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Match Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan? Tashkent and Almaty on the tape

Uzbekistan Kazakhstan

The Silk Road cities or the steppe and the Tian Shan. Central Asia's two big draws, both visa-free for a month.

toltips editorial · facts verified 15 September 2026

Tale of the tape

Six facts a Portuguese or EU passport holder needs before choosing. Every cell names the page it was read from and the date.

UzbekistanThe Silk Road's showpiece cities KazakhstanSteppe, mountains, a new capital
No visa for stays under 30 days portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt, read 2026-09-15 Entry on a Portuguese or EU passport No visa for tourism up to 30 consecutive days portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt, read 2026-09-15
8 h 30 min to Tashkent (TAS), 6,443 km davidmegginson.github.io, read 2026-09-15 Flight from Lisbon (estimate) 9 h 15 min to Almaty (ALA), 6,906 km davidmegginson.github.io, read 2026-09-15
Uzbekistan Sum (UZS) www.six-group.com, read 2026-09-15 Currency Tenge (KZT) www.six-group.com, read 2026-09-15
Apr to Jun, Aug to Oct worldweather.wmo.int, read 2026-09-15 Best months (climate normals) Jun to Sep worldweather.wmo.int, read 2026-09-15
44, well below Portugal api.worldbank.org, read 2026-09-15 Price level, Portugal = 100 56, below Portugal api.worldbank.org, read 2026-09-15
Samarkand and Bukhara uzbekistan.travel, read 2026-09-15 Named sights (tourism board) Turkistan and the Yasawi mausoleum and Astana kazakhstan.travel, read 2026-09-15
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Month by month
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The rounds

Four rounds scored by a stated rule on the numbers above; one round, the sights, by our judgement. Ties on the card go to the sights round.

Round 1: Getting in

Draw

Uzbekistan: visa-free on a passport. Since 1 February 2019 Portuguese passport holders need no visa for stays under 30 days; longer stays need a visa arranged in advance. Kazakhstan: visa-free on a passport. Visa-free entry and stay for tourism or business up to 30 consecutive days; longer stays need a visa from the embassy. A dead heat: 30 days visa-free in both, and neither asks for registration on a short trip any more.

Rule: Fewer hoops wins: ID card, then visa-free, then on-arrival permit, then e-visa, then consular visa.

Paperwork, fewer is better
Uzbekistan: 1 Kazakhstan: 1

Round 2: Getting there

Uzbekistan

From Lisbon, Tashkent is 6,443 km on the great circle, about 8 h 30 min nonstop; Almaty is 6,906 km, about 9 h 15 min. Tashkent is the nearer hub and has a more useful set of connections through Istanbul; Almaty adds an hour.

Rule: Shorter estimated flight from Lisbon wins.

Hours in the air (estimate)
Uzbekistan: 8.5 h Kazakhstan: 9.25 h

Round 3: When to go

Uzbekistan

Tashkent's normals give 6 months in the comfortable band (Apr to Jun, Aug to Oct); Almaty's give 4 (Jun to Sep). Almaty's altitude makes summer the season and shortens spring and autumn; Tashkent gives you two shoulder seasons and a July that is too hot to walk in.

Rule: More months with a mean of 14 to 27 C and under 80 mm of rain wins.

Comfortable months
Uzbekistan: 6 Kazakhstan: 4

Round 4: What it costs

Uzbekistan

On the World Bank's consumption price level, with Portugal at 100, Uzbekistan sits at 44 (well below Portugal) and Kazakhstan at 56 (below Portugal). Uzbekistan is the cheaper country on the index, and it shows in trains, guesthouses and food. Kazakhstan's cities price closer to Europe.

Rule: Lower price level relative to Portugal wins.

Price level, Portugal = 100
Uzbekistan: 44 Kazakhstan: 56

Round 5: What you came for

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan's board leads with Samarkand and Bukhara; Kazakhstan's with Turkistan and the Yasawi mausoleum and Astana. Samarkand and Bukhara are the reason most people go to Central Asia at all. Kazakhstan answers with Turkistan's mausoleum and Almaty's mountains, which are wonderful and not the same thing. Uzbekistan, clearly.

Rule: Editorial. The one round we score by judgement, and we say why.

4:0

Uzbekistan by a wide margin

Uzbekistan wins every round that separates the two: a shorter flight, two shoulder seasons, lower prices and the two cities the whole region is known for. Kazakhstan is the trip for mountains, canyons and space, and Almaty is a fine city to spend a week around; it is the second Central Asia trip, after Samarkand, for most people.

Ringside questions

Do EU citizens need a visa for Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan?

Neither, for stays under 30 days. The Portuguese foreign ministry's pages give 30 days visa-free for Uzbekistan (since February 2019) and 30 consecutive days for Kazakhstan.

When is the best time to visit Uzbekistan?

April to June and September to October on Tashkent's climate normals: the months with a mean temperature in the comfortable band and low rainfall. July and August mean over 27 C.

Can I combine both in one trip?

Yes. There are direct flights and a train between Tashkent and Almaty, and a two-week itinerary of Samarkand, Bukhara, Tashkent, then Almaty and the mountains is common.

The two corners, in numbers

Uzbekistan

Hub
Tashkent, Tashkent International Airport (TAS)
From Lisbon
6,443 km, about 8 h 30 min nonstop
Entry
Since 1 February 2019 Portuguese passport holders need no visa for stays under 30 days; longer stays need a visa arranged in advance.
Money
Uzbekistan Sum (UZS); price level 44 against Portugal's 100 (2025 data)
Climate
Tashkent station, period as published: July mean 27.6 C, January mean 1.3 C; 6 comfortable months (Apr to Jun, Aug to Oct)
Board names
Samarkand; Bukhara (Uzbekistan Tourism Committee)

The Silk Road's showpiece cities

Kazakhstan

Hub
Almaty, Almaty International Airport (ALA)
From Lisbon
6,906 km, about 9 h 15 min nonstop
Entry
Visa-free entry and stay for tourism or business up to 30 consecutive days; longer stays need a visa from the embassy.
Money
Tenge (KZT); price level 56 against Portugal's 100 (2025 data)
Climate
Almaty station, period as published: July mean 23.6 C, January mean -6.2 C; 4 comfortable months (Jun to Sep)
Board names
Turkistan and the Yasawi mausoleum; Astana (Kazakh Tourism)

Steppe, mountains, a new capital

How this card was scored

The tape holds six facts per side, each read from an official page on 15 September 2026: the Portuguese foreign ministry's travel advice for entry rules, the WMO's climate normals as supplied by each national weather service, the World Bank's consumption price level, the ISO currency list, the OurAirports coordinates for the flight estimate, and the national tourism board for the named sights. Rounds one to four are decided by the rules printed under each round. Round five is the one call we make ourselves, and the paragraph says why it went to Uzbekistan.

Flight times are an estimate of a nonstop from Lisbon at 800 km/h plus half an hour; many of these routes connect, and the connection is where the real difference lies. Price levels are national averages; a capital's hotel district can sit well above them. Visa rules move: the source page and its read date sit in every cell so you can check the rule before you fly.

Sources and last verified