Tashkent

Not in the story-mood? Scroll down for the Quick Budget Fact Overview: an itemized information summary of Uzbekistan!

After a draining all-night journey and a border crossing from hell, I finally made it: Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan. This sprawling, sun-bleached city of three million, where Soviet mega-avenues collide with Islamic architecture, is for most travellers just a logistical checkpoint - an unavoidable gateway to the turquoise domes of Samarkand, the silk-wrapped alleyways of Bukhara, or the quiet northeastern mountains where time moves differently and the sheep outnumber people. But if you have a moment to spare, Tashkent might not be an entire waste of time.

Tashkent is old. Like, 2000+ years old. It was once a Silk Road hub, luring in traders from China and Persia. It gave way to the Mongols, Russians and Soviets, who - true to style - rebuilt it into a grey-on-grey experiment in urban planning. The result? Grand boulevards, sterile plazas and brutalist architecture (if you’ve been to Eastern Europe, you’ve seen the blueprint). When Uzbekistan declared independence in 1991, Tashkent was suddenly the face of a new country, still figuring out what that actually meant. It involved building monuments, renaming everything and finding new national heroes. What we’re left with is a city of contradictions. A golden-domed mosque next to a crumbling Stalin-era apartment block. A pink Disney castle lurking in the suburbs existing simultaneously with a half-decomposing Romanov palace. All steaming under the incomprehensible heat of Uzbekistan in July (45c – this is not a summer destination for the faint-hearted). Tashkent is the kind of place that doesn’t try to impress you… and accidentally does.

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Tashkent’s Sights

Let me start with my absolute favorite sight of all, which is, surprisingly, the Tashkent Metro. Not just a practical way to get around comfortably in the blistering summer heat (bless that faint hint of air-conditioning), but also the cheapest underground art crawl you'll ever do. For the grand total of 20 euro-cents, you get access to a city-wide underground gallery of marble columns, surrealist murals, and decorative domes, spread out across four color-coded lines. I rode the entire blue (the most impressive), green and red line, hopping off at every photogenic stop I could glance at through the metro windows (There’s also a yellow line, but I never made it that far - at some point, even I have metro fatigue). Trains run every five minutes or so, which gives you just enough time to snap a few photos before continuing on to the next surprise installation. Top stations? The space-themed Cosmonauts Station, Toshkent Station with its soft blue art nouveau reliefs, Alisher Navoiy Station making you feel like you’ve stepped into the inside of a mosque, and Gafur Gulom Station full of surrealist ceiling art that feels lowkey psychedelic.

One of the most eye-catching structures in Tashkent’s cityscape is the outspokenly inelegant and plump Hotel Uzbekistan. A prime example of Soviet brutalism that’s so aggressively ugly it loops back around to beautiful. My jam. Soviet “welcome to the future” energy at its finest. Built in the 1970s to house foreign diplomats and Soviet-approved visitors, it now mostly shelters confused tourists and local wedding photoshoots. And then there’s the Palace of the Romanovs, which couldn’t be more different. Where Hotel Uzbekistan screams “we flattened the past,” the Romanov Palace is one of the few surviving leftovers of the pre-Soviet era. It once belonged to Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich Romanov, a disgraced Russian royal exiled here in the late 19th century after stealing diamonds from his own family (as one does). The building still stands, tucked behind some gates, with its fading yellow walls and crumbling elegance - closed to the public and slowly losing a battle with time. If Hotel Uzbekistan looks like the set of a dystopian sci-fi film, Palace Romanov looks like the prologue. And just when you think you’ve mapped out Tashkent’s architectural timeline, a glittering spike appears on the horizon: the Tashkent Tower. At 375m tall, it’s the tallest structure in Central Asia, originally built for radio and television broadcasting. These days, it still serves that purpose, but after dark, it turns into a fully illuminated spectacle that feels oddly futuristic. Not quite beautiful, not quite ugly, just… unexpectedly fascinating. A bit like Tashkent itself.

Let’s talk mosques! We’re on Islamic soil after all. If there’s one image that captures the Uzbekistan of imagination, it’s the Kukeldash Medrese - a classic piece of Islamic architecture that seems purpose-built for travel brochures and history documentaries. It’s what comes to mind when one hears the word “Uzbekistan”: arched portals, pale brickwork, and a layout that whispers Silk Road without trying too hard. The nearby Juma Mosque offers a quieter, more restrained counterpart: less ornate, but equally atmospheric. The most beautiful, however, is undoubtedly Tilla Shaykh… or so it seemed from a distance. Ongoing construction had barricaded the surrounding streets, and my attempt to get close with a camera was politely, but firmly, rejected. A pity - at least from what I glimpsed through the fencing, it deserved a proper look.

