Things to do in Tashkent

1. See one of the world’s oldest Qurans. The Khast Imam complex holds the Uthman Quran, a manuscript traditionally linked to the third caliph, alongside a 16th-century madrasah and a modern Friday mosque.

2. Get lost in Chorsu bazaar. Under the blue dome of Chorsu, taste dried apricots, halva and salty kurt, and buy bread still warm from the tandir.

3. Climb to the Kukeldash madrasah. The 16th-century Kukeldash madrasah looks over the bazaar from its hill and is still a working school.

4. Find the medieval tombs of Sheikhantaur. The Sheikhantaur ensemble holds the tomb of Babur’s grandfather among modern buildings.

5. Walk the old mahallas. Between Chorsu and Khast Imam, lanes of single-storey houses with courtyards survive from before the 1966 earthquake. Walk them slowly to see a side of Tashkent most visitors miss.

6. Ride the metro. Each station of the Tashkent metro is decorated on its own theme, from the cosmonauts of Kosmonavtlar to the domes of Alisher Navoi. A one-hour station tour costs almost nothing.

7. Stand under Timur’s statue. Amir Timur Square tells the story of the country in its changing monuments, and the pedestrian street known as Broadway leads off it.

8. Visit Independence Square. Mustaqillik Maydoni has the stork arch and the moving Mourning Mother memorial.

9. See the white Minor mosque. The marble Minor mosque on the Ankhor canal is especially beautiful at sunset.

10. Go up the TV tower. From the observation deck of the TV tower the whole city spreads out below, with the mountains on the horizon on clear days.

11. Start with the history of Uzbekistan. The State Museum of History has Buddhist sculpture from Termez and Zoroastrian ossuaries, a perfect introduction before Samarkand and Bukhara.

12. Admire a diplomat’s house. The Museum of Applied Arts is a 19th-century house covered in carved alabaster and painted wood, full of suzani and ceramics.

13. Meet Timur and his heirs. The blue-domed Amir Timur Museum tells the story of the Timurid dynasty.

14. See an opera or ballet. The Navoi Theatre has foyers decorated in the styles of six regions, and tickets are inexpensive.

15. Explore Russian and Uzbek art. The State Museum of Arts was founded on the collection of a Romanov grand duke in exile.

16. Eat plov at lunchtime. Tashkent plov is cooked in huge cauldrons and served at midday. See our Tashkent food guide.

17. Relax in a garden. The Japanese garden and the Botanical garden are calm escapes from the traffic.

18. Visit an Orthodox cathedral. The blue and gold Holy Assumption Cathedral recalls Tashkent’s Russian past.

19. Make a pilgrimage to Zangiata. The shrine of the Sufi saint Zangi Ota lies just outside the city.

20. Escape to the mountains. The Chimgan mountains and the Charvak reservoir, about 1.5 hours away, offer hiking, cable cars and cool air. See day trips from Tashkent.

• One day: Khast Imam, Chorsu and Kukeldash in the morning; metro stations, Amir Timur Square and Independence Square in the afternoon; Broadway or the Minor mosque in the evening.
• Two days: add the State Museum of History, the Museum of Applied Arts, the TV tower and an evening at the opera.
• Three days or more: add a day trip to Chimgan and Charvak, or to Samarkand by fast train.

Tashkent is large and spread out, so combine walking with the metro and cheap ride-hailing taxis. See our Tashkent itinerary for detailed day plans.

Most international flights to Uzbekistan arrive in Tashkent, so the capital is usually the first and last stop of a trip. Many travellers hurry on to Samarkand, but a day or two here is worthwhile: the city shows modern Uzbekistan, its Soviet past and its religious heritage, and its museums give context for everything you will see later. A common route is Tashkent → Samarkand → Bukhara → Khiva, returning to Tashkent by air.