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Aerial view of Tashkent and its TV tower

The capital · Uzbekistan

Things to do in Tashkent: travel guide

Where most journeys start: bazaars, metro art and a green, modern city.

Tashkent is Uzbekistan’s capital and its main international gateway. Much of the city was rebuilt after the 1966 earthquake, so it feels open and green, with wide avenues, parks and fountains. The old quarter around the Khast Imam complex survives, and Chorsu Bazaar is one of the great markets of Central Asia.

Spend a day here at the start or end of a trip. Domestic flights and high-speed trains leave Tashkent for the rest of the country, and the Chimgan mountains are an easy day trip.

Time needed
1–2 days
Best time
April–May and September–October
Getting there
International flights arrive at Tashkent airport. High-speed trains run to Samarkand (about 2 hours) and Bukhara, and domestic flights go to Urgench (for Khiva), Nukus and Termez.
KYRGYZSTANTAJIKISTAN TashkentDushanbeSamarkandBukharaTurkistanFann MountainsFergana ValleyOshSeven Lakes (Haft Kul)IskanderkulNurata & Lake Aydarkul

Don’t miss

Sights in Tashkent

Aerial view of Tashkent and its TV tower sightsAlisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, TashkentThe Alisher Navoi Theatre, Tashkent’s grand opera house designed by the architect of Lenin’s mausoleum, its regional halls, its history and how to see a performance. Tashkent from above with the TV tower on the horizon sightsAmir Timur Museum, Tashkent: the story of Timur and his dynastyThe Amir Timur Museum in Tashkent, its blue-domed building and dazzling interior, the collection on Timur, Ulugbek and Babur, and how it fits a trip to Samarkand and Shakhrisabz. Tashkent from above with the TV tower on the horizon sightsAmir Timur Square, Tashkent: the heart of the modern cityAmir Timur Square, the central square of Tashkent with the equestrian statue of Timur, its changing history from tsarist park to Soviet square, and the landmarks around it. Aerial view of Tashkent and its TV tower sightsChorsu Bazaar, Tashkent: the great blue-domed marketChorsu Bazaar, Tashkent’s oldest and most famous market under a giant blue dome, what to see, taste and buy, how to bargain and the best time to go. Aerial view of Tashkent and its TV tower sightsHoly Assumption Cathedral, Tashkent: the Orthodox cathedralThe Holy Assumption Cathedral, Tashkent’s main Russian Orthodox church, with blue and white walls and golden domes, its history, services and visiting etiquette. Aerial view of Tashkent and its TV tower sightsIndependence Square, Tashkent: monuments, arch and memorialsIndependence Square in Tashkent, the country’s main ceremonial square, with the Independence Monument, the arch of the storks, the Mourning Mother memorial and fountains. Tashkent from above with the TV tower on the horizon sightsJapanese Garden, Tashkent: a quiet corner of Japan in UzbekistanThe Japanese garden in Tashkent, a small landscaped park with a pond, bridges and a tea house, its links with Japan, the best seasons for blossom and how to visit. Aerial view of Tashkent and its TV tower sightsKhast Imam complex, Tashkent: the Uthman Quran and old-town mosquesThe Khast Imam complex, Tashkent’s religious heart, with the Uthman Quran, the Barak Khan madrasah, the Kaffal Shashi mausoleum and the Hazrati Imam mosque. A carved wooden door opening onto a tiled madrasah courtyard sightsKukeldash Madrasah, Tashkent: the fortress-like school by ChorsuThe 16th-century Kukeldash madrasah on a hill above Chorsu bazaar, one of the largest surviving madrasahs in Tashkent, its turbulent history and how to visit. Aerial view of Tashkent and its TV tower sightsMinor Mosque, Tashkent: the white mosque on the canalThe Minor mosque in Tashkent, a white marble mosque opened in 2014 on the bank of the Ankhor canal, its design, visiting etiquette and the best time for photos. A carved wooden door opening onto a tiled madrasah courtyard sightsMuseum of Applied Arts, Tashkent: a diplomat’s house of carved splendourThe Museum of Applied Arts in Tashkent, a 19th-century diplomat’s house decorated by master craftsmen, with suzani, ceramics, jewellery and woodcarving from all over Uzbekistan. A carved wooden door opening onto a tiled madrasah courtyard sightsSheikhantaur Mausoleum, Tashkent: three medieval tombs in the city centreThe Sheikhantaur ensemble, three medieval mausoleums in central Tashkent, the tombs of a Sufi sheikh, a Kazakh judge and a Mongol khan who was Babur’s grandfather. Aerial view of Tashkent and its TV tower sightsState Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan, Tashkent: guideThe State Museum of Arts in Tashkent, founded on a Romanov grand duke’s collection, with Russian and European painting, Uzbek art and ancient Buddhist and Sogdian pieces. Tashkent from above with the TV tower on the horizon sightsState Museum of History of Uzbekistan, Tashkent: guideThe State Museum of History of Uzbekistan in Tashkent, its highlights from Stone Age finds to the Buddhist sculpture of Termez and Sogdian art, and how to plan a visit. Aerial view of Tashkent and its TV tower sightsTashkent Botanical Garden: plants of Central Asia and the worldThe Tashkent Botanical Garden, a large green park founded in 1950 with thousands of plant species from Central Asia and the world, its seasons, highlights and how to visit. Tashkent from above with the TV tower on the horizon sightsTashkent Metro: the most beautiful stations and how to rideThe Tashkent metro, Central Asia’s first underground railway, its most beautiful stations from Kosmonavtlar to Alisher Navoi, and how to buy tickets and ride. Tashkent from above with the TV tower on the horizon sightsTashkent TV Tower: the observation deck over the cityThe Tashkent TV Tower, at 375 metres the tallest structure in Central Asia, its earthquake-proof design, the observation deck and restaurants, and how to visit. A carved wooden door opening onto a tiled madrasah courtyard sightsZangiata Mausoleum near Tashkent: the shrine of a Sufi saintThe Zangiata complex outside Tashkent, the shrine of a 13th-century Sufi saint and his wife Anbar Bibi, traditionally linked to Timur, its buildings, pilgrims and how to get there.

