--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Wimup" description: "The 10 best things to do in Tashkent, Uzbekistan: the Khast Imam complex, Chorsu Bazaar, the mosaic metro, top museums, plov at Besh Qozon, and day trips to the mountains." url: https://wimup.com/city/tashkent type: City guide updated: 2026-10-23 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Tashkent Tashkent, Uzbekistan · Asia · By Wimup Editorial, 15 min read Uzbekistan's capital is the largest city in Central Asia and the one most travellers land in first. A 1966 earthquake flattened the old centre, so Tashkent reads as two cities at once: Soviet avenues, mosaic apartment blocks and a marble metro on one side, the mosques, madrasahs and bazaars of the Old City on the other. ## Quick answer Give Tashkent two to three days. Start in the Old City at the Khast Imam complex and Chorsu Bazaar, ride the mosaic metro stations between sights, and spend an afternoon on the museums around Amir Timur Square. It is also the launch pad for the Afrosiyob train to Samarkand and Bukhara, so most Silk Road trips begin here. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Apr · May · Sep · Oct - **Ideal length:** 2–3 days - **Budget per day:** $30–70 - **Language:** Uzbek (Russian widely spoken) - **Getting around:** Metro, then Yandex Go - **Tourism board:** [↗ Website](https://uzbekistan.travel/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Tashkent ### 1. Khast Imam Complex Landmark · 107/1 Karasaray Street, Almazar Tashkent's religious heart, and the one corner of the Old City the 1966 earthquake spared. The square gathers the 16th-century Barak-Khan Madrasah, the Tilla Sheikh Mosque and the Kaffal Shashi mausoleum around the modern Hazrati Imam Mosque. The 7th-century Uthman Quran was long kept here and now sits nearby. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** Free to enter - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Dress modestly; the mosques are working places of worship Links: [Website](https://uzbekistan.travel/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Chorsu Bazaar Market · Eski-Juva, Old City (Chorsu metro) The market that has fed Tashkent since the Silk Road, now under a giant turquoise dome rebuilt after 1966. The tiered halls sell spices, dried fruit, non bread stacked by the hundred, mountains of melon in summer and a butcher's floor most visitors photograph before they buy. It is the best single hour in the city for a sense of everyday Uzbek life. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** The dome's upper gallery gives the clearest view down over the stalls ### 3. Tashkent Metro Experience · City-wide (start at Kosmonavtlar) The first underground railway in Central Asia, opened in 1977, and a museum you pay a flat fare to ride. Each station is themed: cosmonauts in blue and starlight at Kosmonavtlar, cotton mosaics at Pakhtakor, desert marble at Mustaqillik Maydoni. Photography was banned until 2018 because the stations doubled as bomb shelters. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** 1,700 som per ride - **Best at:** Midday, between rushes - **Tip:** Tap a contactless bank card at the gate; a paper QR ticket costs more Links: [Website](https://tashmetro.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 4. State Museum of History of Uzbekistan Museum · 3 Sharof Rashidov Avenue The best single museum in the country for the long view, from Zoroastrian and Buddhist Central Asia through the Silk Road to independence. The Kushan-era Buddha of Fayaz Tepa and the archaeology halls are the highlight; the upper floors turn political and are easy to skim. Labelling in English is patchy, so it rewards a slow walk. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Closed Mondays; the ground-floor archaeology is the part to prioritise Links: [Website](https://history-museum.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 5. Amir Timur Square & Museum Landmark · 1 Amir Temur Avenue The green heart of the modern city, laid out under the tsars and centred on an equestrian statue of Amir Timur, the 14th-century conqueror Uzbekistan claims as its founding hero. On the north side, the blue-domed State Museum of the Temurids traces his empire and the golden age of Samarkand under Ulugh Beg. The square is free and shaded. