Central Asia is having its moment, and Tashkent is leading the charge. This Silk Road capital has been shaped by centuries of Arab, Persian, Mongol, and Russian rule — and it shows. Soviet-era brutalist metro stations sit next to ancient Islamic architecture. Ultramodern glass towers rise behind 500-year-old madrasas. And the food... plov, samsa, shashlik, lagman — it's a cuisine that TikTok food creators are just starting to discover.
We built this itinerary from videos and reels we saved to Plotline over months of scrolling. A clip of those jaw-dropping metro stations here, a reel about a massive plov pot there — all pinned to a map, all waiting for us to finally book the flights. Here's what three days in Tashkent looks like when your planning starts from real recommendations.
Day 1 — Old City & Islamic Architecture
Morning: Chorsu Bazaar
Start where the city starts. Chorsu Bazaar is one of the oldest and most vibrant bazaars in Central Asia — a massive green-domed building packed with endless stalls of spices, dried fruits, fresh bread (non), and meats hanging from hooks. The colors, the noise, the smell of cumin and fresh flatbread — it hits you all at once. This is the most TikTok'd spot in Tashkent for good reason. Get there early before the midday heat settles in and the crowds thicken.
Late Morning: Kukeldash Madrasa
Step out of the bazaar and you're practically at the entrance to Kukeldash Madrasa, a 16th-century Islamic school and one of the largest surviving madrasas in Central Asia. The courtyard is quiet and shaded — a surreal contrast to the bazaar chaos next door. It's been a mosque, a warehouse, a caravanserai, and even a site for public executions over the centuries. Now it's simply beautiful.
Lunch: Central Asian Plov Centre
This is an institution, not a restaurant. The Central Asian Plov Centre cooks massive batches of Uzbek plov — rice pilaf with tender lamb, carrots, chickpeas, and raisins — in enormous kazan pots that could fit a small child. You point, they serve. It's communal, it's fast, it's absurdly cheap, and it might be the best rice dish you've ever eaten. Get there before 1pm. They cook a fixed amount each day and it sells out. Every plov video we saved to Plotline eventually traced back to this place.
Afternoon: Khast Imam Complex
The spiritual heart of Tashkent. Khast Imam is home to the world's oldest Quran — the Uthman Quran, dating to the 7th century, handwritten on deerskin. The Barak Khan Madrasa and the surrounding mosque complex are stunning, with turquoise-tiled facades and intricate geometric patterns. It's quieter than the old town, more contemplative. Give it at least an hour.
Evening: Dinner at Piyala
End day one with modern Uzbek cuisine at Piyala. The setting is gorgeous — think traditional patterns meets contemporary design. Order the manti (steamed dumplings with spiced lamb) and shashlik (grilled meat skewers). If you have room, the somsa here is a refined take on the street version you'll find everywhere else in the city.
Day 2 — Soviet Heritage & Modern Tashkent
Morning: Tashkent Metro
This is the one that started it all for us. The Tashkent Metro is arguably the most beautiful metro system you've never heard of. Each station is a unique work of art — chandeliers, elaborate mosaics, carved marble columns, ornate ceilings. Photography was banned until 2018 (it was considered a strategic military facility), and now that the cameras are allowed, it's become one of the most viral things on TikTok travel content.
Must-see stations:
- Kosmonavtlar — space-themed, with blue-tinted columns and celestial motifs honoring Uzbek cosmonauts
- Alisher Navoi — ornate Islamic patterns covering every surface, named after the 15th-century poet
- Bodomzor — elegant and airy, with modern design that stands apart from the Soviet-era stations
Ride a few stops, get off, take photos, get back on. A metro ticket costs about $0.15. You could spend all morning here and not regret it.
Mid-Morning: Amir Timur Square & Museum
Amir Timur Square is the center of modern Tashkent — a grand park with a statue of Tamerlane, the 14th-century conqueror who built an empire stretching from Turkey to India. The Amir Timur Museum nearby is dedicated to his legacy, housed in a striking blue-domed building. Whether or not you're a history buff, the scale of Tamerlane's story is hard to ignore — this was one of the most powerful people who ever lived, and Tashkent was part of his world.
Lunch: Samsa & Shashlik
Skip the sit-down restaurants for lunch today. Find a street vendor selling samsa — baked pastry pockets stuffed with minced lamb and onion, pulled straight from a tandoor oven. Pair it with shashlik from any local spot near the bazaars. This is a $3 lunch that rivals anything you'd pay ten times more for elsewhere. Street food in Tashkent isn't a budget compromise — it's the point.
