Hotels in Tashkent tend to be a bit overpriced compared to the other cities in Uzbekistan. There is a lack of budget accommodation, and especially in the mid-price segment there are few inspiring options for now: Tashkent lacks the charming bnb’s of Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand.

However, economic liberalisation has set the concrete mixers spinning in motion, and new hotels are springing up like mushrooms in autumn.

Apartment rentals have been legalised recently. This has vastly increased options: we recommend the area between the metro stops Kosmonavtlar and Oybek and Mirabad Bazaar as the prime location.

Quick links: Tashkent main page – Transport guide – Samarkand accommodation – Bukhara accommodation

Which neighbourhood?

Tashkent is a big, sprawling city with 2 cores: old Tashkent centered around Chorsu bazaar and Khast Imam, and new Tashkent centered around the Opera and Amir Timur Square.

You are bound to take transport while navigating Tashkent: staying within walking distance of a metro stop makes a difference. A quick rundown of the central neighbourhoods:

Opera Square

The only square in Tashkent you could deem “cosy” instead of “vast treeless expanse”, within walking distance of the 3 main museums and Anhor Canal, a few high-end restaurants and Broadway, the locus of Tashkent’s passeggiata. Metro: Kosmonavtlar

Amir Timur Square

Vast treeless expanse dominated by iconic run-down hotel. Close to Broadway, otherwise just a bit less central compared to the Opera. Best choices to eat and drink are around Sodiq Azimov-Istiqbol. Metro: Amir Timur.

Mirabad street and bazaar

The Korean neighbourhood. Lots of food options, lively in the evening, not so far from the train station. Metro: Oybek.

Chorsu

Residential district centered around Chorsu bazaar, near Khast Imam. Winding streets, single-storey houses instead of highrises. Metro: Chorsu.

UzExpoCentre

Near metro Bodomzor north of the centre, the UzExpoCentre holds Tashkent’s major exhibitions and the National Bank Headquarters. A number of high-end hotels cater to the business community in this area.

Recommendations

Best budget accommodation in Tashkent

Art Hostel has been the best budget accommodation in Tashkent for some time now. Gulnara Guesthouse is a good alternative, but Art Hostel has a better breakfast, a better location and a swimming pool. Sunrise Caravan is a good option as well – 3rd place.

Topchan tends to get a bit dirty, Anvar’s Guests is a bit weird and in need of remodeling, while Mirzo’s place shows its age and is far away.

Best mid-range accommodation in Tashkent

Difficult choice here when it comes to hotels. Renting an apartment is probably the best value for money: there are several aparthotels and professional landlords to make this an attractive option.

In the lower price range, we can recommend homely Jahongir: good for singles who want some privacy. For 20$ more you can stay at Hotel Bek, which promises a swimming pool, cheerful staff and a classy feel, rather than the morose options far out of town.

Citizen Hotel is not a bad option either for those who like to feel on top of the world: big views and huge rooms. At the top end of the range (~100$), we are mostly positive about Aster (a lot of attitude) and Sharq (classic elegance).

The rest: Art Hotel, Grand Art, Silver, Safar, Grand Mir, Pearl Tashkent, Shodlik Palace

Best high-end accommodation in Tashkent

All high-end hotels in Tashkent have issues with getting staff up to an international standard. As so often in Central Asia, it all looks great at first sight, but once you start poking around, things tend to fall apart quickly. There is no consistency.

The second problem: hotels are overpriced. The building boom in Tashkent should lower prices in the future, but for now, it is bad value for money.

Ichan Qala offers the best value for money, and you get the added bonus of sleeping in what used to be Gulnara Karimova’s private property. Good choice if you want something romantic. The International has the most stylish rooms, Lotte City Palace has the best location overlooking the Opera.

Wyndham, Radisson Blu and Hyatt Regency are decent options for the business traveler, but for this price, we were expecting more.

Hotel reviews

Anvar’s Guests

Anvar is the lovely host of this homely stay, but his rooms are very tired, the walls are made of paper and the general lay-out of the building is, let us say, quirky. Hope you like mirrors. Not a bad place to stay, but not a good place to stay either.

