Centrally located, Tashkent serves as the transport hub of Uzbekistan. Within the city, hot summers, wide boulevards, congested traffic and spacious city planning often makes the cavernous underground the best solution to get around.
Quick links: Tashkent main page – Accommodation guide
Table of Contents
Transport to/from Tashkent
Train
Tashkent is connected by train to every major city in Uzbekistan, as well as many destinations in Kazakhstan and Russia directly. Besides a seasonal connection with Bishkek, there are no direct rail connections with cities in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan or Turkmenistan. In general, the railroad is a convenient, inexpensive, interesting and fast way to get around Uzbekistan. All details on the Uzbek train page.
Central train station
Tashkent has several train stations, but the central train station at the end of Shevchenko street is where travelers usually need to be (OSM / Gmaps). To get to/from the train station, you can take the metro (Toshkent station on the Blue Line), a city bus from the big bus stop to the side, or a taxi.
Do make sure the central station is where you need to be: occasionally trains leave from a more southern station like Tukimachi or Janubiy.
Just to be on the safe side, you should try and get there 30 min before departure; sometimes a big queue forms at the different security checks.
You can buy train tickets here, but it’s always busy: try to get it elsewhere if you can. There are no banking services inside the railway station; the nearest bank is either across from the station on the corner with Shevshenko street, or on Amir Timur street, just past the bridge.
You can find some stolovaya food upstairs in the train station if you are desperate. 24/7 luggage storage is available.
Flight
Tashkent airport is usually not a cheap place to fly to internationally due to Uzbek Airways’ quasi-monopoly over the Uzbek skies. Keep it in mind when booking if you are planning a multi-country tour – it might be cheaper to fly in and out elsewhere. Check our Uzbek flights page for detailed info.
Long-distance bus
Long-distance buses in Uzbekistan are slow, old and uncomfortable. What’s more, they are only faintly cheaper than trains or shared taxis. Should you wish to take one anyway, you should make your way to Tashkent’s central bus terminal, near Olmazor metro station (OSM / Gmaps – tel: 2793929).
(Shared) taxi
Shared taxis are a faster alternative to the bus, in cases where the train is not an option. Practice your haggling skills before you make your way to the taxi stand. Try to get the front seat – it’s 3 in the back.
Taxis to Ferghana Valley gather north of the train station (OSM / Gmaps) and at Kuyluk Bazaar (OSM / Gmaps). Taxis to other long-distance destinations gather just outside of the central bus terminal.
Onward travel destinations
Samarkand
The fast train (~45000 sum) brings you in 2 comfortable hours to Samarkand. If you miss it, you can get on the 4-hour slow train (~35000 sum) or take a shared taxi (4h – 50 000 sum) or bus.
Bukhara
The fast train takes 4 hours to get to Bukhara (~90 000 sum), while a slower one takes 6 hours (~70 000 sum). An even slower, overnight train takes 8 hours (~50 000 sum). Less attractive options are a bus (10h, 40 000 sum), shared taxi (8h, 60 000 sum) or airplane (1h10, ~60$).
Urgench (Khiva) / Nukus
Slow trains link Tashkent with Urgench (16 h, ~25$) and Nukus (18-23 h, ~30$) via Samarkand and Navoi. A taxi ride from Urgench train station to Khiva costs 5000 sum and takes 25 minutes.
Alternatively, Uzbek Airways has frequent Tashkent-Nukus (1h45, ~80$) and Tashkent-Urgench (1h40, ~75$) connections.
Ferghana Valley and Osh
A frequent train service runs Tashkent – Kokand (4hr- 40 000 sum) – Margilan – Andijan (6h, 60 000 sum). From Andijan, you can skip across the Dostyk border to Osh.
A shared taxi to Kokand would be a bit less comfortable, a bit less safe and a bit slower, but similarly priced. A shared taxi straight to Andijan or Namangan could take a long time to fill up; best to either pay for the whole car or change transport in Kokand.
Taxis to Ferghana Valley gather near Kuyluk Bazaar at Vodiy Pitak (OSM / Gmaps).
Infrequent Uzbek Airways flights link Tashkent with Andijan and Namangan (1h, ~50$).
Termez
Tashkent is connected to Termez by overnight train (15h, 15$) and direct flight (1h30, ~75$). The airport is a 15 minute taxi ride from the city center (aim for 10 000 sum).
