We spent numerous days in Tashkent pre and post our time in the mountains. We arrived in Tashkent in style via business class on Uzbekistan Airways from Bishkek. It only cost a handful of extra euros more than cattle class, and we were treated like royalty, not just on the plane but also on arrival where we were escorted to a VIP customs and arrival area.

Driving from the airport to our first hotel, I was surprised at how modern the city was after having just visited Bishkek, and Almaty prior to that. Whilst there were plenty of older style buildings, there was also a lot of development going on and lots of new buildings adorned with flashy bling bling. In places it looked like a mini Las Vegas at night time. Thankfully during the day it appeared more tasteful and the blend of architectural eras was more apparent.

On our first morning we did a guided tour of the city which was an efficient way to see many of the Tashkent sights and get some good insights into the local culture and history. Our guide also took us to the Chorsu Bazaar and explained some of the local foods and practices, which I hadn’t quite captured from previous visits to Central Asian bazaars.

On another day we did some self-guided sightseeing, including whizzing around on the metro to see the many grand subway stations. We also enjoyed chatting to some of the locals on the trains.

On our final day we awork early for the express train to Samarkand, where our guide took us to many attractions. After seeing the grandeur of some of Samarkand madrasahs, mausoleums and mosques, I was glad that we’d left this as the grand finale or the trip, as otherwise some of the Tashkent blue domed buildings would have looked rather vanilla.

During our times in Tashkent we stayed in three different hotels. All provided some Central Asian character and great value for money, but then all our experiences in Tashkent were delightfully affordable.
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