Before you arrive
Tashkent is overlooked all too frequently. In the clamour to reach the UNESCO treasures of Samarkand and Bukhara, most visitors skip the eclectic sights of Central Asia’s largest city.
But Tashkent boasts more than 2,500 years of history. On this Silk Road crossroads you’ll not only find superb museums and striking architecture, but also vast markets and green parks. Tashkent Metro is a subterranean art gallery as much as it is a transport system, and as you survey the gleaming public buildings and swish apartment blocks shooting up across the city, you’ll have a strong sense of where modern Uzbekistan is headed.
So plan in at least a day in this cosmopolitan, vibrant capital on your Silk Road adventure: it’s time this secret was leaked.
At the airport
The new terminal of Tashkent International Airport is situated just 7km from the city centre. If you qualify for the visa waiver (which all EU nationals do), you’ll breeze through immigration. Should you need it, there is a large, well-marked tourist information desk right in the centre of the arrivals hall.
Before you leave the airport, use the ATM or buy some Uzbekistani So’m at the foreign exchange desk. The rates are consistent; you won’t pay any more for changing money here, so take advantage of the convenient location.
Getting into town
There are two ways to get from the airport into the centre of Tashkent. Buses leave from the edge of the terminal’s car park: bus 40 goes to the train station and costs UZS1,200 (UK£0.11). You pay for tickets onboard, and the trip takes 15 minutes.
This story is from the October 2019 edition of Wanderlust Travel Magazine.
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This story is from the October 2019 edition of Wanderlust Travel Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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