Find places in Tajikistan

Must-Haves

• Rudaki Avenue (Centre)
  The grand tree-lined spine of the capital, best walked in the cool of the evening.
• Ismoili Somoni Monument (Rudaki Park)
  The golden-crowned statue of the founder of the Samanid state, the symbol of modern Tajikistan.
• Hisor Fortress (Hisor)
  A rebuilt fortress gate, old madrasas and a caravanserai a short drive west of the capital.

Fun for Everyone

• Dushanbe Flagpole (Dushanbe Park)
  One of the tallest flagpoles in the world, rising over a broad park by the National Library.
• Dushanbe Water Park (West Dushanbe)
  Pools and slides that make the hot summer afternoons fun for children.

Fun for Everyone

• Rudaki Park (Centre)
  Fountains, flower beds and the Ismoili Somoni monument make this the city's favourite evening stroll.
• Victory Park (Northeast Dushanbe)
  A hilltop park with a war memorial and wide views of the city and mountains.
• Dushanbe Botanical Garden (North Dushanbe)
  Shady paths, old trees and quiet corners for a slow afternoon away from traffic.

Must-Haves

• Varzob Gorge (North of Dushanbe)
  A green river gorge with teahouses on the water, the easiest escape from summer heat.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kondara Gorge (Varzob)
  A wooded side valley with a short hike to waterfalls and a famous old walnut forest.

Must-Haves

• National Museum of Tajikistan (Ismoili Somoni Avenue)
  A modern museum covering nature, archaeology and art, with Sogdian and Buddhist finds.
• National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan (Centre)
  Home to the great reclining Buddha of Ajina Tepa, one of the largest in Central Asia.

Off the Beaten Path

• Gurminj Museum of Musical Instruments (Bokhtar Street)
  A tiny, much-loved museum of Pamiri and Central Asian instruments where staff often play for visitors.

Great for Date Night

• Navruz Palace (Varzob River)
  A vast palace and teahouse of carved wood, painted ceilings and stonework by craftsmen from across the country.
• Ayni Opera and Ballet Theatre (Rudaki Avenue)
  A handsome Soviet-era theatre staging opera, ballet and Tajik classical music.

Must-Haves

• Mehrgon Market (Centre)
  A gleaming covered market piled with dried fruit, nuts, spices and Tajik sweets.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Shohmansur Bazaar (Shohmansur)
  The old Green Bazaar, a lively, everyday market for fruit, bread and fresh herbs.
• Korvon Bazaar (South Dushanbe)
  A sprawling market for clothes, household goods and fabrics, popular with families.

Must-Haves

• Rohat Teahouse (Rudaki Avenue)
  A grand Soviet-era chaikhana with painted columns, where locals eat plov, shashlik and drink green tea.

Must-Haves

• Hyatt Regency Dushanbe (Dushanbe Lake)
  A large international hotel by the lake, a reliable choice for a first night.
• Hilton Dushanbe (Centre)
  A modern international hotel close to the main sights and the airport road.

Great for Date Night

• Dushanbe Serena Hotel (Rudaki Avenue)
  An elegant hotel with Tajik craft details, gardens and a central location.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Greenhouse Hostel Dushanbe (Centre)
  A friendly hostel where Pamir Highway travellers meet to share jeeps and tips.

Must-Haves

• Navruz celebrations (Across the city)
  The Persian new year in March fills the parks with music, sumalak and family feasts.

Must-Haves

• Ancient Penjikent (East of town)
  The excavated streets and temples of a Sogdian Silk Road city, famous for its wall paintings.
• Rudaki Museum of History and Local Lore (Centre)
  Sogdian frescoes, finds from Sarazm and a hall on the poet Rudaki.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sarazm (West of Penjikent)
  A UNESCO-listed proto-urban settlement among the oldest in Central Asia.
• Mausoleum of Rudaki (Panjrud)
  The resting place of the father of Persian poetry in a peaceful mountain village.
• Muhammad Bashoro Mausoleum (Mazori Sharif)
  A medieval mausoleum with fine carved terracotta panels from the Samanid tradition.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Penjikent Bazaar (Centre)
  A colourful market for apricots, nuts, bread and mountain honey from the Zeravshan valley.

Must-Haves

• Haft Kul, the Seven Lakes (Shing)
  A chain of seven lakes in shades of turquoise, green and blue climbing a narrow valley.
• Iskanderkul (Fann Mountains)
  A glacial lake linked to Alexander the Great, with a waterfall and walks nearby.

Fun for Everyone

• Fan Niagara Waterfall (Iskanderkul)
  A thundering waterfall a short walk from the shore of Iskanderkul.

Off the Beaten Path

• Alauddin Lakes (Fann Mountains)
  A blue lake ringed by peaks, the base for some of the finest day hikes in the range.
• Kulikalon Lakes (Fann Mountains)
  A high basin of lakes and meadows under Chimtarga, reached on the classic Fann trek.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Haft Kul homestays (Nofin)
  Simple family rooms in the villages along the Seven Lakes, with home-cooked dinners.

Must-Haves

• Iskanderkul tourist base (Iskanderkul)
  Simple lakeside cabins that put you right on the shore at sunrise.

Off the Beaten Path

• Artush Alpine Camp (Fann Mountains)
  An old mountaineering camp used as a base for treks into the Kulikalon area.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Penjikent chaikhanas (Centre)
  Local teahouses for plov, lagman and fresh bread after a day of sightseeing.

Fun for Everyone

• Zeravshan River Valley (Penjikent)
  A lush valley of orchards and riverside villages for gentle walks and picnics.

Must-Haves

• Anzob Pass (M34 road)
  The high pass between Dushanbe and the north, with huge mountain views.

