Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan and its largest city, has stood at the crossroads of the Silk Road for centuries. It has also been destroyed and rebuilt several times.
Once a caravanserai, a roadside inn that offered lodging for merchants primarily along the Silk Road, much of the city was destroyed by Genghis Khan in 1219. Centuries later, in 1966, an earthquake left large parts of Tashkent in ruins. The 20th-century city that emerged from the reconstruction was very different, with wide avenues, vast public spaces and imposing Soviet-era buildings.
Today, Tashkent is a mix of Soviet modernist buildings, Islamic monuments, green spaces and a new generation of creative designers, artists and hoteliers giving the city a contemporary identity.
Here is a tried-and-tested itinerary to explore Tashkent in 48 hours.
Day 1
9am: Explore old Tashkent
After eating breakfast at Farovon Tashkent hotel, I start my day by walking 10 minutes to the old part of Tashkent past mud houses and mulberry trees. There, the Hazrati Imam Complex, with turquoise domes, sand-coloured brickwork, carved wooden doors and intricate tile work replaces the concrete architecture of the city centre. The complex was built around the grave of Abu Bakr Kaffal, also known as Hazrati Imam, one of the city’s early Islamic scholars and a preacher, who was also a master of making locks and keys.
From there, I wander through the 16th-century Barak-Khan Madrasah. The spaces that once housed students have now become shops selling traditional crafts from carved wooden Quran stands and miniature paintings to ceramics and fabrics covered in colourful Suzani embroidery.
Entry to the complex is free and it is open daily from 9am to 9pm. Visitors should dress modestly, with women required to cover their heads when entering the religious sites.
11am: Get a glimpse into its rich Islamic heritage
Close by is the Centre for Islamic Civilisation, which opened in March 2026. Spread across a vast site, the centre explores the history of Islamic civilisation through faith, science, art, literature and craftsmanship. Inside, I journey through centuries of history from early Quranic manuscripts behind glass, some decorated with gold, to ceramics, metalwork, calligraphy and miniature paintings.
The centre is open from 9am to 10pm. Entry is $25 for foreign visitors.
1pm: Get a taste of plov
Plov is an one-pot rice dish that is omnipresent in the country, with each region proud of its own variation. Besh Qozon, near the Tashkent Television Tower on Guards Colonel Khodjaev Street, a 10-minute cab ride from the old city, is famous for the gargantuan quantities of plov cooked at the restaurant every day.
I watch cooks prepare plov in enormous kazan cauldrons. Long paddles move through mountains of rice, carrots, onions and chickpeas, with large pieces of meat, tied in bundles, added to the mixture and cooked in sheep fat and vegetable oil. Steam rises from the pots as the cooks work with an ease that comes from years of repetition and waiters serve it on plates deftly, with the dishes topped with garlic bulbs or quail eggs.
3pm: Explore its Soviet legacy
Tashkent's Soviet legacy is particularly striking in the city’s architecture, with a blend of brutalist forms, grand modernist structures and use of elaborate mosaics and sculptural elements alongside Uzbek Islamic motifs called Tashkent modernism.
After lunch, I venture to Hotel Uzbekistan, a 15-minute drive away. The building is a notable example of brutalist and modernist architecture, built about 90 metres from Amir Timur Square.
Established in the 1970s, the hotel's honeycomb-like facade is not only decorative but also helps filter the intense sunlight.
A detour worth taking, if you're interested in architecture from the era, is to the Tashkent State Circus. It is closer to the old city and is another remarkable Soviet-era building. Its sweeping white dome and clean modernist lines give it the appearance of a futuristic space shuttle.
5pm: Browse the Teplo shop
From there I make a stop at the Teplo shop on Nukus Street, a concept store and cultural space, a 10-minute drive from Amir Timur Square.
I browse through the work of young Uzbek designers displayed alongside traditional crafts. Fashion, ceramics, textiles and graphic design come together, with familiar Uzbek motifs and Suzani embroidery reinterpreted in a more contemporary way on jackets and dresses.
