What To Do In Tashkent – Your Ultimate City Guide
Welcome to the largest city in Central Asia, as Tashkent begins to establish itself on the map check out our guide on some of the best things to do in Tashkent.
Central Asia’s largest city doesn’t really get a lot of love from the travel community. In Soviet traditions wide tree-lined boulevards are flanked by grandiose buildings paying homage to science, politics and occasionally, the arts. Most travellers in Uzbekistan will find themselves in Tashkent, usually when entering or exiting the country. Consequently most don’t have much time to explore. However there is certainly enough to keep you occupied for a few days.
We started out in Tashkent before heading off the the Aral Sea, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand with a short trip to Turkmenistan sandwiched in the middle.
Getting Around Tashkent
Tashkent is huge and public transport can be a little hit and miss. The subway system is cheap and convenient, but outside of this there isn’t much else. Therefore taxis and your own two feet are other main ways to get around. In Tashkent, anything is a taxi. Simply stand at the side of the street and hold out your hand, eventually someone, either a taxi or a regular car will pull over and ask where you are going. Expect to pay 10-20000 som for rides in the city centre, depending on how far you’re going. A regular taxi from the city centre to the south train station should be between 12 and 15000 som, where as it’s 10-20000 som to the airport. Taxi’s seem to get more expensive at night, although this certainly wasn’t something we experienced on a regular basis.
Where to Stay
We stayed at Anvars Guests located very close to the city centre. Rooms are spacious and the rate includes breakfast. The owner, Anvar, speaks excellent English and as also offers excellent advice on what to see and do in Tashkent. From here it was a 15 minute walk to Kosmonavtlar subway station.
There are plenty of restaurants within a 20 minute walk of the guesthouse. Russian and Central Asian fare is everywhere, however are also western and Korean options to be found, which makes a very pleasant change for you palette.
Changing Money
A pain in the backside across all of Uzbekistan. You are better off bringing dollars to Uzbekistan, and indeed the rest of Central Asia as cashpoints are pretty rare outside of major cities. Fortunately banks or money changers can be found everywhere. When we visited the exchange rate was roughly 1GBP=10,000 and 1USD=7500-8000. The rate did fluctuate quite a bit when we there, usually dropping, sadly for us.
In the past the “official” bank rate was up to 1/3 of the value of the black market rate, therefore everyone traded their dollars on the black market. At the beginning of 2018 this all changed and now banks offered an exchange rate that is the same as the black market rate. Prepare to see the fastest money counters in the world.
What to do in Tashkent
Walking through old Tashkent
We got this excellent idea from caravanistan.com. Starting out at Tinchlik subway station head towards the Chigatay Bazaar. The bazaar and nearby cemetery are both worth exploring.
From Chigatay cross Nurafshon bypass street along Farobi street. As soon as you’ve crossed the bypass turn left and follow the Kolkouz canal. Venice this is not, but it certainly does provide a fascinating insight into what old Tashkent was like. Expect to see beaten up old ladas backed into tiny alleyways, carts with or without donkeys and colourful carpets drying suspended above the canal. Houses here are surrounded by high walls and big gates. Do not be surprised to see the pairs of curious eyes watching you from the gates along with lots of hellos and goodbyes.
One of the highlights of this part of the city is that it’s a wonderful place to escape the crowds and noise that are part of any capital. Following the canal will eventually bring you out to Khast Imam, the cities biggest and most famous mosque. Expect the walk to take between 2 and 3 hours depending on how slowly you walk.
Starts at: Tinchlik
Khast Imam
This stunning mosque that supposedly holds the worlds oldest Quor’an can be found at the end of the walk through Tashkent. Here there are numerous mosques to explore and admire. It is a surprisingly quiet place, with the tour groups associated with Bukhara and Samarkhand not present here, which is a welcome relief.
Nearest Subway: Chorsu
Chorsu Bazaar
One of Tashkents most famous locations, Chorsu is every bit as chaotic, colourful and fragrant as you could imagine a Central Asian Bazaar to be. It’s also a great place to try out some local delicacies, but make sure you confirm the price before you order otherwise you may be hit with a surprisingly large bill. The shashliks, plov and cold noodles here are particularly good. The back alleys around the the bazaar are well worth a wander.
