old towns are made for walking, on stone paving and uneven brick, and the sights stand close together. We advise two pairs. One is broken-in walking shoes or trainers with a firm sole. The other slips on and off in a second, for mosques, mausoleums and a visit to a family home, where shoes also stay at the door.

Leaving the cities? At the desert fortresses of Karakalpakstan and Khorezm the paths up to the walls are loose sand and crumbling clay, so you need shoes with a good grip. For a hike in the mountains near Tashkent, bring boots you have already walked in. New shoes on day one mean plasters on day two.

From May to September the sun is strong and the sky is mostly clear; in July there is almost no rain. A wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and your usual sunscreen belong in the day bag in every season, spring and autumn included: madrasah courtyards and the squares between them have little shade.

In summer we plan sightseeing for the early morning and after five in the evening, with a long lunch in between. Loose long sleeves keep you cooler than a T-shirt. Buy bottled water as you go: it is sold in every shop and kiosk, so there is no need to carry a supply. More on the heat in safety and health in Uzbekistan.

Two kinds of side trip change the list. In the mountains near Tashkent the weather turns faster than in the city. In July the Chimgan weather station averages 26 °C in the afternoon and 16 °C at night; in January about 1 °C by day and −6 °C at night. Bring a warm layer and a rain jacket even in summer, and sturdy shoes. Planning a walk? Our one-day mountain hike with a guide starts from Tashkent, and the area is described in the mountains of Uzbekistan.

The desert cools quickly after sunset. In Navoi, the regional centre, an October afternoon of about 23 °C becomes about 8 °C at night. For a yurt camp, pack a fleece or a warm jacket even in spring and autumn, a torch or head torch for the walk between the yurt and the washrooms, closed shoes for the sand, and a scarf or buff against wind-blown sand. The camp itself is described in a night at the Aydarkul yurt camp.