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Square free, museum ticketed - **Best at:** Golden hour - **Tip:** The museum closes Mondays; the interior dome is worth the ticket alone ### 6. Kukeldash Madrasah Landmark · Islom Karimov Street, Old City (Chorsu metro) The largest surviving madrasah in Tashkent, built around 1570 under the Shaybanid dynasty and still teaching students today. The portal and inner courtyard are the draw, a rare piece of pre-Soviet Tashkent standing above Chorsu on the old town's ridge. Pair it with the bazaar below and the Old City mosques a short walk away. - **Time:** 30–45 min - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Late morning - **Tip:** Combine with Chorsu Bazaar; the two sit within a few minutes of each other ### 7. Minor Mosque Mosque · 41 Khurshid Street, Ankhor Canal Tashkent's newest landmark and its most photographed, finished in 2014 in white Turkish marble with a sky-blue dome and slender twin minarets. It sits on the Ankhor canal in a landscaped park, luminous at either end of the day. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times, and the interior is as spare and bright as the shell. - **Time:** 30–45 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Sunrise or sunset - **Tip:** Remove shoes and dress modestly to go inside; the canalside path frames the best photo ### 8. Independence Square (Mustaqillik Maydoni) Square · Mustaqillik Avenue, city centre The country's main civic space, staged around the Independence Monument, an arch of storks and a globe marking Uzbekistan on it. Fountains, rose beds and the Monument of Courage nearby give the area over to evening strollers. It is the stage for the biggest national holidays, Navruz and Independence Day above all. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Evening - **Tip:** The fountains and lights come on after dark, when the square is at its liveliest ### 9. Tashkent TV Tower & Besh Qozon Viewpoint · 109 Amir Temur Avenue, Yunusabad At 375 metres, the TV tower is one of the tallest structures in Central Asia, with an observation deck and revolving cafe looking out over the whole low-rise city. Next door is the Central Asian Plov Centre, Besh Qozon, where cooks turn out plov in cauldrons the size of paddling pools until it sells out by early afternoon. Come for the view, stay for the rice. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** Tower ticketed · plov about 20,000 som - **Best at:** Lunchtime - **Tip:** Bring your passport for the tower; eat the plov before 1pm, when the cauldrons run dry Links: [Website](https://uzbekistan.travel/en/o/tashkent-tv-tower/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 10. Alisher Navoi Opera & Ballet Theatre Theatre · 28 Ataturk Street, city centre Tashkent's grand opera house, built in the 1940s by the architect who designed Lenin's mausoleum and decorated inside with hall after hall of regional Uzbek craftwork. Tickets for opera and ballet are a fraction of European prices, and the building is worth a look even if you do not see a show. It is dark on Mondays. - **Time:** Evening show - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Evening - **Tip:** Buy tickets at the box office or online; the interior halls each represent a different Uzbek city Links: [Website](https://gabt.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Best landmarks in Tashkent The Old City survivors and the modern icons that replaced what 1966 took. 1. **Khast Imam Complex** (16th–21st c · Free · Almazar): The religious heart of the Old City: madrasahs, the Hazrati Imam Mosque and the Uthman Quran connection, all around one quiet square. 2. **Kukeldash Madrasah** (c. 1570 · Ticketed · Old City): Tashkent's largest surviving madrasah, built around 1570 and still a working religious school above Chorsu. 3. **Minor Mosque** (2014 · Free · Ankhor Canal): White marble and a blue dome on the Ankhor canal, finished in 2014 and the city's most photographed building. 4. **Monument of Courage** (1976 · Free · Sharof Rashidov Ave): A cracked granite block and a defiant family group marking the epicentre of the 1966 earthquake and the rebuild that followed. 5. **Broadway (Sailgokh Street)** (Pedestrian street · Free · City centre): A short pedestrian street between Amir Timur Square and Independence Square, lined with portrait artists, buskers and cafe terraces in the evening. 6. **Romanov Palace** (1890s · Exterior only · Amir Temur Ave): The compact 1890s mansion built for an exiled Russian grand duke, now a government reception hall admired from the outside for its brickwork and railings. ## Best museums in Tashkent From Silk Road archaeology to Uzbek applied art, the museums worth an afternoon. 