Shymkent
It’s only 130 km between Tashkent and Shymkent, but tiresome border procedures and a switch of transport make it slow. See our notes on the Chernayevka/Zhibek-Joly crossing for the details. We estimate an average 3-4 hours door to door, depending on border traffic. The train will be a bit slower and more expensive.
Buses straight from Tashkent to Almaty or Astana exist but are not recommended.
Almaty
Since 2017, a direct Talgo-train links Almaty and Tashkent in about 16 hours, 10 hours quicker than before. The train runs twice weekly either way.
If you prefer the slower version, train number 21 still runs between Almaty and Nukus. On this train, Almaty – Tashkent takes 26 hours (with long border halt). Prices fluctuate and the slow train could be more expensive.
Air Astana and Uzbek Airways operate flights (1,5h) between Tashkent and Almaty.
Astana
Air Astana and Uzbek Airways operate flights (2h) between Tashkent and Astana. Train make the journey in 30 hours or more, depending on connection times.
Bishkek
Flights exist between Tashkent and Bishkek two times a week. Overland, the quickest way is via Kazakhstan.
A direct bus to Bishkek via Kazakhstan exists (13 h, 2000 som – Q&A), but if you don’t buy your ticket at least a day in advance, the bus might be full. If that is the case, make your way to Shymkent and cross the border there.
In summer, a train from Tashkent to Balykchy at lake Issyk-Kul stops over in Bishkek. All details on the Uzbek train page.
Khujand
A direct bus runs between Tashkent and Khujand. This and other options are layed out in our notes on the Oybek border crossing. The whole ride should take around 4h.
Dushanbe
Regular flights occur between Tashkent and Dushanbe. Overland, this is a day-long journey (8-10h): first to Khujand, then through the Anzob tunnel to Dushanbe. It might be possible to shortcut via Bekobod – see the border crossings section on the status of the Bekobod crossing.
Getting around Tashkent
A single transport payment card was introduced in 2020 for travel on the metro and buses. The cost of a card is 11 000 sum and includes one free trip. From then on, a trip costs 1400 sum.
Metro
Tashkent’s underground network is often the quickest way to get around in the city. Stations are clean and safe. In addition, they each sport a different design that reflects their era of inception; especially the red and blue lines, built in respectively the 70’s and 80’s, are a real timewarp.
A token for the metro costs 1200 sum, and trains run every 8-10 minutes from 5 am to midnight.
Taking pictures inside used to be forbidden, but it is allowed nowadays. You still need to have your bag checked when you enter the station. There is no need for paranoia; the security is not corrupt or angry, they are friendly types, happy to have a chat with a foreigner.
Bus
Buses run from 6am until midnight. Mybus Tashkent is a pretty advanced app with realtime data on buses, but it is Russian-only, Android-only for now, and trip planning is complicated if you don’t know Tashkent. Wikiroutes is a more useful alternative to plan your route.
Taxi
Taxis around the city cost between 1000 and 8000 sum, depending on your destination. Although ride-hailing apps are being used, it is usually quicker and cheaper to flag a gypsy cab down from the side of the road. Make sure you agree on a price before you get in.
You can also try a taxi driver loitering on a street corner if you see one, but these types are more likely to propose a ridiculous price.
Street names and house numbers are totally useless in Tashkent. Since street names change every 3 months in Uzbekistan, no one will understand your directions based on whatever it says in Google Maps today. Taxi drivers only know orientation points, not street names. Additionally, you need to know the old names for these places. So don’t say first street left after Grand Mir hotel (new name), say Tatarka (old name) instead, or even better, Gostinitsa Rossiya (even older name). Byvshe (former) is a good word to know here.
Cycling
Tashkent’s territory is flat and in principle very suited to cycling, but for now, the infrastructure is very car-focused. There are no cycle paths in Tashkent. There is no bike-sharing scheme. Cycling in the city is still seen as a leisure activity rather than a form of transport.
This means recreational spaces like parks and shopping malls are where you’ll find bike rental. Count on 6000-8000 sum for an hour. Broadway (pedestrian streets between Amir Timur Square and Sharaf Rashidov street) is rental central – but you can find more spots on this Tashkent bike rental map.