One day in Tashkent: the best itinerary

One day is enough for the old city core: Khast Imam, the metro stations, Amir Timur Square, the Chorsu area and one museum. It is not enough for Tashkent plus a day trip. If you land in the morning, drop your bags and start by 10am; if you land after 2pm, do the metro and Chorsu only and keep the rest for the next morning.

The order below runs west to east so you are never doubling back. Total walking is about 6–8 km, broken by metro rides.

If you only do three things, do these: the Khast Imam complex for the oldest Qur'an in the city, the metro for the Soviet-era station decoration, and Chorsu Bazaar for the food halls and the dome.

Tashkent is cheap by Western standards: a metro ride, a bazaar lunch and one museum come to well under USD 10 for the day. Carry som in small notes for the bazaar and for taxis; cards are accepted in malls, larger restaurants and hotels but not at most stalls.

Museums generally close one day a week, often Monday, and many shut by 5pm. Metro stations run from early morning to around midnight (check). Bazaars are busiest and best stocked in the morning and early afternoon; the produce halls thin out after 4pm.

Tashkent International Airport is close to the centre, roughly 15–25 minutes by taxi depending on traffic (check). Use a ride app or a marked taxi and agree the fare or check the meter before you set off. From the airport you can reach the metro network quickly, which is the cheapest way into the old city.

If you arrive by train from Samarkand or Bukhara, you land at the main station, which is on the metro. Most of the one-day route above sits within a few stops of the centre, so you can do it entirely on foot and by metro without booking anything in advance.

Flights from your home country usually land in the morning or late evening. A morning arrival fits the full route; a late arrival means you should sleep near the centre and start at 9am the next day.

Dress modestly at Khast Imam: shoulders and knees covered, and women may be asked to cover their hair at the mosque (check on site). Photography inside some religious buildings is restricted.

Eat plov at lunch, not dinner; the big pots are cooked in the morning and the best places sell out. At Chorsu, buy bread and dried fruit to carry rather than a full meal if you are short on time.

Summer afternoons reach 35 °C and above, so shift the walking to the morning and use the museums and metro as your shade. In winter, days are short and cold; start at 9am and finish by 5pm.

Keep small change for the metro and for bazaar purchases, and keep a copy of your passport with you; registration rules apply to some stays (check with your hotel).