Not everything in Tashkent hits the mark. Some stops felt more like a scavenger hunt with no reward. The Autograph Art Gallery, for example: allegedly existing, but I gave up. The Navoi Theatre, which I hoped might offer a glimpse of Soviet glamour or at least a peek inside, had its doors firmly locked. And Navruz Square? Tiny, bare, and entirely forgettable. I have no idea why it shows up on travel lists… unless you’ve always dreamed of seeing an oversized patch of concrete with a few trees clinging to life, it’s not worth the walk. Unfortunately, the museum scene wasn’t much more satisfying. Most were either closed for renovation or for no clear reason at all. The State Art Museum? Shuttered. The Islam Karimov Memorial Museum? Also closed, though I didn’t exactly mourn that one. It’s dedicated to Uzbekistan’s first president, hailed locally as a national hero, but in practice more of a textbook authoritarian: known for silencing opposition (by torture and murder), suppressing dissent, and not unimportantly: the Adijan Massacre, his darkest legacy. The Andijan Massacre happened in 2005 (very recently!), when government forces opened fire on a peaceful protest in the Fergana Valley, killing hundreds of civilians. Exact numbers are still contested, but eyewitnesses are terrified to break the silence (which tells everything about the lingering effects of his hair-raising regime).

The only museum I managed to actually enter was the Amir Temur National Museum - and to be fair, it looked initially promising. A grand circular building topped with a turquoise dome, its interior equally majestic: high ceilings, sweeping staircases, marble inlays, and golden ornamentation in just the right (read: slightly over-the-top) quantity. It’s a palace disguised as a museum… or possibly the other way around. But as soon as you shift your gaze from the architecture to the exhibitions, things get a bit shakier. The displays, while respectfully curated, feel sparse, especially for a building this monumental. Many of the artifacts are replicas (the originals now residing comfortably in foreign institutions like the British Museum – the notorious master thieves of the century), and the artwork, although not badly done, has been created in recent years, giving the space a slightly theatrical edge. It’s a classic case of form over substance: a dazzling stage set for a historical narrative still searching for depth. That said, I did find one oddly compelling artifact: Amir Temur’s eyebrows. Preserved. Framed. Imagine dying and someone just randomly shows up with a razor to take a souvenir.

As for Temur himself? Uzbekistan’s national hero, namesake of countless squares, schools, and boulevards... Yeahhh, he wasn’t technically Uzbek. Wait, what? Here’s the thing: Uzbekistan, as a national concept, didn’t exist until the Soviets drew up the borders in the 1920s. When the country finally gained independence in 1991, it suddenly needed a unifying figure, preferably one from the region’s glorious past. Enter Amir Temur, 14th-century warlord, founder of the Timurid Empire, and enthusiastic conqueror of everything from Delhi to Damascus. Under his rule, Central Asia flourished economically and culturally. At the same time, cities across the Arab, Persian, Indian and Turkic worlds were pillaged and burned. Temur’s credentials? His empire’s capital was in modern-day Uzbekistan (Samarkand). That was enough. Never mind that he belonged to the Barlas, a Turko-Mongolian tribe, and that it was only after the collapse of the Timurid dynasty that the Uzbek Khanate could even rise to power. Temur, despite the awkward ethnographic detail, became the chosen face of Uzbek unity. Statues went up. Lenin’s name came down. The myth was born.

You must be getting hungry. If Uzbekistan does one thing exceptionally well, it’s plov. I ate it before in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, but here they’re really running with it. This national dish, a rich rice pilaf typically cooked with chunks of meat, carrots, onions, and enough oil to make your arteries file a restraining order, is the culinary heartbeat of the country. You’ll find plov on every menu, at every roadside stop, and under every family roof. For the real experience, head to Besh Qozon, the epicentre of plov-worship in Central Asia. Five types are served here: to'y osh, choyxona osh, zig'ir osh, devzira osh, and the unicorn of the bunch: maxsus to'y osh, a rare vegetarian variant (though likely still cooked in lamb fat). Another place to sample the local cuisine, if you’re up for a bit of chaos, is Chor Market. It’s sprawling, noisy, and smells like fifteen different food groups colliding. Everything’s for sale here: spices, fruits, meat, mystery kebabs… and carpets. So many carpets. I don’t know what it is about being a backpacker that makes people assume you’d love to lug a living room rug around the Silk Road, but here we are. It’s also an arena of haggling, which I personally loathe as looking as white as I do I will always draw the shortest straw. That said, it’s a good spot to taste a cross-section of Uzbek street food… if you’re feeling brave. I, for one, ended up spending half my time in Uzbekistan on a drip, in and out of hospitals, thanks to an eggplant salad from a more-or-less upscale restaurant, of all meals. Fun.

