Tashkent Uzbekistan

As of January 2026, US citizens can enter Uzbekistan visa-free for stays up to 30 days, a change from the e-visa system that used to add a step and a 20 dollar fee to every trip. That single shift makes Tashkent a far easier add-on to a Central Asia itinerary than it was even a year ago, and the city itself rewards the effort with some of the most striking Soviet-era public architecture anywhere in the world, hiding in plain sight underground.

The metro is the actual attraction

Skip any notion that Tashkent’s metro is just transport. Stations like Kosmonavtlar, themed around Soviet and Uzbek cosmonauts with cobalt-blue mosaics, and Alisher Navoiy, whose domed ceilings and gold patterning borrow directly from Silk Road madrasah architecture, were built as functioning public art. The photography restrictions that used to require a permit are gone, so bring a camera and ride a few extra stops just to see the design shift line to line. Fares are a flat 1,700 som with a contactless card, tapped directly on the turnstile with any Visa, Mastercard, Uzcard, or the local ATTO app, or 3,000 som in cash, the fare gap is deliberate, the system wants you paying electronically. Trains run from roughly 5am to midnight, and if you want empty platforms for photos, go between 9:30 and 11:15am or 2 and 4pm on a weekday, rush hour here is genuinely busy.

Chorsu Bazaar and the old city

Chorsu Bazaar sits directly above its own metro stop, unmistakable from a distance thanks to its enormous turquoise dome, and it remains the best single place in the city for spices, dried fruit, textiles, and unfiltered daily life. Go with cash, bargaining is expected and part of the interaction rather than an imposition, and keep bags zipped, the market is dense enough that pickpocketing opportunities exist even if the city as a whole feels safe. Close by, the Hast-Imam Complex holds the Uthman Quran, reputedly the world’s oldest surviving copy of the text, kept in a climate-controlled room within the Muyi Mubarak library, a genuinely significant religious artifact rather than a staged tourist prop, and it draws pilgrims as much as sightseers.

Modern Tashkent versus the Soviet bones

Amir Timur Square and Independence Square anchor the ceremonial center of the city, but the more interesting contrast is walking between them and noticing how much Soviet-era block architecture still stands alongside newer glass towers going up around the financial district, Tashkent rebuilt itself almost entirely after a 1966 earthquake flattened much of the old city, which is why so much of what you see downtown reads distinctly mid-century rather than ancient, despite the country’s much older history. The Museum of Applied Arts, housed in a lavishly tiled 19th-century mansion, does a better job explaining Uzbekistan’s textile and ceramic traditions than any of the newer, blander museum buildings nearby, worth prioritizing if you only have time for one collection.

Where to actually eat

Skip the international chain restaurants aimed at business travelers and look instead for a proper choyxona, a traditional teahouse, for plov, Uzbekistan’s signature rice and lamb dish, cooked in enormous cauldrons and traditionally eaten in the late morning rather than at dinner, some of the best plov spots sell out by early afternoon and close once the pot is empty. Samsa from a street stall near any bazaar, baked in a tandoor rather than fried, is a better breakfast than anything a hotel buffet offers. A sit-down restaurant with live folk music is worth one evening for the experience, but treat it as theater rather than where you eat most nights, the same food, done simpler and cheaper, is better at a neighborhood spot with no English menu.

Practical notes

Uzbekistan runs on the som, and while cards work at hotels and bigger restaurants, cash still dominates at bazaars and smaller eateries, ATMs are common enough in the center that you don’t need to arrive with a large cash stockpile. Tap water isn’t safe to drink, stick to bottled or boiled. Russian remains widely spoken alongside Uzbek, and English thins out fast once you’re away from hotels and tour operators, a translation app earns its keep here more than in most European capitals. Taxis run through apps like Yandex Go rather than street hailing, cheaper and more transparent than negotiating with an unmarked driver, and a ride from the airport into the center runs roughly 50,000 to 80,000 som, about 4 to 6 dollars. Dress modestly around religious sites, and always ask before photographing people directly, Uzbek hospitality is genuine and visitors are met with real warmth, but that warmth doesn’t extend automatically to having a stranger’s lens pointed at them.