1. **State Museum of History of Uzbekistan** (History · Ticketed · Sharof Rashidov Ave): The national story from Zoroastrian antiquity to independence, with the Kushan-era Buddha of Fayaz Tepa as its centrepiece. [Website](https://history-museum.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **State Museum of the Temurids** (History · Ticketed · Amir Temur Ave): The blue-domed museum on Amir Timur Square tracing Tamerlane's empire and the golden age of his grandson Ulugh Beg. 3. **State Museum of Applied Arts** (Applied art · Ticketed · Yakkasaray): Uzbek suzani embroidery, ceramics and carved ganch set in the tiled 1890s mansion of a tsarist diplomat, Alexander Polovtsev. 4. **State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan** (Fine art · Ticketed · Movarounnahr St): Two centuries of painting, from Russian and European canvases to Uzbek modernism, in a large Soviet-era gallery. 5. **Museum of Victims of Political Repression** (History · Free · Shahidlar Square): A sober, well-designed museum by the Japanese Garden covering tsarist and Soviet repression in Central Asia. 6. **Tashkent Railway Museum** (Open-air · Ticketed · Near Toshkent station): An open-air line-up of steam and Soviet locomotives beside the central station, a hit with anyone travelling by train. ## Best metro stations in Tashkent Ride between sights and treat the stations as the attraction. A flat fare covers the lot. 1. **Kosmonavtlar** (Chilonzor line · 1984 · Space theme): The famous one: cobalt walls, star-field ceiling and ceramic medallions of cosmonauts from Gagarin to Tereshkova. 2. **Alisher Navoi** (Ozbekiston line · 1984 · Silk Road theme): Blue-domed ceilings and majolica panels echoing Silk Road madrasahs, named for the 15th-century poet. 3. **Pakhtakor** (Chilonzor line · 1977 · Cotton theme): Green and blue mosaics of flowering cotton, the crop that underwrote Soviet Uzbekistan. 4. **Mustaqillik Maydoni** (Ozbekiston line · 1977 · Marble hall): Bright white marble quarried from the Kyzylkum desert, with crystal chandeliers, beneath Independence Square. 5. **Chorsu** (Ozbekiston line · 1989 · Old City gateway): A domed, tiled station that lands you at the doorstep of the Old City and the bazaar of the same name. ## Best parks & gardens in Tashkent Where Tashkent slows down, from a Japanese garden to the old Soviet park by the canal. 1. **Japanese Garden** (Garden · Ticketed · Amir Temur St): A landscaped pond garden with tea pavilions and koi, laid out with Japanese designers off Amir Temur Street. 2. **Alisher Navoi National Park** (Park · Free · Ankhor Canal): The former Gorky Park on the Ankhor canal, with a lake, a Ferris wheel and shaded avenues that fill on weekends. 3. **Tashkent Botanical Garden** (Garden · Ticketed · Bogishamol St): One of the largest botanical gardens in Central Asia, best in spring and again for autumn colour off Bogishamol Street. 4. **Tashkent Ecopark** (Park · Free · Northwest city): A big, modern riverside park on reclaimed land, good for a run, a bike hire or a stroll away from traffic. 5. **Tashkent City Park** (Park · Free · City centre): A landscaped central park of fountains and lawns around the Minor Mosque, the showpiece of the new downtown. ## Best bazaars & shopping in Tashkent Silk Road trade and glass-box retail, from the domed bazaars to the new downtown. 1. **Chorsu Bazaar** (Bazaar · Free · Old City): The historic covered market under its turquoise dome: spices, non bread, dried fruit and a full butcher's floor. 2. **Oloy Bazaar** (Bazaar · Free · Amir Temur Ave): A tidier, more central produce market (also spelled Alay) known for fruit, nuts and honey near the embassies. 3. **Yangiabad Bazaar** (Flea market · Free · Southeast city): A sprawling weekend flea market for Soviet cameras, coins, carpets and bric-a-brac, best on Saturday and Sunday mornings. 4. **Samarqand Darvoza** (Mall · Free · Koratosh): A large mainstream mall with international brands, a food court and a cinema, handy on a hot afternoon. 5. **Tashkent City Mall** (Mall · Free · Tashkent City): The glossy retail anchor of the new Tashkent City district, beside the park and the business towers. ## Best restaurants in Tashkent Plov cauldrons, modern Uzbek kitchens and the tea houses in between. 