Afternoon: Tashkent City & Minor Mosque
Walk through the new Tashkent City business district — glass skyscrapers, modern plazas, and sleek development that feels like a different universe from the old town you explored yesterday. Uzbekistan is investing heavily in its capital, and this district is the most visible evidence. Then head to the Minor Mosque, a stunning white marble mosque that opened in 2014. It's smaller than the name suggests but exquisitely detailed. Visit at golden hour if you can — the white marble catches the warm light beautifully.
Evening: Drinks & Dinner
Tashkent has a growing craft beer scene that most visitors don't expect. Try Pinta Bar or The Warehouse for local brews and a vibe that feels distinctly young and modern. For dinner, Sim Sim serves upscale Central Asian fusion — a menu that takes the traditional flavors you've been eating all trip and presents them with real finesse.
Day 3 — Samarkand Day Trip or Local Deep Dive
Day three gives you a choice. If you're feeling ambitious, Samarkand is doable as a day trip. If you'd rather go deeper into Tashkent, there's more than enough to fill the day.
Option A: Samarkand Day Trip
Take the Afrosiyob high-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand — it's about 2 hours and costs roughly $8 USD. Book in advance online or at the station.
Registan Square is the main event. Three massive madrasas forming a plaza that's one of the most photographed squares in the Islamic world. The scale is staggering — every surface covered in intricate tilework, towering minarets framing the sky. Photos don't do it justice. Nothing does, really, until you're standing in it.
From there, walk to Shah-i-Zinda — the Avenue of Mausoleums. A narrow walkway lined with turquoise-tiled tombs dating back to the 11th century. The tilework here is the best in Central Asia, possibly the best you'll see anywhere. Every mausoleum is different, every shade of blue and green slightly unique.
Grab lunch at one of the restaurants near the Registan, then catch the evening train back to Tashkent. It's a long day, but Samarkand alone is worth the trip to Uzbekistan.
Option B: Stay in Tashkent
If you'd rather keep exploring the capital, start at the Navoi Theatre — a Soviet-era opera house with an incredible Central Asian-influenced interior. The building was partly constructed by Japanese POWs after World War II, and a plaque honors their work. Then visit the Applied Arts Museum, housed in a beautiful 19th-century diplomat's residence with carved wooden columns and painted ceilings. The collection of ceramics, textiles, and suzani embroidery is excellent.
For lunch, find lagman — hand-pulled noodles in a rich, spiced broth with lamb and vegetables. Besh Qozon is a reliable spot, but honestly, lagman is good almost everywhere. Spend the afternoon wandering the Sergeli or Mirzo Ulugbek neighborhoods for a taste of local life away from the tourist areas — tea houses, local markets, kids playing in the streets. Catch sunset from the observation deck of the Tashkent Tower (the TV tower) for a panoramic view of the city stretching out in every direction.
Practical Tips
- Budget: Tashkent is incredibly cheap. A full meal runs $3-5, a metro ride is $0.15, and a nice dinner with drinks will set you back $10-15. You can travel here comfortably on a fraction of what you'd spend in Western Europe or East Asia.
- Getting around: The metro is excellent, beautiful, and basically free. For anything the metro doesn't cover, use Yandex Go for taxis — it works like Uber and fares are very low.
- Visa: Many nationalities are now visa-free for 30 days, including the US, UK, EU, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and more. Double-check the current list before booking, as it's been expanding.
- Language: Uzbek and Russian are the primary languages. English is limited but growing among younger people, especially in tourist areas. Download Uzbek in Google Translate's offline mode before you go — it's a lifesaver for menus and directions.
- Best time to visit: April-May (spring, perfect weather, everything in bloom) or September-October (warm days, cooler evenings, less intense sun). Summers are brutally hot — 40°C+ is common in July and August.
- Safety: Very safe. Uzbekistan is consistently rated one of the safest countries in Central Asia for tourists. Petty crime is low, people are welcoming, and solo travelers (including women) generally report feeling comfortable.
From Saved Videos to a Real Trip
Central Asia wasn't on our radar until TikTok put it there — a video of those metro stations, a reel about plov, a travel creator exploring Samarkand. We saved them all to Plotline without any specific plan. Six months later, we had enough pins in our "Uzbekistan" chapter to fill a week. This 3-day itinerary is what we built from those saves — and it barely scratched the surface.
Tashkent is the kind of city that rewards curiosity. It's not overrun with tourists, it's not sanitized for Instagram, and it doesn't feel like anywhere else. The Silk Road history, the Soviet architecture, the food that deserves far more attention than it gets — it all comes together in a place that feels like the beginning of something, not the tail end of a trend.
If your saved folder is full of Central Asia content you keep meaning to do something with, put it on a map. You might be closer to booking than you think.