Check rates at Anvar’s Guests on Booking.com

Art Hostel

With a pleasant atmosphere, dedicated cleaning ladies, fun receptionists, a breakfast buffet and a small swimming pool, Art Hostel stands head and should above the other hostels in Tashkent. Management has an eye for detail and keeps prices low. Couples and singles who don’t mind sharing a bathroom will also feel right at home, despite the hostel moniker.

Check rates at Art Hostel on Booking.com

Art Hotel

Not to be confused with the Art Hostel, this is a basic hotel for a basic price, but better located than others in this category. Just a place to put your head down. Take the double suite, it is much roomier than the cramped twin rooms for a mere 5$ extra.

Check rates at Art Hotel on Booking.com

Aster Hotel Group

Business travellers sick of beige interiors will welcome this new boutique hotel with themed floors. You gotta like purple though, and funky-fresh plastik. If that is your style, Aster is a great 90-100$ hotel.

Gloria (3rd floor) has fresh doubles. Dervish (4th floor) is an elegant mix of Swedish design and Uzbek ikats. The deluxe rooms are bling.

Check rates at Aster Hotel Group on Booking.com

Bek Hotel

For around 50$, this is one of the best mid-price options in Tashkent at the moment. Similar in terms of room sizes, amenities at half the price of other hotels in Tashkent, Bek is a good choice.

Check rates at Bek Hotel on Booking.com

Citizen Hotel

Formerly known as the Mustaqillik, the Citizen Hotel is a surprise winner. We had low expectations going in, but rooms are very spacious, well equipped, reasonably priced and have some of the best views in town. The restaurant is good, staff is responsive and the location is great.

Check rates at Citizen Hotel on Booking.com

Grand Art Hotel

Another contender in the category of basic overpriced midrange hotel, the Grand Art Hotel does not hit the mark. It isn’t terrible, it just made us feel a bit sad.

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Grand Mir Hotel

Formerly known as the Hotel Rossiya, the Grand Mir is just a bit too old to contend with other 4-star hotels. Rooms, bathrooms, breakfast, … are standard. A good mid-range hotel for the price of a luxury hotel, we are not sure who the Grand Mir is trying to please. You can find a better place to stay.

Check rates at Grand Mir Hotel on Booking.com

Gulnara Guesthouse

Gulnara and her family have perfected the art of hosting. They are just wonderful, kind people. The courtyard is a great place to hang out, the rooms are clean and the location in the old part of Tashkent is good.

Check rates at Gulnara Guesthouse on Booking.com

Hyatt Regency

Advertising itself as the top hotel in Tashkent, the Hyatt Regency instead badly underdelivers. Sure, the food is great and the rooms are nice, but other luxury hotels do the same (and better) at half the price. On top of that, there are too many little annoyances for a 5-star hotel, from furniture that is already starting to break down to underperforming staff.

Finally, there is the matter of design. A random collection of showpieces and bad corporate art, the lobby is filled with shiny abstract curves that signify nothing at all. If there is a theme to the whole affair, it must be the meaninglessness of casino capitalism.

Check rates at Hyatt Regency on Booking.com

Ichan Qala

A stay with a touch of history… Anyone with a fascination for Uzbekistan’s Karimov era will love this place. Built in 2010, the Ichan Qala was opened to the public in 2016 after being confiscated from Gulnara “Googoosha” Karimova, who used it as a guesthouse for her friends.

Tacky is not a style here, it is a way of life. We advise to let go of your “good taste” and indulge in your dictator daughter fantasies instead: standard rooms are more spacious and inviting than others at this price point in Tashkent. The senior suite is a major upgrade and well worth the money for everyone who loves to add a theatrical touch to their night of romance.

Check rates at Ichan Qala on Booking.com

International Hotel

Previously known as the Intercontinental, this showpiece hotel was bought and renovated by Hilton in 2017, and rebranded to the International. Luckily, the renovation is much better than the name. We think this is the best business and luxury hotel in Tashkent.

Standard rooms are perfectly sized and artfully designed – perhaps the most stylish in all of Central Asia – their sleek surfaces embody all that is good about the loaded term “luxury.”  Get a backside room with view over the lake and the Japanese garden, or a frontside view with big city lights come evening.

Check rates at International Hotel on Booking.com

Jahongir B&B

A homely, private place to stay, Jahongir Tashkent does not have the charm of its sister in Samarkand. Nonetheless, it is a good place to stay. Economy rooms are okay, but we recommend to go for the small upgrade: it makes a big difference. Jahongir is not nearby anything of tourist interest, but it is close to a metro station, so getting around is easy enough. 