Plan your visit

Tashkent guides

Don’t miss

What to see in Tashkent

  1. 01

    Khast Imam complex

    Barak-Khan Madrasah, Tillya Sheikh Mosque and a library holding one of the oldest surviving Qurans.

  2. 02

    Chorsu Bazaar

    The great domed market, best in the morning for bread, spices and dried fruit.

  3. 03

    Tashkent Metro

    Opened in 1977, the first in Central Asia; every station is decorated differently.

  4. 04

    Amir Timur Square

    The ceremonial heart of the modern city.

  5. 05

    Museum of Applied Arts

    Suzani, ceramics and woodcarving in a 19th-century diplomat’s house.

Photos of Tashkent

Aerial view of Tashkent and its TV tower
Tashkent from above with the TV tower on the horizon

Tours

Tours that include Tashkent

Things to do

Experiences in Tashkent

2–4 hours · Tashkent, SamarkandHigh-speed train across UzbekistanRide the Afrosiyob between Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara.

Nearby

Continue your journey

All of Uzbekistan
UzbekistanChimgan & CharvakWalks, cable cars and a turquoise reservoir an hour from the capital. Day trip from Tashkent KazakhstanShymkentKazakhstan’s third city, between Tashkent and Turkistan. 1 day TajikistanKhujandTajikistan’s second city, with a great covered bazaar. 1 day UzbekistanKokandA palace of tiles and a mosque of carved wooden columns. Half a day

Tour to Uzbekistan · Koshona street 75/1, Khiva, Uzbekistan · WhatsApp +998 91 920 94 20 · tours.uzbekistan@gmail.com · tourtouzbekistan.com/destinations/uzbekistan/tashkent/

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