17 Tashkent Tips That'll Make Your First Visit to Uzbekistan Seamless
Tashkent is Central Asia's largest city and the gateway to the Silk Road. It's also one of the least-visited capitals in Asia, which means the infrastructure is improving fast but the English-language travel advice is thin. I spent a week here and made plenty of mistakes so you don't have to.
Before You Go
US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea — 30 days visa-free. Just show up with a passport valid for 3+ months. Uzbekistan has become the easiest Central Asian country to enter.
1. Visa-free for 90+ countries.
2. The Afrosiyob train to Samarkand is the best day trip in Central Asia. High-speed rail, 2.5 hours, 90,000 UZS ($7). Comfortable, air-conditioned, punctual. Book on uzbekrailways.uz 2-3 days ahead — popular times sell out. You can see Samarkand's Registan, Shah-i-Zinda, and Bibi-Khanym Mosque in a single day if you start early.
3. Download Yandex Go for taxis. It's Uzbekistan's equivalent of Uber. Metered, fair prices, no negotiation needed. A ride across Tashkent: 15,000-30,000 UZS (~$1.20-2.50). Street taxis will overcharge foreigners — use the app.
Getting Around
4. The Tashkent Metro is a museum you can ride for $0.12. Each station is uniquely decorated — chandeliers, marble columns, ceramic murals, hammered copper panels. Photography was banned until 2018. Key stations: Kosmonavtlar (space-themed), Alisher Navoi (literary ceramics), Mustaqillik Maydoni (ornate chandeliers). Entry: 1,500 UZS. Ride the entire Uzbekiston line.
5. Walking distances are deceptive. Tashkent is spread out with wide Soviet-era boulevards. What looks like a 10-minute walk on Google Maps is 20 minutes in 40°C heat. Use Yandex Go liberally — rides are cheap.
Food
6. Eat plov before 2PM or miss it entirely. Plov (rice pilaf with lamb, carrots, chickpeas, and cumin) is Uzbekistan's national dish. The Plov Center (Osh Markazi) cooks it in bathtub-sized kazans, 70-100kg at a time, starting at dawn. A massive plate: 30,000-40,000 UZS (~$2.50-3.30). The plov runs out by early afternoon. Go before 11AM on a weekday for the full spectacle.
7. Samsas from a tandoor oven are the perfect street food. Flaky pastry filled with spiced lamb, baked in a clay oven. 5,000 UZS (~$0.40) each. Found at bakeries and street ovens throughout the city. Get them hot — they're best within minutes of leaving the oven.
8. Chorsu Bazaar is the food experience. Under a massive turquoise dome — spices, dried fruits, flatbread (non), nuts, Korean salads, and butchered meat. Open daily 6AM-6PM, busiest on Sunday mornings. The spice section alone is worth the visit. Near Chorsu Metro.
9. Non (flatbread) is sacred. Never place it upside down. Never cut it with a knife — tear by hand. The eldest person breaks the first piece. At the bazaar, accept offered bread with both hands and say "rahmat" (thank you).
Money
10. Cards work in Tashkent now. Visa and Mastercard are accepted at most restaurants, hotels, and shops. ATMs dispense UZS. Outside Tashkent (Samarkand, Bukhara), cash is still preferred. The black market exchange rate no longer exists — official and market rates match since 2017 reforms.
11. Everything is extraordinarily cheap. Full restaurant meal: 30,000-60,000 UZS (~$2.50-5). Budget hotel: $15-25/night. Mid-range: $40-70. A samsa: $0.40. Tashkent may be the best-value capital city I've visited.
Sights
12. Khast Imam Complex has the world's oldest Quran. The Moyie Mubarek Library Museum (25,000 UZS) displays the 7th-century Uthman Quran with visible stains attributed to Caliph Uthman's assassination. The complex includes the Tillya Sheikh Mosque and Barak Khan Madrasa. 15 minutes by taxi.
13. The Tashkent TV Tower observation deck is underrated. 375m tall, Central Asia's tallest structure. Observation deck at 220m: 50,000 UZS (~$4). On clear days you see the Tien Shan mountains. The revolving restaurant at 104m is decent and affordable.
14. Amir Timur Square at night is worth a walk. The equestrian statue, the blue-domed museum, and the Soviet-era Hotel Uzbekistan are beautifully lit. The museum (25,000 UZS) covers the Timurid dynasty. Allow 1-1.5 hours.
Cultural Notes
15. Avoid photographing government buildings. Tashkent has relaxed significantly, but cameras near military or government sites can still attract security attention. The metro photography ban is lifted, but be discreet around uniformed officers.
16. Airport security is thorough. Allow extra time. Expect bag searches and questions. It's routine, not personal.
17. Uzbek hospitality is intense and genuine. If invited to someone's home, accept. Tea will be offered constantly. At meals, the guest is served first. Tipping is not expected at restaurants but appreciated (5-10%).
Tashkent doesn't have Samarkand's Registan or Bukhara's ancient medinas. What it has is a major city finding its post-Soviet identity — beautiful metro stations alongside glass towers, bazaars surviving alongside malls, and a food culture that punches so far above its weight class that the $3 plov lunch might be the best meal value on the planet. Use Tashkent as your base, ride the train to Samarkand for a day, and eat as many samsas as your stomach allows.
Bonus Tips
18. Learn a few Uzbek phrases. "Rahmat" (thank you), "Salom" (hello), and "Necha pul?" (how much?) go a long way. Uzbeks light up when foreigners try their language. Russian also works with the older generation.
19. The Minor Mosque near the TV Tower is stunning and free. A modern white marble mosque that photographs beautifully, especially at sunset. Worth a 15-minute stop when visiting the TV Tower area.
20. Book cooking classes for plov. Several guesthouses and tour operators offer hands-on plov cooking classes (80,000-120,000 UZS / $6-10). You learn to prepare the national dish in a traditional kazan and eat the results. Far better than any restaurant version because you control the ingredients and the chef is standing right there showing you the technique.
21. The Independence Square area is photogenic at dusk. Wide walkways, fountains, and monument lighting create good evening photo opportunities. Combine with a walk down Amir Timur Square. If you only follow one tip from this list, let it be this: eat the samsa hot, ride the metro slowly, and don't rush through the bazaar. Tashkent rewards patience.