Also curious: the sheer number of sushi bars across Tashkent. For a country that’s one of only two double-landlocked nations in the world, besides Liechtenstein, that’s… bold. I didn’t touch the stuff, but apparently raw fish is having a moment, even if it had to travel a thousand kilometres to get there.

On my last night in Tashkent, curiosity got the best of me. After seeing billboards for something called Magic City scattered across town, I decided to investigate. I expected a mall. Maybe a food court with a ferris wheel. What I got instead was a full-blown theme park-meets-shopping-complex fever dream, no expense spared. There’s a pink Disney castle. A fake Gaudí façade. A replica of Samarkand that looks like it’s been dipped in sugar. Venice gondolas float on chlorinated canals while carousels spin under neon palm trees. Cotton candy, plastic duck fishing, popcorn machines, dancing fountains - it’s all here, turned up to eleven. Built as part of a government-backed push to create “Uzbekistan’s Disneyland,” Magic City is many things: surreal, over-the-top, borderline dystopian… and weirdly entertaining. Say what you want, but Uzbekistan really went all in.

If Tashkent starts to feel a bit too manicured or monument-heavy, nature isn’t far away. The city sits within reach of Ugam-Chatkal National Park, a protected area nestled in the western Tian Shan mountains and a favourite weekend escape for Tashkent locals. I had already seen its dramatic peaks and alpine scenery from the Kazakh side, so I decided to set my sights on Zaamin National Park instead - Uzbekistan’s quieter, lesser-known second national park tucked away near the Tajik border.

More on that in this blog.

Tashkent may not be the reason you came to Uzbekistan, but it’s probably where you’ll arrive, and possibly where you’ll leave. Most treat it as a jumping-off point to more ‘iconic’ destinations and I get that, but scratch beneath the surface, get off the main avenues, and you’ll find a city in flux: contradictory, theatrical, a little disoriented, but unexpectedly fascinating.

Quick Budget Fact Overview

Uzbekistan Facts

Capital: Tashkent
Language: Uzbek (official), Russian widely spoken
Population: ± 36.7 mln (Tashkent: ± 3 mln)
Sq km: ± 448,978 (Tashkent: ± 335)
Currency: Som (so'm – UZS)
Electricity Outlet: C+F / 220 V / 50 Hz
Country Code Phone: +998
Emergency Phone: 112 general, 101 fire, 102 police, 103 ambulance
Visa: 30-day visa-free access for many nationalities. Others can apply for an e-visa here.
Vaccinations: None mandatory, but Hepatitis A+B, Typhoid, and Tetanus are recommended
Climate: Arid / Continental Climate (B and D types). Hot, dry summers; cold winters.
High season: April–June & September–October (it can get unbearably hot in summer).

Short History Recap

6th century: Turkic tribes dominate. 8th: Arab conquest, Islam spreads. 9th-10th: Samanid rule, Persian culture flourishes. 1220s: Mongol invasion under Genghis Khan. 1370: Rise of Amir Temur (Tamerlane), capital in Samarkand. 1500s: Uzbek Shaybanid dynasty rules. 1740: Area absorbed by Persian Afsharid Empire. Late 1700s–1800s: Khivan, Kokand and Bukhara khanates. 1865: Russian Empire takes Tashkent. ’68: Samarkand. ’76: Bukhara and Khiva become Russian protectorates. 1916: Anti-Russian uprising crushed. ’17-‘20s: Bolshevik takeover, Red Army defeats local resistance. ’24: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) formed within USSR. ’37-‘38: Stalinist purges, Uzbek intelligentsia executed. ’60s: Mass cotton production, Aral Sea begins shrinking. ’85: Glasnost, protests begin. ’89: Islam Karimov becomes First Secretary of Uzbek Communist Party. ’90: Becomes president. ’91: Independence declared. ’92: Joins UN. ’95: Karimov re-elected in controversial vote. 2005: Andijan Massacre – hundreds killed by state forces after protests. ’07: Internet censorship increases. ’16: Karimov dies. Shavkat Mirziyoyev becomes president. ’17-‘23: Gradual reforms, improved foreign ties, tourism push.