1. **Central Asian Plov Centre (Besh Qozon)** (Uzbek plov · about 20,000 som · Yunusabad): The city's plov institution beside the TV tower, cooking rice and lamb by the cauldron until it sells out around lunchtime. 2. **Afsona** (Modern Uzbek · €€ · Taras Shevchenko St): A polished, English-menu take on Uzbek and Central Asian classics with a shaded terrace on Taras Shevchenko Street. 3. **Caravan** (Uzbek · €€ · Amir Temur St): A long-running family restaurant and art cafe serving Uzbek staples in air-conditioned comfort near Amir Timur Square. 4. **National Food** (Uzbek canteen · € · Sabzar): A no-frills local canteen by the old circus turning out plov, naryn and dimlama for a few dollars a head. ## Best day trips in Tashkent Mountains within two hours, and the Silk Road capitals down the high-speed line. 1. **Chimgan & Charvak Lake** (~80 km · 2 hr drive · Tashkent Region): The Western Tian Shan foothills about 80 km east: turquoise Charvak reservoir in summer, chairlifts and hiking on the Chimgan slopes. 2. **Amirsoy Mountain Resort** (~65 km · 1.5 hr drive · Tashkent Region): A modern alpine resort near Chimgan with a gondola to about 2,000 metres, skiing in winter and green-season walking the rest of the year. 3. **Samarkand** (Afrosiyob · ~2 hr 10 · Samarqand Region): The Registan, Gur-e-Amir and Bibi-Khanym, two hours and ten minutes away on the Afrosiyob high-speed train, doable in a long day. [Website](https://eticket.railway.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 4. **Bukhara** (Afrosiyob · ~4 hr · Bukhara Region): A living medieval city of madrasahs and trading domes, about four hours by fast train, better as an overnight than a day trip. [Website](https://eticket.railway.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Festivals & annual events in Tashkent (2026) - **New Year** (1 January): The biggest secular celebration of the year, with decorated trees, fireworks and crowds on Independence Square at midnight. - **International Women's Day** (8 March): A public holiday marked with flowers across the city; expect restaurants and parks to be busy. - **Navruz** (21 March): The Central Asian new year and the year's largest festival: sumalak cooked overnight, music and food stalls on the square. - **Ramadan Hayit (Eid al-Fitr)** (Spring (varies)): The public holiday marking the end of Ramadan, a day of family visits and shared meals. The date shifts each year. - **Day of Remembrance and Honour** (9 May): A solemn public holiday honouring the war dead, centred on the Monument of Courage and the eternal flame. - **Independence Day** (1 September): Uzbekistan's national day, with concerts, parades and the largest fireworks of the year over the city centre. - **Tashkent International Film Festival** (Late September): The 'Pearl of the Silk Road' festival, revived in 2021, brings screenings and premieres to cinemas across the capital. - **Constitution Day** (8 December): A public holiday marking the 1992 constitution, with concerts and civic events in the centre. ## Must-try dishes in Tashkent, Uzbekistan - **Plov (osh)**: The national dish: rice slow-cooked with lamb, carrots, onion and cumin in a cauldron, often with chickpeas. - **Samsa**: Flaky pastries of minced lamb and onion baked against the wall of a clay tandoor until the crust blisters. - **Lagman**: Hand-pulled noodles in a peppery broth with beef and vegetables, an Uyghur dish gone Central Asian. - **Shashlik**: Skewers of marinated lamb, beef or minced kebab grilled over coals and served with raw onion and non bread. - **Manti**: Large steamed dumplings of minced lamb and onion, eaten with sour cream or black pepper. - **Shurpa**: A clear, fragrant lamb soup with big chunks of potato and carrot, the standard winter starter and a cure-all. - **Dimlama**: A one-pot stew of meat and layered vegetables steamed slowly in their own juices, homely and generous. - **Non**: Round tandoor-baked bread, stamped with a chekich in the centre and never placed upside down. ## Tashkent transport & airports - **Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport** (TAS): The main gateway to Uzbekistan sits about 12 km south of the centre, Terminal 2 international and Terminal 3 domestic. Order a Yandex Go car into town in 20 to 30 minutes. [Website](https://tashkent-airport.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Afrosiyob high-speed rail** (Rail): Tashkent is the northern end of the high-speed line. The Afrosiyob reaches Samarkand in about 2 hours 10 and Bukhara in around 4. Book online well ahead in season. [Website](https://eticket.railway.