5 Attractions in Tashkent for the First-Time Visitor

Wide, tree-lined boulevards connecting vast public squares. Brutalist concrete monuments standing alongside 16th-century Islamic architecture. One of the world's most beautiful metro systems, offering a masterclass in Soviet design ideology. Where, you wonder? Tashkent, home to over 2 million people, and a fascinating collision of Islamic heritage, Soviet ambition and contemporary Central Asian identity.

Compared to other Silk Road cities, the Uzbek capital can initially seem understated. After all, this city was rebuilt from the rubble of a devastating 1966 earthquake, reimagined by Soviet planners as a model metropolis. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find a city packed with history, vibrant bazaars, bold architecture and welcoming cafés, all rich with opportunities for discovery.

Here's your curated guide to the five best attractions in Tashkent.

Begin your journey in the Old City (Eski Shahar), where you’ll discover stunning, centuries-old Islamic architecture at the Hazrati Imam religious complex. Mosques. Madrasahs. Mausoleums. Libraries. Their graceful domes and serene courtyards feel timeless, with an authentic, lived-in quality that you may not find in more polished Silk Road cities like Samarkand. Don’t miss the Muyi Muborak Madrasah (also known as the Usman Quran Museum), home to a holy book dating to the 7th century and a relic claimed to be a hair from Prophet Muhammad. On the hunt for souvenirs? Stroll west of the museum just across the courtyard, where you’ll find the Barak Khan Madrasah, a 16th-century Islamic school that’s now a handicraft market perfect for browsing artisanal items like jewellery and ceramics.

• Karasaray Street, Tashkent
• Open daily 9 am-9 pm
• Most areas are free to explore, with a small entrance fee to the Usman Quran Museum
• Metro to Gafur Gulom station, then a 25-minute walk. Or stay at Mövenpick Hotel Tashkent Old City, right next to Gafur Gulom station

Dive into the colourful chaos of Chorsu Bazaar, said to be Central Asia’s oldest marketplace. The current structure, crowned by an enormous turquoise dome, dates from 1980, but markets have occupied this site since around the 12th century. All your senses come alive in the airy, circular building, where stalls overflow with amber-hued dried apricots, warm lepeshka flatbread and local delicacies such as qazi horse-meat sausages. Surrounding the dome, you’ll find additional market stalls selling everything from ceramics to traditional musical instruments. Picking up a delicious scent in the air? If it’s close to lunchtime, that’s probably traditional plov rice and meat being prepared at nearby chaikhanas (tea houses) – follow the fragrance to see it being cooked in giant cauldrons!

• Tafakkur ko'chasi 57, Тashkent
• Open daily 8 am-11 pm
• Metro to Chorsu station

For a unique architectural and cultural attraction in Tashkent, spend a few hours riding its metro system. Built by the Soviets in 1977 as Central Asia's first underground railway, each of its nearly 50 stations is designed around specific themes that tell stories of Uzbek history, culture and Soviet aspirations. Start at Kosmonavtlar station, a tribute to Soviet space exploration. Blue ceramic murals depict famed cosmonauts including Valentina Tereshkova and Yuri Gagarin, while glass "stars" sparkle across the colonnade, evoking the Milky Way. Propaganda? Perhaps. In this day and age, though, it feels playful and ethereal.

Two stops northwest on the Uzbekistan line, Alisher Navoi station offers a striking contrast. Named after a 15th-century Uzbek poet, the station features beautiful blue domes with intricate golden patterns that echo the Islamic architecture of Uzbekistan's historic cities. From here, one stop east on the Chilonzor line takes you to Mustakillik Maydoni, one of the first stations to open in 1977, and among the most opulent. Built almost entirely with marble blocks from the Kyzylkum desert in western Uzbekistan, it features stunning columned halls and glass chandeliers that make you wonder what else you’re missing out on during your own daily commute.

Art? History? Something more esoteric, like trains? You’ll find it all here. The Museum of Applied Arts is an oft-overlooked gem housed in a beautifully ornate 19th-century mansion, showcasing textiles, ceramics, wood carvings and other exquisite examples of traditional Uzbek crafts. The building itself is a work of art. Contrast this with the Art Gallery of Uzbekistan, which highlights contemporary and historical artworks from Uzbekistan and beyond. With regularly rotating exhibitions and workshops, it’s a great place to see how local artists interpret their country’s identity today. If you have kids in tow, or simply love trains, head to the Railway Museum, where you’ll find an open-air collection of Soviet-era locomotives. Fancy staying near the Railway Museum? Mercure Tashkent North is under 2km away, in the accessible Mirabad district.

Museum of Applied Arts

• Rakatboshi Street 15, 100031, Tashkent
• Open daily 9am-6pm
• There's a small entrance fee; buy a ticket at the gate
• Metro to Kosmonavtlar, then a 15-minute walk

Round off your discovery of Tashkent’s top attractions by seeing the city from above at the Tashkent TV Tower. Rising 375 m in the city’s northeast, it’s the tallest structure in Central Asia and – completed in 1985 – one of the most striking symbols of the capital’s Soviet-era ambition. You’ll get whisked up around 100 m to the observation deck, to sprawling views of the city that reveal patterns invisible from street level: geometric Soviet planning, green boulevards cutting through residential blocks, elegant minarets punctuating the urban fabric. Chorsu Bazaar's turquoise dome looks like a miniature model, and on clear days you may even spot the distant outlines of the Tian Shan mountains.

• Amir Temur Avenue 109, Tashkent
• Open daily 10am-10pm
• Buy entrance tickets on site
• Metro to Bodomzor or Shahriston, then a 20-minute walk

Tashkent is often seen as a transit point between more famous destinations, but that's selling it short. Like other unsung heroes like Zagreb or Riga, it’s a living, evolving capital that honours its history while embracing the present, so consider planning a visit today!