Tashkent in 7 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, Land & wander

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, Iconic sights

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, Food & markets

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

Day 4, Local neighbourhoods

Base: Yunusabad, Residential Soviet microdistricts and the TV tower, everyday Tashkent life.

Morning: Tashkent's Plov Centre at midday, industrial-scale rice cooked in vast kazans. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Yunusabad, Residential Soviet microdistricts and the TV tower, everyday Tashkent life.

Evening: Yangiobod flea market on a weekend for Soviet clutter and old cameras. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Non bread stamped fresh at Chorsu, still hot from the oven

Day 5, Day trip

Base: Tashkent City Park, New glass-and-fountain development that locals treat as the evening promenade.

Morning: Slow start: coffee in Tashkent City Park, then an unhurried walk before the heat or the crowds.

Afternoon: Explore Tashkent City Park, New glass-and-fountain development that locals treat as the evening promenade.

Evening: Dinner at Plov, the national dish, best eaten before 2pm when it runs out, then a quiet drink wherever the locals are in Tashkent City Park.

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

Day 6, Hidden gems

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

Morning: Slow start: coffee in Old City (Eski Shahar), then an unhurried walk before the heat or the crowds.

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

Evening: Dinner at Samsa baked on the walls of a tandyr, lamb and onion inside, then a quiet drink wherever the locals are in Old City (Eski Shahar).

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

Day 7, Slow finish

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

Morning: Slow start: coffee in Amir Timur Square, then an unhurried walk before the heat or the crowds.

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

Evening: Dinner at Lagman hand-pulled noodles in a Uyghur cafe, then a quiet drink wherever the locals are in Amir Timur Square.

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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