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Metro, buses & trams** (Metro): The four-line metro is the fastest way across the centre and a sight in its own right, at a flat contactless fare. An ATTO card also covers the buses. [Website](https://tashmetro.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Taxis & ride-hailing** (Taxi): Yandex Go is the default: cheap, cashless and simpler than flagging a car. Worth it for outlying sights like the TV tower. Agree a price first if you hail an unmarked car. ## Tashkent at a glance - **Country:** Uzbekistan - **Region:** Central Asia - **Population:** About 3 million - **Founded:** Over 2,200 years ago - **Nickname:** The Stone City - **Language:** Uzbek (Russian widely spoken) - **Currency:** Uzbek som (UZS) - **Time zone:** UTC+5 (UZT) - **Calling code:** +998 - **Airports:** Tashkent International (TAS) - **Power:** 220V, plug types C and F - **Emergency:** 112 (101 fire, 102 police, 103 ambulance) ## Interesting facts - On 26 April 1966 an earthquake destroyed much of old Tashkent. The Soviet Union rebuilt it as a model city of wide avenues and mosaics. - The Tashkent Metro, opened in 1977, was the first in Central Asia. Photography was banned until 2018: the stations are bomb shelters. - Tashkent means 'Stone City', from the Turkic 'tosh' (stone) and 'kent' (town), a name it has carried for roughly a thousand years. - The 7th-century Uthman Quran, long kept in the city's Khast Imam complex, is one of the oldest surviving Quran manuscripts in the world. - At 375 metres, the Tashkent TV Tower is one of the tallest free-standing structures in Central Asia, with a deck open to visitors. ## Watch [Tashkent Travel Guide](https://wimup.com/watch/tashkent.md), 35:54 ## Tashkent travel FAQ ### Is Tashkent worth visiting? Yes. It is the largest and most modern city in Central Asia, with a walkable Old City, world-class mosaic metro stations, huge bazaars and some of the country's best museums. It is also the natural base for the Afrosiyob train to Samarkand and Bukhara, so most Silk Road trips begin or end here. ### How many days do you need in Tashkent? Two to three days is enough to see the Old City, ride the metro, cover the main museums and eat well, with time left for a mountain day trip to Chimgan or a fast-train run to Samarkand. ### Is Tashkent safe for tourists? Tashkent is generally very safe, with low levels of street crime and a visible police presence. Take the usual precautions with valuables in crowded bazaars and on the metro, and agree taxi fares in advance if you hail an unmarked car. ### Do you need a visa for Uzbekistan? Citizens of around 90 countries, including the European Union, the UK, Japan and South Korea, can enter visa-free for up to 30 days. Many other nationalities, including US citizens, can apply online for an e-visa. Check the official e-visa portal (e-visa.gov.uz) for your country before you travel. ### What is the best time to visit Tashkent? Spring (April and May) and autumn (September and October) are ideal, with warm days and cool evenings. Summers are very hot and dry, and winters are cold, so the shoulder seasons are the most comfortable for walking the city. ## Nearby guides - [Khujand](https://wimup.com/city/khujand.md): Tajikistan · 10 picks - [Turkistan](https://wimup.com/city/turkistan.md): Kazakhstan · 10 picks - [Dushanbe](https://wimup.com/city/dushanbe.md): Tajikistan · 10 picks - [All of Asia →](https://wimup.com/asia): 100 cities Part of the [Uzbekistan guide](https://wimup.com/country/uzbekistan.md) · [Asia](https://wimup.com/asia.md) ## Sources - [Tashkent tourism board](https://uzbekistan.travel/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Tashkent Metro (official site)](https://tashmetro.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [State Museum of History of Uzbekistan (official site)](https://history-museum.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Tashkent TV Tower & Besh Qozon (official site)](https://uzbekistan.travel/en/o/tashkent-tv-tower/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Alisher Navoi Opera & Ballet Theatre (official site)](https://gabt.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Samarkand (official site)](https://eticket.railway.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport (official site)](https://tashkent-airport.uz/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.