Top Attractions in Tashkent: What to See in One or Two Days
With one day in Tashkent, spend the morning in the old city and the afternoon in the centre. Start at Khazrati Imam, walk the Kukeldash Madrasa and Chorsu Bazaar, which stand side by side at Chorsu Square, then take the metro to Amir Temur Square and the Museum of the History of the Temurids, reopened after renovation in April 2026.
A second day is for one of the newer museums: the Center for Islamic Civilization next to Khazrati Imam, the Centre for Contemporary Arts in the centre, or ICHKARI, an old family house turned into a museum of home life.
One day: old city in the morning, centre in the afternoon
1. Khazrati Imam complex
The religious centre of old Tashkent: the Tillya Sheikh Mosque, the mausoleum of Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi, the Barak Khan Madrasa and the Imam al-Bukhari Islamic Institute around one square. The complex keeps the Quran of the third caliph Uthman, a 7th-century manuscript of 353 parchment leaves, separately, and a library of Eastern manuscripts is open to visitors.
Come in the morning, before the market. Cover shoulders and knees; women may be asked to cover their hair inside the mosques. Practical notes are on the Khazrati Imam page.
If you want the whole morning on this theme, add the Center for Islamic Civilization on the same square before you leave the area. It opens daily from 09:00 to 22:00 and sells timed session tickets. Prices on October 29, 2026: the standard foreign-visitor adult ticket was 425,000 UZS, with an English or Russian audio guide included. Session rules, dress code and the order of the two stops are in the Tashkent Islamic heritage route.
2. Kukeldash Madrasa and Chorsu Bazaar
The Kukeldash Madrasa, built around 1570, stands on a rise above Chorsu Square, next to the Friday Mosque of Khoja Akhror Vali. It works as an Islamic school again, so see it as a building rather than a museum. Its portal was restored in the 1960s and the minarets rebuilt in the 1970s.
Chorsu Bazaar is below it. The domed pavilion holds the food stalls: dried fruit, nuts, spices, bread. Clothing, carpets and crafts, including ceramics, doppi skullcaps and textiles, are in separate rows outside. Bring small cash for stalls; card acceptance varies. An hour is enough unless you are shopping. More on stalls and timing: Chorsu Bazaar.
From Khazrati Imam to Chorsu, take a taxi; the madrasa is visible as soon as you get out at Chorsu Square.
3. Metro from Chorsu to the centre
Chorsu metro station is at the square. Tashkent Metro opened in 1977, and every station has its own design, so the ride to the centre is a sight in itself. Pay with an ATTO transport card, the ATTO app or face payment; card purchase and top-up are explained in metro tickets and the ATTO card. For a station-by-station route with the most decorated halls, use the metro architecture walk.
4. Amir Temur Square and the Temurids museum
The Museum of the History of the Temurids is at 1 Amir Temur Avenue, beside the square with the Amir Temur equestrian statue. It reopened on April 9, 2026 after a renovation that reorganised the nine main halls chronologically and added an immersive zone on Temur’s life.
Go Tuesday to Sunday. Most listings show the museum closed on Mondays; no official timetable or foreign-visitor price was published when this page was checked on October 29, 2026.
5. Evening
For opera or ballet, book the Alisher Navoi Bolshoi Theatre; for contemporary drama, the Ilkhom Theatre. Venues, ticket channels and languages are in arts, music and ballet in Uzbekistan. Dated concerts and shows are in the Tashkent events calendar.
Second day: one newer museum
Choose by what you have not seen yet:
| If you want | Go to | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| More Islamic heritage | Center for Islamic Civilization, next to Khazrati Imam | Daily 09:00–22:00; timed sessions; audio guide in the foreign-visitor ticket |
| Contemporary art in the centre | Centre for Contemporary Arts, 6 Amir Temur Street, Building B | Free, but register in advance; closed on Mondays. See the CCA visiting guide |
| How a Tashkent family lived | ICHKARI, 30A Belarik Street | Main exhibition free, 11:00–20:00; call +998 92 143 28 88 before a Monday visit |
| A quiet painting museum | Ural Tansykbaev House Museum | Reopened after restoration in late 2025; a detour for repeat visitors |
ICHKARI is in Yakkasaray district, as is the State Museum of Applied Arts and Crafts at 15 Rakatboshi Street, so the two fit one afternoon. Collections, prices and routes for all four places are in new museums and cultural spaces in Tashkent. New Uzbekistan Park and the New Tashkent district are covered in new Tashkent attractions.
Day trips and onward trains
With a spare day, go to the mountains east of the city: Chimgan, reached by suburban train to Chinorkent and minibus 324 or 325; Charvak reservoir for a summer day by the water; or Khodjikent by suburban train. Samarkand and Bukhara are better as overnight stops than as day trips; see the Samarkand and Bukhara guides.
Compare live schedules on 12go and cross-check the official Uzbekistan Railways portal before payment.
FAQ
What can I see in Tashkent on a Monday?
Keep Monday for the old city: Khazrati Imam, Kukeldash, Chorsu and the metro, plus the Center for Islamic Civilization, which opens daily. The CCA is closed on Mondays and the Temurids museum is listed as closed too; ICHKARI’s website shows both daily opening and a Monday closure, so call first.
Is one day enough for Tashkent?
For the main sights, yes: the old-city morning and the metro-and-museum afternoon above. A second day lets you add one museum without rushing, or a mountain day trip.
Do I need cash?
At Chorsu stalls and for small purchases, yes. The metro takes the ATTO card, app or face payment, and museum tickets for the Center for Islamic Civilization are sold online on iTicket and at the box office.