Nearest Subway: Chorsu
Circus
A noticeable building close to Chorsu. Not much to explore per say, but it’s a wonderful example of some of the strange architecture in Uzbekistan. However at night when it’s lit up it is rather pretty.
Nearest Subway: Chorsu
Amir Timur Square
At the heart of Tashkent is a statue of Amir Timur, one of the regions most important individuals. It is his great empire spanning Central Asia, Iran, the Caucasus and parts of the middle east that you will see references to all over Uzbekistan. The square is surrounded by gloriously grandiose Soviet style buildings. It is particularly nice when lit up at night.
Nearest Subway: Amir Temur
Catching a Performance at the Navoi Theatre
The Navoi theatre is grander on the outside than the inside however this is still an excellent place to catch a show in the Uzbek captial. Ballet makes up the vast number of the shows, which is what we planned on seeing. However the night we planned to go, the ballet that was supposed to be shown had been replaced by traditional Russian dancing, which was rather impressive. The opening credits showcasing the industrial might of Russian cities such as Novosibirsk and Krasnoyask on a screen that was too small was rather hilarious.
Nearest Subway: Kosmonavtlar
Druzhba Narodov Square and Navoi Park
This rather grandiose square offers nice views of the circus and also has a lovely park attached.
Nearest Subway: Xalqlar Dostligi / Milliy Bog
Tashkent Islamic University
A collection of lovely Madrases and Mausoleums located away from Navoi street down a couple of deserted alleyways. The benches, conveniently located underneath the trees are a wonderful way to escape Uzbekistans brutal heat. Some of the prettiest Madrases and Mausoleums we saw during our 3 weeks in Uzbekistan.
Nearest Subway: Paxtakor
A Walk Through Central Tashkent
This is a lovely walk we did from Paxtakor subway station all the way to the Navoi theatre to catch our inspirational Russian dance performance. From Paxtakor head north towards Novoi street and turn right at the crossroads. The area around this corner is littered with various government buildings with a distinct Soviet flavour. After admiring head straight and from here you can turn left and cross the road to explore the Madrases and Mausoleums around Tashkent Islamic University.
After this cross back over Navoi Avenue and head south down Paxtakor Street, this will bring you to Pakhtakor stadium, stadium for Tashkents own Pakhtakor FC. From here head west towards the Ankhor canal where hopefully you will be able to get in to see the monument to Uzbekistan; a golden globe with Uzbekistan front and centre. If you manage to get into the monument to Uzbekistan you can head straight through and then take a right onto Sharof Rashidov street and head to the Navoi theatre. If like us you are waved away by grumpy looking security guards head north back onto Navoi steet, turning right and heading towards the Turkistan theater and memory square. After walking past, take a right onto Sharof Rashidov street and head to the Navoi theatre passing the art gallery of Uzbekistan and the museum of history and archeology.
Starts at: Paxtakor
Minor Mosque
Possibly one of our favourite sites in Tashkent, this stunning white mosque is located in the north of the city 10 minutes walk from Bodomzor. Try to time you visit to coincide with sunset for some excellent photo opportunities.
Nearest subway: Bodomzor
Exploring the Area Around the Navoi Theatre
The area surrounding the Navoi is chock full of gloriously decadent soviet architecture, numerous parks as well as the art gallery of Uzbekistan and the museum of history and archeology. Exploring this area around sunset is particularly pleasant as you will be saved from the scorching heat. As night approaches the buildings, statues and fountains in the area are beautifully lit up.
Nearest subway: Kosmonavtlar
Monument to Islam Karimov
Uzbekistans dictator since independence until his death in 2016. There are many who believe he is solely responsible for the stagnation of the economy and destruction of the environment. He was also responsible for the imprisonment of numerous dissidents during his time in power. It would seem quite odd to have a monument and museum dedicated to the man. However this is certainly a fascinating place to visit as it gives you an tiny insight into the propaganda and warped views some people held towards this political tyrant.
Nearest subway: Kosmonavtlar
