Khiva in winter: is it worth visiting from November to February?

Khiva sits on the edge of the Kyzylkum desert, so winter is dry, sunny and cold rather than grey and wet. In December, January and February expect days around freezing to a few degrees above, and nights well below zero. Cold snaps from the north can push the night temperature much lower for a few days. Snow is uncommon and rarely lies for long, but when it does the domes and minarets look extraordinary.

November and early March are milder and are often the best compromise: cool days, cold nights, and still very few visitors.

Days are short: in December the sun sets at around half past five. Plan the open-air sights for late morning and early afternoon, when the sun has warmed the walls, and keep the museums and the tea houses for the late afternoon.

The low winter sun is a gift for photographers. The light is warm and golden for most of the day, not just at dawn and dusk, and the streets of Itchan Kala are empty enough to frame a minaret without a single person in the shot.

Khiva is a living town, so it does not shut in winter. The main monuments and museums of Itchan Kala stay open, usually with shorter hours. What changes:

• Some guesthouse terraces and seasonal cafés close from December to February. Restaurants that stay open move indoors.
• Craft workshops (carving, carpet weaving, suzani embroidery) keep working and are often happier to spend time with visitors.
• Hotels are quiet and cheaper. Ask about heating when you book; older guesthouses can be cool at night.
• The desert fortresses of ancient Khorezm are at their most dramatic in winter light. Go with a warm vehicle and a flask of tea; see the desert fortresses day tour.

• A proper winter coat, hat, gloves and a scarf. The wind on the city walls is cold.
• Warm, comfortable shoes: the streets are cobbled and you will walk a lot.
• Layers: museums and restaurants are heated, the madrasahs often are not.
• Lip balm and moisturiser: the air is very dry.

Our packing list has the full checklist by season.

• Photographers and anyone who dislikes crowds.
• Travellers on a budget, because hotels and some services cost less.
• People combining Khiva with Bukhara and Samarkand, which are also quiet and atmospheric in winter. Our Silk Road in winter tour does exactly that, by train.

Winter is not ideal if you want to sit outside in the evening, if you feel the cold badly, or if you have only one day and want to pack in as much as possible before dark.

Stay at least two nights so you can see the town in sun and in the evening, when the walls are lit. Plan one day trip to the desert fortresses if the weather is clear. And come hungry: winter is the season for hot shivit oshi, tukhum barak and long lunches. See what to eat in Khiva.