FREE Sights / Activities

Sights: Tashkent Metro Stations, Hotel Uzbekistan, Palace of the Romanovs, Chorsu Bazaar, Abu Sahiy Market, Independence Square, Magic City (entry only), Monument of Courage, Minor Mosque, Dzhuma Mosque, Kukeldash Madrasah, Tilla Shaykh Mosque, Ankhor Canal, Seattle Peace Park.
Museums: Islam Karimov Museum.
Hikes / Nature: Yangi Oʻzbekiston Park, Botanical Garden (outer section), Tashkent City Park, Sayilgoh Park, Japanese Garden (perimeter).
Other: Free city walking tours (various providers – also check the Izi app).

PAID Sights / Activities

Sights: Tashkent TV Tower, Victory Park, Khazrati Imam Complex.
Museums: Amir Temur Museum, Museum of Applied Arts, State Museum of History, Museum of Victims of Political Repression, Railway Museum, State Art Museum of Uzbekistan, Polytechnical Museum.
Hikes / Nature: Ugam-Chatkal National Park, Charvak Lake.
Other: Besh Qozon Plov Center, Aqua Park.

Find a full list here.

Evening Entertainment

Nightlife: Broadway Street (Sailgokh), Shota Rustaveli Street, Promzona, Nosorog Area.
Theatres: Alisher Navoi State Academic Bolshoi Theatre, Ilkhom Theatre, Turon Theatre, Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan.

Local Festivals

Flower Festival – May
Opera Festival – May
MOCFEST – August (multimedia)
Asrlar Sadosi – August (traditional Uzbek culture, crafts, folk performances)
Independence Day – September 1st
Tashkent International Film Festival – September/October

Budget Bites

Main Supermarket Chains: Korzinka, Makro, Havas, Baraka Market.
Farmers Markets: Chorsu Bazaar, Alay Bazaar, Eski Juva Bazaar, Kuyluk Bazaar.
Local Dishes: Plov (national rice dish with meat, carrot, onion), Manti (steamed dumplings with meat or pumpkin), Lagman (hand-pulled noodles with meat and vegetables), Shurpa (meat broth soup with chunky vegetables), Shashlik (grilled meat skewers), Samsa (pastry stuffed with meat or pumpkin), Naryn (cold horse meat noodle dish), Dimlama (stewed meat and vegetables), Honim (steamed pasta layers with potato and onion), Chuchvara (small dumplings, similar to pelmeni), Mastava (rice and meat soup), Tandoori Kabob, Khalisa (wheat porridge with meat), Holvaytar (dense wheat halva), Patir (dense, oily flatbread), Tandyr Non (crusty round bread baked in clay oven).
The Veg Situation: Uzbek cuisine is generally meat-heavy, with broths and animal fat often used in cooking. However, some vegetarian dishes can be found, especially at bazaars. Local veg-friendly options include: Pumpkin Manti, Potato Samsa, Honim (enquire for meat-free version), Dimlama (check for meat content), Salads (such as Achichuk – tomato, onion, chili), Lentil Soup, Patir, Tandyr Non, and seasonal fruit. More veg spots (mainly in Tashkent) listed here.
National Drink: Green Tea, Ayran (salted yoghurt drink), Chalap (fermented dairy), Kompot (sweet fruit infusion), Kvas (mildly fermented rye drink), Uzbek Wine (Samarkand region – honestly not very good).

Sleep Cheap

Please note: Uzbekistan requires a registration for every night you are in the country. Make sure you retrieve this form from your hotels, as they sometimes don’t automatically give it (it costs them money, so an extra charge may apply). When camping, couchsurfing or staying with friends, you’re officially also urged to do it yourself within 3 days (not a very well-functioning sight, I didn’t manage). Some travelers reported to be checked on this at the border, some never heard about it again.