Must-Haves

• Panjshanbe Bazaar (Old town)
  One of the great bazaars of Central Asia, in a pastel hall with stalls spilling outside.

Off the Beaten Path

• Istaravshan Bazaar (Istaravshan)
  A market famous for its hand-forged knives made by local craftsmen.

Must-Haves

• Sheikh Muslihiddin Mosque and Mausoleum (Old town)
  A carved wooden mosque and mausoleum facing the bazaar, the spiritual heart of the city.
• Historical Museum of Sughd (Khujand Fortress)
  A museum inside the rebuilt citadel walls telling the story from Alexander to the Soviets.

Great for Date Night

• Arbob Palace (Ghafurov)
  A grand palace of culture modelled on Leningrad's Winter Palace, set in landscaped gardens.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mug Teppe (Istaravshan)
  The hilltop citadel of an ancient city where Alexander the Great met fierce resistance.
• Kok Gumbaz Mosque (Istaravshan)
  A Timurid-era mosque and madrasa with a blue dome in the old city of Istaravshan.

Fun for Everyone

• Khujand Fortress (Syr Darya embankment)
  The rebuilt walls of the ancient citadel above the Syr Darya river.
• Syr Darya Embankment (Centre)
  A riverside promenade with views of the old bridges, busy at sunset.

Off the Beaten Path

• Shahristan Pass (M34 road)
  A high pass and tunnel on the road south, with wide views over the Turkestan range.

Fun for Everyone

• Kairakkum Reservoir (East of Khujand)
  The Tajik Sea, a broad lake with summer beaches and lakeside resorts.
• Kamol Khujandi Park (Centre)
  A green city park named after the medieval poet, popular in the evening.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Panjshanbe Bazaar food stalls (Old town)
  Samsa, non bread and fresh fruit straight from the busiest market in the north.

Fun for Everyone

• Navruz in Khujand (Citywide)
  Spring festivities with music, dancing and food fill the parks in March.

Must-Haves

• Pamir Botanical Garden (Above Khorog)
  One of the highest botanical gardens in the world, with orchards and views over the town.

Fun for Everyone

• Khorog City Park (Centre)
  A green riverside park with old poplars, the town's favourite meeting place.

Off the Beaten Path

• Garm Chashma Hot Springs (South of Khorog)
  Mineral hot springs with white travertine terraces in the hills above the Panj.
• Bartang Valley (North of Khorog)
  A remote valley of hanging villages and gorges, among the wildest in the Pamirs.
• Jizeu Village (Bartang)
  A car-free village reached on foot across a river, with lakes and homestays.

Must-Haves

• Khorog Regional Museum (Centre)
  A small museum of Pamiri culture, tools, costume and history.

Off the Beaten Path

• Pamiri house visits (Khorog area)
  Traditional homes built around a skylight with five pillars of deep meaning.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Khorog Bazaar (Centre)
  The main market of the Pamirs, the place to stock up on cash, food and supplies.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pamir Lodge (Khorog)
  A guesthouse and garden where overlanders and cyclists swap road news.

Must-Haves

• Serena Inn Khorog (Riverside)
  A comfortable inn on the Gunt river, the most polished stay in the Pamirs.

Off the Beaten Path

• Murghab homestays (Murghab)
  Basic but warm family stays on the high plateau, with yak meat and tea.

Great for Date Night

• Delhi Darbar (Centre)
  An Indian restaurant that is a much-loved treat after days on the road.

Fun for Everyone

• Roshtqala Valley (Shokhdara)
  A gentle side valley with villages and an old fortress ruin.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pamir Highway shared jeeps (Khorog)
  Shared jeeps leave from the bazaar area for Dushanbe, Ishkashim and Murghab.

Must-Haves

• Yamchun Fortress (Wakhan valley)
  The ruins of a hilltop fortress high above the Panj with views into Afghanistan.
• Kaakha Fortress (Namadgut)
  A clay fortress on the riverbank facing Afghanistan across the Panj.

Off the Beaten Path

• Vrang Buddhist Stupa (Vrang)
  Terraces and caves of an ancient Buddhist site above the valley floor.
• Mubarak Kadam Museum (Yamg)
  A tiny house museum of the Sufi astronomer who built a solar calendar in stone.
• Langar Petroglyphs (Langar)
  Thousands of rock carvings of ibex, hunters and riders on the hill above the village.

Must-Haves

• Bibi Fatima Hot Springs (Yamchun)
  A natural hot spring in a rock grotto, traditionally visited by women hoping for children.
• Hindu Kush views from Langar (Langar)
  Where the Pamir and Wakhan rivers meet under the peaks of the Hindu Kush.

Off the Beaten Path

• Darshai Gorge (Darshai)
  A dramatic gorge walk on old shepherd paths above the valley.
• Zong Valley (Zong)
  A side valley of fields and old fortress remains, rarely visited.

Fun for Everyone

• Panj River viewpoints (Wakhan valley)
  Roadside views of the Hindu Kush rising across the river in Afghanistan.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Langar homestays (Langar)
  Family stays at the far end of the Wakhan, with views of the Hindu Kush.
• Yamchun homestays (Yamchun)
  Simple Pamiri rooms close to the fortress and hot springs.

Must-Haves

• Ishkashim guesthouses (Ishkashim)
  Family guesthouses in the main town of the Wakhan, the place to rest and reorganise.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ishkashim market (Ishkashim)
  A small local market for bread, fruit and supplies before heading up the valley.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Homestay dinners (Wakhan valley)
  Shir choy, fresh bread and family dishes served on the floor of a Pamiri house.

Fun for Everyone

• Wakhan cycling route (Wakhan valley)
  A favourite stretch for cyclists, with villages every few kilometres.