Tashkent: a first-timer's guide to Uzbekistan's capital

Why visit Tashkent

Tashkent is where modern Uzbekistan happens. Government, business, universities and the arts are all here, and so is the best range of hotels and restaurants. It is a relaxed, safe and surprisingly green city, and an easy place to recover from a long flight, change money, buy a SIM card and get your bearings before the trains west.

The old city and Chorsu

Start at Chorsu Bazaar, a vast market under a green tiled dome where traders sell spices, dried apricots, nuts, round non bread and every cut of meat. Around the outside you will find fruit halls, clothes, crafts and food stalls cooking samsa and lagman. Next door stands the Kukeldash Madrasa, and a short walk away is the Hazrati Imam complex, the spiritual heart of the city, with its mosque, madrasa and the library that holds what is believed to be one of the oldest Qurans in the world. Dress modestly here: shoulders and knees covered, and a scarf for women entering the mosque.

The metro

Tashkent's metro is a sight in itself. Each station has its own design, from the chandeliers of Alisher Navoi and the space age murals of Kosmonavtlar to the ceramic panels of the older lines. Photography is now allowed. Trains are frequent, clean and cheap, and the network links the old city, the centre and the railway stations. Buy a token or a contactless card at the station.

Museums and the centre

Around Amir Temur Square you will find the blue domed Amir Timur Museum, the elegant Hotel Uzbekistan and the Broadway pedestrian street. The State Museum of Applied Arts, in a former diplomat's house covered in carved plaster and painted wood, is the best place to understand Uzbek crafts before you see them in the bazaars. The State History Museum gives a clear overview of the country, and the Museum of Victims of Political Repression tells a quieter, important story. In the evening, catch a ballet or opera at the Alisher Navoi Theatre, a building decorated by master craftsmen from every region.

Food

Tashkent is the best place in the country to eat. Do not miss lunch at a plov centre, where rice, carrots, chickpeas and lamb are cooked in enormous kazans from early morning and sold until they run out, usually in the early afternoon. Try shashlik grilled over charcoal, manti dumplings, shurpa soup and fresh salads of tomato and cucumber. In the evenings, Tashkent City Park and the newer districts fill with cafés, restaurants and families strolling until late.

Day trips

The Chimgan and Charvak area is the city's mountain playground, about two hours away, with hiking in summer and skiing at Amirsoy and Chimgan in winter. Charvak Reservoir is a favourite summer escape with turquoise water and lakeside resorts.

Where to stay

The city centre around Amir Temur Square and the Opera suits first-timers, with international chains and well located mid-range hotels close to the metro. Yunusabad is quieter and more residential, while the old city around Chorsu puts you near the bazaar and the Hazrati Imam complex. Hostels and guesthouses are easy to find near the centre.

Getting around

Use the metro for long hops and ride hailing apps such as Yandex Go for everything else: you see the fare before you ride and avoid haggling. Tashkent is spread out, so walking works best within one district at a time. The high speed Afrosiyob trains to Samarkand and Bukhara leave from the main Tashkent railway station; book ahead in spring and autumn.

Practical tips

Carry some cash in som for bazaars and small cafés, though cards work in many hotels, supermarkets and bigger restaurants. Keep your passport handy and the registration slip your hotel gives you. Summer afternoons are very hot, so sightsee early and late and rest in the middle of the day.