Hostels / Hotels / Guesthouses: Uzbekistan is budget-friendly when it comes to accommodation, especially outside the main tourist corridors like Samarkand or Khiva where prices can climb slightly (Bukhara is surprisingly cheap). In Tashkent and other major cities, there’s a solid offering of hostels and hotels — often recently built and unusually stylish for Central Asia. Dorm beds are widely available and cheap, and many guesthouses offer private rooms with shared bathrooms and a basic breakfast (usually bread, eggs and tea). However, just like in other parts of the region, don’t blindly trust the online “private room” label. Solo travellers might find themselves being “upgraded” into shared situations (read: strangers in your room), so messaging ahead to confirm privacy is highly recommended. Many guesthouse owners are still figuring out booking platforms, so misunderstandings are common. Cash is still the norm, only the more upscale hotels take card. Writer’s choice: I stayed in a 4-bed dormitory in the Asia Hostel, which offered surprisingly clean and proper facilities (incl. the essential air-conditioning and free laundry) for a rock-bottom nightly rate.
Couchsurfing: is legal and functional in Uzbekistan, although slightly less active than in western countries. Some hosts are still warming up to the platform, but you’ll find a few generous locals (especially in Tashkent) happy to share their home and stories. As always, personalization is key - don’t copy-paste, and show why you’re a good match. Most hosts don’t care about paid verification: positive reviews matter more. Cyclists can also try Warm Showers, which exists in the country but with a fairly limited host list.
Wild Camping: Unlike Kyrgyzstan, wild camping in Uzbekistan exists in a legal grey area. While not explicitly banned, it’s not officially encouraged either - and it’s not culturally common. In cities or suburbs, it’s a no-go. In remote nature areas, discreet camping is generally tolerated. Police may ask questions or request ID. Be extra careful near borders (especially Kazakhstan and Afghanistan), as these areas are patrolled and can be sensitive. When in doubt, ask a local if it’s alright, hospitality is very central to Uzbek culture.

Mama Said

Safety: Uzbekistan is one of the safest countries in Central Asia. Crime rates are low, and tourists are rarely targeted. There’s a visible police presence, especially in Tashkent and tourist zones, which may feel either reassuring or intrusive. Police might do passport checks, especially near major squares or train stations. Always carry a copy or digital scan if you don’t want to flash the real one. Avoid photographing police, government buildings or checkpoints. Note that drones are illegal in the entire country, and they’ll confiscate it upon arrival (what a waste!). Locals are helpful and curious, though you'll get plenty of stares.
Negotiating: Bargaining is expected at markets and especially with taxi drivers or in a context of shared transport (if you despise that as much as I do, download Yandex Go to get the standard rate at all times, without reversed discrimination). Prices are often fixed in restaurants and shops, but in tourist areas or bazaars, it’s game on. Sellers will toss out inflated prices, especially if you’re visibly foreign. Tip: Ask a local how much the going rate is and bring the exact change, saying that’s all the cash you have. They will not turn down the opportunity of profit, even if it’s less than they had hoped to squeeze out of you.
Tap Water: Generally not save to drink for foreign stomachs, even locals boil it. Tip: Most guesthouses offer a hot water kettle, which you can use to boil your own drinking water and refill bottles.
Health care is free at the state-run hospitals in Uzbekistan, also for foreigners (even multi-day hospitalization is free of charge). You will only be required to pay for the (cheap) medication or any medical appliances used, which can be done at the pharmacies generally located inside of the hospitals. As due to an intense food poisoning I got a bit too familiar with the local healthcare system, I can also confirm that the downside is that there won’t be any English-speaking doctors, conditions can be rundown and incredibly unhygienic and there is no air-conditioning or even a fan, also when it’s over 45 degrees. The overall system is very chaotic with limited treatment options, and there is zero privacy with other random patients constantly impatiently entering the office while you’re being treated. It’s also common for doctors to just share your personal medical condition with anyone who wants to hear it, including other curious patients. Without a clear system, it’s never anyone’s turn and Uzbeks aren’t familiar with forming lines or waiting out their turn to be attended, which is very stressful. If possible, go to a private and international hospital. Trust me, it’s worth it.
Money: Uzbekistan is still largely a cash society, though card acceptance is improving (without additional fees). ATMs are everywhere in the capital but are more scarce or unreliable in rural areas. The cash-out limits of the ATM machines are generally rather low. Tip: Withdraw from Kapitalbank, Ipak Yuli, or Asaka Bank for best odds - other banks often reject foreign cards or spit out error codes for sport. Watch out for: currency exchange scams, which still exist at borders and back alleys. Only exchange at official banks.
The best credit/debit card for traveling is Wise, hands down. It uses real exchange rates with the lowest fees and lets you hold multiple currencies, although not the Uzbek som. Revolut works too, but has higher weekend rates and fewer features.
Simcards are super cheap and easy. Main providers are Beeline, Ucell, Mobiuz, and Uzmobile. Most travelers go with Beeline for widest coverage and foreigner-friendliness, but I went with Ucell (with varying reliability). Bring your passport to buy and register, and ask them to get it started before you leave the store (unless you’re fluent in Uzbek or Russian). Avoid airport kiosks charging five times the street price. For peace of mind, get your sim at a major store in the city, like the Beeline office near Mustaqillik Square. Plans usually come with more data than you’ll ever need. Note that internet, both in guesthouses and from your own data, is rather slow.
Public toilets are rare and rarely good (though charged). Bring your own paper and hand sanitizer. Usually there is no soap or even water to wash your hands (hence the swift carry-over of viruses).
Google Maps is mostly reliable in cities, but sketchy in rural areas. Use 2GIS or Yandex Maps instead.
The power can cut out randomly, especially outside of Tashkent: a small power bank is a lifesaver.

