Best Travel Apps for Uzbekistan

Install before you fly

Download these on Wi-Fi at home, not on airport data

Uzbekistan's cities have good mobile coverage, but the apps below are most useful when they are already on your phone — especially the offline maps and the translation packs.

Maps that work offline

2GIS — free offline maps with a detailed business directory: addresses, building entrances, opening hours and public-transport routes. Tashkent is one of its listed cities, and its Tashkent coverage is actively maintained with the city administration. Download the Tashkent map (and Samarkand/Bukhara coverage where offered) before you go.
Yandex Maps — the other strong local option. Tashkent's map was drawn in detail for the launch of Yandex's services in Uzbekistan, and the app supports offline use. Good for addresses and taxi pick-up points.
Google Maps — works in Uzbekistan for navigation and for finding places, but local business data is thinner than in 2GIS. Keep it as a backup, not your only map.

Language

Google Translate — supports Uzbek and Russian. Download both language packs for offline use before you go, and use the camera mode for signs, menus and bazaar price boards. Station names are shown in Uzbek (Latin script) and Russian, so matching a written name is usually enough even without speaking either language.

Bookings and official portals

Uzbekistan Airways app — book and manage flights on the national carrier, including the domestic hops to Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench (see the flights guide).
The e-visa portal is a website, not an app — e-visa.gov.uz. Apply there (see the visa guide); no app is needed, and any app claiming to be the official e-visa app should be treated with suspicion.

Getting around

Taxis and the metro, without the haggling

Getting around Uzbek cities is cheap — the trick is paying the local price instead of the tourist price. These apps are how.

Yandex Go — the ride-hailing app to install first. It works nationwide, from Tashkent all the way to Khiva, shows a fixed fare up front before you confirm, and accepts a card in the app or cash to the driver. No haggling, no meter games. Share your live route with a friend if you are travelling alone at night.
MyTaxi — the local alternative that many residents use alongside Yandex Go. Driver and car details may appear in Cyrillic, so screenshot the number plate before you board.
ATTO app — the virtual version of Tashkent's ATTO transport card, for topping up and checking your balance. A metro ride costs 1,700 UZS when paid electronically (ATTO card, bank card or phone) versus 3,000 UZS for a cash or paper QR ticket, and transfers between lines are included in the flat fare. Physical ATTO cards are sold at metro ticket offices if you prefer a card to an app.

At Tashkent airport, ignore drivers calling out inflated flat fares in arrivals — book through Yandex Go or use the official taxi desk inside the terminal.

Money and wallets

Cash first, cards second, local wallets mostly not for visitors

Uzbekistan has digitised fast, but a short-stay visitor's money setup is simpler than a resident's. Be honest about what you can actually use.

Cash (Uzbek som, UZS) — still the most widely accepted payment, especially in bazaars, small restaurants and regional towns. Carry small notes; change can be short.
Visa and Mastercard — accepted in hotels, larger restaurants and chain stores in the main cities. Smaller places are cash-only.
Apple Pay and Google Pay — rolled out in Uzbekistan for locally issued cards on 27 October 2026. If your home card is already in Apple Pay or Google Pay, it works at contactless terminals that accept Visa and Mastercard — but cash remains the fallback everywhere.
Payme and Click — the two big local wallets, built around local Uzcard and Humo cards for bill payments, QR payments and transfers. They are excellent for residents, but a short-stay visitor without a local bank card generally cannot set one up — do not plan your trip around them.
PayPal is not accepted in Uzbekistan — do not count on it for anything on the ground.
XE Currency or the Wise app — useful for one thing only here: checking the som rate before you change money. Neither replaces cash or a card for spending in Uzbekistan.

Changing money: use official exchange offices or bank ATMs rather than street changers, and count your som before leaving the counter.

Staying connected and safe

Small habits that prevent the usual problems

None of these needs a special app — they are the habits that make the apps above actually work.

Buy a local SIM at the airport if your home plan charges heavily for roaming — mobile data makes every app above dramatically more useful.
Download offline maps and translation packs before leaving Wi-Fi. Bazaars and old towns have patchy signal.
Screenshot your hotel address in Uzbek or Russian for taxi drivers — showing text beats pronouncing it.
Keep your passport on you. Hotels register guests automatically, and you may be asked for ID when buying train tickets or a SIM.