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UnaMilanese

VeteranMilano · 1,535 posts

2024-12-22

Hi there,

It’s been a while since I’ve traveled outside an area packed with ATMs, so I’m wondering about Uzbekistan and the best exchange options. The guidebooks aren’t very chatty on the topic.

From what I gather, transport and hotels will be booked and paid via bank transfer to a local agency. For personal expenses, is it better to bring euros, dollars, or can we still find ATMs along the Silk Road cities to withdraw cash with our bank card?

Catherine

By this, and this only, we have existed. Which is not to be found in our obituaries. (T.S. Eliot)

Tatra Globetrotter ·2024-12-22

Hi Catherine,

In Uzbekistan, things are much less smooth and straightforward than in Kazakhstan, which I know better, but yes, you’ll find ATMs. They’re often in hotel lobbies, rarely on the street, and I’m not sure all banks accept our cards—so it’s wise to have two or three with you. You can also exchange money, but I’ve always been surprised that exchange offices in Central Asian cities tend to be on the same street, side by side. I don’t think I’ve seen any in Tashkent, but I wasn’t really looking either. I don’t know about other cities, but Samarkand is ultra-modern, at least based on the airport.

Michel

UnaMilanese Veteran ·2024-12-22

Hi Michel 🙂,

You can also exchange money, but I’ve always been surprised that exchange offices in Central Asian cities tend to be on the same street, side by side. I don’t think I’ve seen any in Tashkent, but I didn’t really look either. I don’t know about other cities, but Samarkand is super modern, based on the airport.

Does it make a difference to exchange at an exchange office versus a bank? Is it better to have dollars, or do euros work just as well? (No idea why "someone" changed the title of my post...)

Catherine

By this, and this only, we have existed. Which is not to be found in our obituaries. (T.S. Eliot)

Attila Globetrotter ·2024-12-22

Hi again...

There are tools to help locate ATMs on the Visa and MasterCard websites.

https://www.visa.com/locator/atm

https://www.mastercard.ch/fr-ch/mastercard-pour-vous/support/trouvez-des-distributeurs-automatiques.html

Apparently, there’s a fee from the local bank on each withdrawal.

Un si beau paysage : concours de photos amical de juin 2026 Rubrique Jeux Voyages C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !

Tatra Globetrotter ·2024-12-22

Hi Catherine,

Does it make any difference to exchange at a currency exchange office instead of a bank?

An hour? 🤪 I don’t even know if you can exchange at a bank.

Is it better to have dollars, or do euros work just as easily?

Any exchange office will take both.

Michel

UnaMilanese Veteran ·2024-12-22

Okay, thanks. So 2 x 2 cards and some European cash to avoid hassling with ATMs in the middle of nowhere. Feels like you need a mega-wallet to carry around millions... Do exchange bureaus change your soums back to euros if you’ve blown your budget?

Cat

By this, and this only, we have existed. Which is not to be found in our obituaries. (T.S. Eliot)

Jasonbourne Veteran ·2024-12-23

There are street money changers in all tourist cities, even if it's not entirely legal. ATMs are also everywhere, but sometimes they're empty or out of service due to power outages. It's definitely better to have both a Visa and a MasterCard. However, exchanging soums for foreign currency isn’t easy! Sometimes, changing money at banks takes forever. Don’t exchange your euros for dollars just to convert them into soums later—double the fees! !

un intellectuel assis ira moins loin qu'un con qui marche!

Tatra Globetrotter ·2024-12-23

Hi Cat,

Do exchange offices change your soums back to euros if you messed up your budget?

Probably in theory if you have proof of the initial exchange or withdrawal, but it won’t be a walk in the park. I remember spending my last ones at Tashkent airport on dried oranges.

