Tashkent in 3 days

Soviet boulevards, chandeliered metro stations and the gateway to the Silk Road. Best time to visit: April-May, September-October. Average daily budget: $30 to $90 USD.

Day 1, Get oriented

Base: Old City (Eski Shahar), Chorsu bazaar, Kukeldash Madrasa and the low mudbrick lanes around Hazrati Imam.

Morning: Tashkent metro. Ride the network and photograph Kosmonavtlar, Alisher Navoi and Pakhtakor stations.

Afternoon: Explore Old City (Eski Shahar), Chorsu bazaar, Kukeldash Madrasa and the low mudbrick lanes around Hazrati Imam.

Evening: Chorsu Bazaar. Spend a morning under the blue-domed hall among spices, bread and butchers.

Eat: Plov, the national dish, best eaten before 2pm when it runs out

Day 2, Go deeper

Base: Amir Timur Square, Monumental centre with the Hotel Uzbekistan, museums and tree-lined avenues.

Morning: Hazrati Imam complex. See the 7th-century Uthman Quran, one of the oldest in the world.

Afternoon: Explore Amir Timur Square, Monumental centre with the Hotel Uzbekistan, museums and tree-lined avenues.

Evening: Soviet-era architecture walk. Trace the modernist blocks and mosaics of the post-1966 rebuilt city.

Eat: Samsa baked on the walls of a tandyr, lamb and onion inside

Day 3, Hidden side

Base: Mirabad, Leafy embassy district with the best restaurants and the Alay bazaar.

Morning: Museum of Applied Arts inside a 19th-century diplomat's decorated house. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Mirabad, Leafy embassy district with the best restaurants and the Alay bazaar.

Evening: The Romanov Palace exterior, a strange piece of imperial Russia in the centre. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Lagman hand-pulled noodles in a Uyghur cafe

Hidden gems

Museum of Applied Arts inside a 19th-century diplomat's decorated house
The Romanov Palace exterior, a strange piece of imperial Russia in the centre
Tashkent's Plov Centre at midday, industrial-scale rice cooked in vast kazans
Yangiobod flea market on a weekend for Soviet clutter and old cameras

Getting around

The metro is cheap, fast, air-conditioned and beautiful, with a flat fare of about 15 cents. Yandex Go is the standard taxi app and rides across the centre cost $1 to $3. Distances between sights are long and the streets are wide, so pair the metro with short taxi hops rather than walking everywhere.

Safety

Tashkent is one of the safest capitals in Asia, with very low street crime and a heavy but polite police presence. Photography in metro stations is now allowed, though avoid government buildings. Summer heat above 40C is the real hazard, and unregistered taxis will overcharge if you do not use the app.

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