8pm: Have an Uzbek feast at Lali
Lali, which opened in 2024, is a 15-minute cab ride from my hotel and is part of a chain across Central Asian countries.
The extensive menu takes you across the different regions of Uzbekistan, with old recipes combined with modern culinary traditions. Furnished in azure, blue tones and local ikat fabric-covered sofas, it has an open kitchen. Order iconic Samarkand plov, manty with beef and lamb shashlik.
10pm: Call it a day
From there, I retire to Farovon Tashkent for the night. A new boutique property, it is decorated in traditional style with rugs, carpets and ceramics, in the historic part of the city.
Day 2
9am: Ride the Metro
The Art Deco-style Tashkent Metro is an unexpected architectural experience and is spotlessly clean.
Each station has its own theme and design, with marble, granite, mosaics, chandeliers and reliefs celebrating everything from Uzbek history and literature, to science and space exploration.
Chorsu Station is the closest to my hotel, but I love Kosmonavtlar Station, with shiny green glass columns and ceramic medallions, where the theme is the Soviet space dream, depicted in deep blues and cosmic motifs. Alisher Navoi Station is another marvel, with carved arches and intricate ceramic panels in cobalt and emerald hues.
The Tashkent Metro is open daily from 5am until midnight. The price of one ticket is 2,000 Uzbekistani som ($0.14).
11am: Haggle at Chorsu Bazaar
For a slice of everyday Tashkent, I take the Metro back to Chorsu Bazaar, getting off at Chorsu Station.
The bazaar's building is noted for its an enormous blue dome, which dominates the market and is an interesting example of Soviet architecture influenced by traditional Central Asian market halls.
Underneath the dome, the atmosphere is energetic and lively. Sellers stand next to huge pyramids of spices, dried apricots, walnuts, raisins and pomegranates. I browse through traditional clothes, pottery and ceramics. Hungry for lunch, I then walk through the food court, where the smell of coriander, cumin and roasting meat fills the air. It is open daily from 7am until 7pm.
2pm: Enjoy a visual feast at the State Museum of Applied Arts
This compact museum, which can be reached from the Kosmonavtlar Metro station, is housed in a beautiful mansion of former Russian diplomat Alexander Polovtsov. It is decorated with ganch – painted plaster – and wood, with exquisitely painted and carved ceilings with cornices.
It showcases the best of Uzbek art and crafts, including knives from Chust, ceramics from Rishtan, silk from Margilan, traditional clothes and gold embroidery from Bukhara, Suzani embroidery and ikat fabrics. I love the section on different kinds of skullcaps from across the country, with specific motifs and symbolism, and the traditional musical instruments.
The museum is open from 9am to 6pm and the entrance fee is $2.50.
5pm: Meet the locals at Tashkent Central Park
It is worth venturing across town to Tashkent Central Park, a favourite destination for families, with 100-year-old acacias and oak trees, as well as statues, sprawling lawns, amusement rides, a carousel and fountains.
I see men playing accordions and walk past food stands and shallow ponds filled with fish. With babies in strollers, young people jogging, and others sitting on benches, this is truly a slice of local life.
It is open from 10am to 11pm.
8pm: An Uzbek dinner
Dinner at Afsona on Uqchi Street comes highly recommended. Decorated with carved wood and blue-and-white ceramics, with folk music playing in the background, this upmarket restaurant serves Uzbek cuisine with a contemporary touch, from crisp samsas to pumpkin manti and lagman noodles.
If you are feeling adventurous, try their horse meat dish called norin. Finish with chak chak, a fried honey cake with almonds.
How to get there
There are several daily flights to Tashkent. From Dubai, travel with flydubai, Uzbekistan Airways or Centrum Air; from Sharjah fly with Air Arabia; and from Abu Dhabi book a trip with Etihad Airways, which launched the route in August.