Michel

TE Temur Regular ·2024-12-24

Hi there, I’m chiming in on this discussion to answer your questions and any others that might come up! )))

In Uzbekistan, you’ll find ATMs everywhere in the cities. With your VISA or MASTERCARD, you can withdraw the local currency. Things have really improved since 2020—if you want to pay with your card in restaurants, they all have machines that accept them (still VISA and Mastercard). As for exchange bureaus, you’ll need to go to banks now because, with ATMs installed everywhere, they’ve removed most street exchange offices. The ATMs are in three languages: Uzbek, Russian, and English. If you don’t speak any of them, it might be a little tricky! ))))

There’s no problem bringing cash with you—you can pay for souvenir purchases directly in USD or euros, but meals, drinks, or purchases in markets (like dried fruits) are only accepted in Soum, the local currency.

Hope this helps with planning your trip! Enjoy! )))

Temur du pays de Tamerlan!

Tatra Globetrotter ·2024-12-24

Hi Temur,

Actually, my trip to Uzbekistan was back in April 2024, but I didn’t see the many ATMs you mentioned—probably because I didn’t spend much time in touristy spots. The withdrawals I tried at ATMs only worked about half the time. I should mention that the country’s administrative processes aren’t exactly smooth: compared to neighboring Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, I felt more rigidity and even some unpleasant attitudes. Honestly, I was pretty glad to leave 🤪.

Michel

TE Temur Regular ·2024-12-25

Hi Tatra Michel! Thanks for sharing your personal experience!

You weren’t lucky, just like me (are you from France?), I didn’t have much luck during my last trip to France (summer 2023). Public transport wasn’t on time (Flexibus), so you miss your connection, and they make you buy new tickets (not cool!), incompetent drivers who miss the exit, costing us 100 km extra, and all this in the middle of the night with kids. On the bus, people who take your seat that you paid extra for—you ask them to move because it’s your seat, and they coldly and rudely tell you off... a real shock, these aren’t the French people you met on your previous trips... yet they were clearly native French, not foreigners. You tell the driver, and he tells you to take an empty seat, but the empty seat is at the back of the bus... so what’s the point of paying extra if they scam you like that!

But all these mishaps are just my personal experience, and I’m not blaming France for its sticky and rigid administrative system. That’s just how it is! If you were happy to leave, what can I say, you had your reasons, but all the French people I’ve met and known actually want to stay a few more days in this country that is Uzbekistan! Many even come back...

Temur du pays de Tamerlan!

Tatra Globetrotter ·2024-12-25

Hello,

My observations and comments were not aimed at the people of Uzbekistan, Uzbeks, or anyone else at all. When traveling consecutively through neighboring countries and then Uzbekistan, you feel—or at least *I feel*—a greater rigidity in the institutions and public services. In my experience, Uzbekistan comes across as more authoritarian, and I didn’t feel very comfortable there. I’ll also add that I noticed how many things were adjusted for Chinese tourists and business travelers, tailored to their tastes and expectations.

As I mentioned before, my experience wasn’t very touristy, and it’s entirely possible that Catherine experiences things very differently since her trip follows the typical Western tourist routes.

Michel

UnaMilanese Veteran ·2024-12-25

Hi Temur, and thanks for the details. I’ve never liked paying in dollars or euros, and I’d prefer, as much as possible—even if my planned route is on Uzbekistan’s tourist highways—to eat outside the restaurants for foreigners. So I’ll exchange into som. Catherine

By this, and this only, we have existed. Which is not to be found in our obituaries. (T.S. Eliot)

JE Jeeaan Globetrotter ·2024-12-27

We’ve always exchanged money on the street. At every tourist site, you’ll find people who do currency exchange, and it goes really smoothly. When we arrived in Tashkent, at the big market, we asked the guide who was showing us around where we could exchange our euros, and she recommended those street exchangers. That’s what we did regularly throughout our three-week trip across the country, without any issues at all.

Perju Globetrotter ·2024-12-27

Hello Which year are you asking about? It seems like street exchange is no longer current...

Qui boit l'eau d'une terre étrangère doit en suivre les coutumes (proverbe Mongol)

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Withdrawing Money in Uzbekistan

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