Transport

Walking: Tashkent’s city center is relatively pedestrian-friendly, with wide boulevards, leafy parks, and decent sidewalks (minus the occasional construction crater or random curb gap). Most major sights around Amir Timur Square, Independence Square, and Chorsu Bazaar can be reached on foot. For anything beyond, you’ll want wheels.
Cycling: Technically possible, but practically a bit suicidal. Tashkent traffic is dense and unpredictable, and drivers tend to view cyclists as curious wildlife. Dedicated bike lanes do exist on some central stretches, but often double as parking spaces or scooter highways. If you do cycle, wear a helmet… and perhaps armor.
Public Transport: The Tashkent Metro is a highlight in itself: clean, efficient, and decorated like a Soviet art museum. It's incredibly cheap and runs from 5AM to midnight. Each ride requires a token (or a transit card if you're staying longer). Station security is intense: bags scanned, guards present - it’s all very Cold War chic. City buses and marshrutkas also crisscross the city. You pay the driver in exact cash. It’s dirt cheap and fairly reliable, though signage is in Cyrillic only. 2GIS and Yandex Maps works well; Google Maps doesn’t. Marshrutkas can be flagged down anywhere, while buses stop at designated stops.
Train: Uzbekistan has a modern, comfortable high-speed rail network. Unlike Kazakhstan and Kyrgzystan though, it is much more expensive than taking a bus or even shared taxi (up to 3-4x more expensive!). The Afrosiyob bullet train is the fastest and most foreigner-friendly option. I took the cheaper option from Tashkent to Jizzax and while it was 45c outside, this train managed to be somehow much hotter: proper hellfire. 0*, won’t recommend. Book online in advance via the official railway site (local phone nr needed) or at the station with your passport.
Taxi / Uber: Yandex Go is the local version (local phone nr needed). Reliable, cheap as chips, and saves you from haggling with drivers who will swear on their mother that the trip to your hostel is “far, very far.” Payment can be made by card if your account is set up right, otherwise cash. Do not hail taxis off the street unless you enjoy arguing or overpaying. They will try. Always.
Car Rental: Available, but not really worth it unless you’re planning to road trip beyond Tashkent. Traffic is hectic, parking’s a nightmare, and prices aren’t low (again, not for locals — just for you, dear tourist). If you insist, go through local agencies for better rates, rather than international brands.
Airport: Tashkent International Airport (TAS) is close to the city center. Unfortunately, transport from there is a weak link. There’s no official airport shuttle or metro connection. Options: Take Yandex Go or haggle for a taxi outside the terminal. There’s technically a marshrutka route (#11) that passes nearby, but with lots of luggage it’s not ideal. Extra tip: After baggage claim, many unlicensed drivers will swarm you. Ignore them, exit the airport area, and order a Yandex Go from the main road.
Hitchhiking: Possible, and you’ll also see locals standing on the roadside to catch rides (not with their thumbs up, but with their index finger down)… but it’s never truly free. Expect to pay something, especially if you look foreign, unless clearly discussed otherwise before entering the car. So you might as well just get a train, bus or shared taxi, if available on the trajectory.

Next?

In Uzbekistan: Zaamin National Park, Jizzax, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Fergana Valley, Termez.
International Destinations Close By: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan.

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