Centre
First-timersAround Amir Timur Square: metro stations, restaurants and bars on your doorstep.
Tashkent city guide
Things To Do In Tashkent
Central Asia's biggest city: metro stations like palaces, a vast domed bazaar, one of the oldest Qurans in the world, and the best plov in Uzbekistan cooked in giant cauldrons.
31
Hostels in the city
7.3
Average, from 520 reviews
1966
The earthquake
2 h
To Samarkand by train
7th c.
The Uthman Quran
The capital of Central Asia
Tashkent is the largest city in Central Asia, with around three million people. An earthquake destroyed much of it in 1966, and it was rebuilt as a Soviet showpiece of wide avenues, fountains, parks and monumental buildings. Today it is modern, green and busy, with the best food, bars and cafes in the country.
Its metro stations are among the most beautiful in the world, decorated with chandeliers, marble and mosaics, and a ride costs less than 20 cents.
Most trips to Uzbekistan start here, and the high-speed trains to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva leave from here. Two days is right.
Where to stay
Stay in the centre, near Amir Timur Square.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 12 top-rated hostels. Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Tashkent
Ride the metro and get off at the best stations. Kosmonavtlar is a blue space-age hall with portraits of cosmonauts, and Alisher Navoi has domed ceilings in the style of a madrasa. A ride costs 1,700 som by bank card or transport card, or 3,000 in cash.
In the old town, wander Chorsu Bazaar, under its huge green dome, for spices, dried fruit, bread and fresh produce. Then walk to the Hazrati Imam (Khast Imam) complex, whose library holds the Uthman Quran, a seventh-century copy and one of the oldest in the world.
Eat plov at lunchtime at the Central Asian Plov Centre (Besh Qozon), where it is cooked in giant cauldrons and is usually gone by mid-afternoon.
See the carved plaster and woodwork of the Museum of Applied Arts, housed in a nineteenth-century diplomat's home, and walk from Amir Timur Square through the centre in the evening.
Free things
Free things to do in Tashkent
Chorsu Bazaar is free to wander and the best place to people-watch in the city. Come in the morning, when it is busiest.
The Hazrati Imam square, with its madrasa and mosques, is free to walk around, and so are the city's big parks and squares. Amir Timur Square and the fountains around Independence Square are at their best in the evening.
The metro isn't free, but at 1,700 som (about 12 cents) a ride by card, it is the cheapest sightseeing in Tashkent.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Tashkent
Plov, rice cooked with carrots, meat and chickpeas, is the national dish. Tashkent people eat it at lunchtime, and the best places sell out by mid-afternoon. Samsa, shashlik, lagman and round non bread are everywhere.
Chorsu Bazaar is the place for cheap street food, fresh bread and dried fruit. Tashkent also has the country's widest choice of restaurants, from Korean and Georgian to modern Uzbek.
A meal is €3 to €8 (about 40,000 to 110,000 som), and more in smart restaurants.
Nightlife
Going out in Tashkent
Tashkent has the best nightlife in Uzbekistan, and most of it is in the centre: craft beer bars, rooftop bars, cocktail places and a handful of clubs that run late at weekends.
Evenings start late, and summer nights are spent outdoors in the parks and on the terraces. A beer is €2 to €4, and more in hotel bars.
Getting around
Getting around Tashkent
The airport is about 20 minutes from the centre. Use Yandex Go for taxis: it is cheap and saves haggling.
The metro covers most of the city. A ride costs 1,700 som with a bank card or ATTO transport card, or 3,000 in cash, and a rise in the card fare has been proposed, so check before you go.
Afrosiyob high-speed trains reach Samarkand in about two hours and Bukhara in about four. Since May 2026 the Jaloliddin Manguberdi high-speed train also reaches Khiva in about 7.5 hours, leaving on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Tickets go on sale 30 to 45 days ahead on the Uzbekistan Railways website or app, and they sell out.
Costs
What Tashkent costs
Tashkent is cheap, though a little pricier than the Silk Road cities. Dorms start around €8 and a careful day costs €20 to €30.
The currency is the som (UZS): about 13,700 to the euro, paid in thick bundles of notes. Cards are widely accepted in Tashkent, more than anywhere else in the country, and ATMs are easy to find. Stock up on cash here before you head to the smaller cities.
Safety
Staying safe in Tashkent
Tashkent is very safe. Your accommodation registers you with the authorities; keep the registration slips, as they can be checked when you leave the country.
Traffic is the biggest hazard: cross at crossings or use the underpasses. Summer days often pass 35°C, so sightsee in the morning and evening.
Emergency: 102 police, 103 ambulance, 101 fire.
Day trips from Tashkent
Mountains an hour or two away, and the Silk Road by fast train.
Chimgan and Charvak
The western Tian Shan mountains and the turquoise Charvak reservoir: hiking in summer, skiing in winter, and the cable car at Amirsoy.
Samarkand
The Registan, Timur's tomb and Shah-i-Zinda. A long day trip, but it deserves two nights.
What's on
What is on while you are there
Navruz, the spring new year, is the biggest festival.
21 March
Navruz
Tashkent
The spring new year.
1 September
Independence Day
Tashkent
Celebrations.
Hostels
Where to stay in Tashkent
The top-rated places to stay in Tashkent right now, live from Hostelworld.
Gulnara Guesthouse
See dates and book
Sustainable
Beshic Hostel
Dorms from €11 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
MAYA Family
Dorms from €11 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
PREMIUM DOO Hostel
Dorms from €15 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
Doo Hostel Tashkent City
Dorms from €15 a night
See dates and book
Semurg Hotel
See dates and book
Sustainable
The Loft Hostel
Dorms from €11 a night
See dates and book
The Top Hostel
Dorms from €9 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
Qo'noq Railway Hotel
Dorms from €20 a night
See dates and book
Caravan Hostel
Dorms from €10 a night
See dates and book
Sapphire Hotel
See dates and book
Sustainable
Drimin - Boutique guest house and hostel
Dorms from €12 a night
See dates and book
When to go
Go in April and May or September and October. July and August often pass 35°C.
Jan
Cold
Feb
Cold
Mar
Navruz
Apr
Spring
May
Excellent
Jun
Hot
Jul
Very hot
Aug
Very hot
Sep
Excellent
Oct
Excellent
Nov
Cool
Dec
Cold
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Prices are in som locally; these are euro equivalents.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Tashkent travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Is the metro worth seeing?
Yes. Stations like Kosmonavtlar and Alisher Navoi are among the most beautiful in the world, and a ride is 1,700 som by card.
Where should I eat plov?
At the Central Asian Plov Centre (Besh Qozon), at lunchtime, before it sells out.
How do I get from the airport?
Take a Yandex Go taxi. It is about 20 minutes to the centre.
How far is Samarkand?
About two hours on the Afrosiyob high-speed train. Book 30 to 45 days ahead.
Do I need to register?
Your accommodation does it for you. Keep the slips, as they can be checked when you leave.
How many days do you need?
Two.
Do I need cash?
Cards work widely in Tashkent, but take cash out here before heading to the smaller cities.
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