Check rates at Jahongir B&B on Booking.com

Lotte City Palace

Overlooking the Opera Square, the Lotte probably has the best tourist location in Tashkent. It does tend to overprice itself: 220$ is a lot of money for their standard rooms, 150 would be more reasonable. But if you are tired, knackered and looking to get pampered, want everything in walking distance and don’t mind paying a bit extra, this hotel will suit you perfectly.

Check rates at Lotte City Palace on Booking.com

Mirzo Bed and Breakfast

One of the first hostels in Uzbekistan, Mirzo has since been superseded by other, better hostels. Sure, the host family is friendly, but the place is in need of upkeep, something that is unlikely to happen as the owners are building a new hotel near the Circus: all attention is diverted there.

Check rates at Mirzo B&B on Booking.com

Radisson Blu

Across the street from the International, the Radisson is a standard business hotel with a wonderful swimming pool area. An excellent choice if the company is paying and you need to be at UzExpo. If you want a luxury hotel experience instead, it pales in comparison to its neighbour. Expensive, the rooms are a bit boring and restaurant choice is limited.

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Safar Hostel

As a single traveller, this is the cheapest deal for a single room w/o ensuite we could find. There is good reason for that: it isn’t very nice. It is mostly used as a cheap place to overnight for local men on a work-related trip; single women might feel uncomfortable here.

The double rooms with ensuite for around 40$ are better insulated and quite spacious, but you still feel you are sleeping in a Soviet-era hospital. Hotel Bek nearby is a much better option and just slightly more expensive. Similar to that, Art hotel has smaller twin rooms but feels a bit nicer – definitely a better choice as well if you take the suite.

Check rates at Safar Hostel on Booking.com

Sharq

A good hotel with an upmarket feel, a sumptuous breakfast buffet and a pleasant swimming pool area, the only thing wrong with the Sharq in our opinion is the price. Room prices hover around 100$, and you get more for that money at Ichan Qala. 20$ less and it would be a clear winner.

Check rates at Sharq on Booking.com

Shodlik Palace

With its downbeat atmosphere, tired rooms and unmotivated staff, all the Shodlik has left is faded glory. It’s not bad for 40$. Sadly, we were quoted 160$.

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Silver Hotel

It is ugly as hell and a bit smelly, but it’s another contender in the basic price category. All amenities are working, and the price is similar to its competitors.

Check rates at Silver Hotel on Booking.com

Sunrise Caravan

There are few negatives we can think of at Sunrise Caravan: it is one of the top hostels in Tashkent. We’d say the Art hostel still wins because of its swimming pool and breakfast, and Gulnara’s is just a bit homelier, but Sunrise Caravan has excellent room facilities to compensate. You can enjoy your visit to Tashkent with Sunrise Caravan as your base. 

Check rates at Sunrise Caravan on Booking.com

Pearl Tashkent

Another contender in the basic hotel category, Tashkent Pearl is not a winner. Near the UzExpoCentre, rooms are simple, the bathroom is cramped and breakfast is basic. It’s worth 30$ but sadly owners price it much higher.

Check rates at Pearl Tashkent on Booking.com

Topchan Hostel

A step below the top hostels due to a lack of hygiene, poor breakfast, and a bad location, Topchan Hostel still remains popular with backpackers. If Gulnara and Art Hostel are full, this is your best bet

Check rates at Topchan Hostel on Booking.com

Wyndham

Soviet-era travellers will recognize the Wyndham as the old Dostlik Hotel, but the international chain did a good job remodeling the place. Perfect if you are organizing a conference. If you are not, we feel everything is just a bit too simple for a 5-star hotel (with 5-star prices). The Van Gogh reproduction above the bedhead asks a poignant question: lack of imagination, or just playing it too safe?

Like other high-end hotels in Tashkent, Wyndham also suffers from exaggerated prices and underperforming staff, but in the end, the wi-fi is good and the pillows are fluffy, so it’s a decent option for those who carry the loyalty card and need to get some work done.

Check rates at Wyndham on Booking.com

Other cities

Have a look at our accommodation guides for Samarkand and Bukhara.