This post's overview:
- 1 Is Tashkent underground worth visiting?
- 2 A bit about the history of the Tashkent metro
- 3 When does metro in Tashkent close
- 4 The most beautiful metro stations in Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Our top list
- 5 Summary of the most beautiful metro stations in Tashkent
- 6 Here are some other posts you might like reading:
Hi there, in this article, I would love to share with you the list of the most beautiful metro stations in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. If you’re reading this post, I assume that you’re either interested in going to Tashkent, or you’re already there and looking for some things to do. In this case, you can read my article about our itinerary for Tashkent and Samarkand in 4 days as well – you might find a lot of valuable tips.
Is Tashkent underground worth visiting?
A lot of people are wondering where Tashkent underground is worth visiting. Well, the short – answer is yes, of course. Tashkent metro is one of the most popular landmarks in Tashkent – not only it’s practical and transports you from place A to place B, but it’s also stunning. Tashkent has some of the most beautiful metro stations in the world.
Moreover, Tashkent metropolitan is immaculately clean and very cheap. The ticket for one ride costs less than $0.3 (in December 2021, it was circa 1400 UZS, which is $0.14, and for that money, you can spend the entire day visiting various metro stations! However, you need to pay again once you exit the metro.
A bit about the history of the Tashkent metro
Tashkent metro was opened in 1977 during the USSR times (Uzbekistan was part of the USSR) and it was the first underground in Central Asia. It currently has 43 stations, 31 of which are underground. It’s not as deep as the metro in Moscow or St. Petersburg, for example, however, it was fairly challenging to build as Tashkent is prone to earthquakes (one of them destroyed half of the city in the middle of the 20th century). Hence, the underground in Tashkent was built to last – it can endure earthquakes with the magnitude of 9 (which is a lot).
Since 2020, tokens are no longer accepted in the Tashkent metro. You can buy a paper ticket with a QR code in a special booth with a cashier through the special app or use any contactless bank card in order to enter (we used Monzo cards from the UK with no problems).
When does metro in Tashkent close
If you’re wondering about the opening hours of the metro in Tashkent, it usually works from 5am to midnight. During some holidays, it opens even earlier. The breaks between trains are usually around 8 minutes. That’s a bit unfortunate because it means that in order to see most of the stations in Tashkent, you need to exit, take photos and then wait 8 minutes until the next train.
The most beautiful metro stations in Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Our top list
Alright, finally, let’s talk about the most beautiful metro stations in Tashkent. There are quite a few, however, I will list here the ones that we thought were the most stunning!
Our absolute favourite metro station in Tashkent is Kosmonavtlar. We liked it a lot because of its uniqueness. As you can see from the name, it’s dedicated to the cosmonauts and not just cosmonauts, but the most important soviet cosmonauts like Yuri Gagarin or Valentina Tereshkova. I loved the colour scheme and the design of this station – it’s absolutely stunning. We spent about 5 minutes just walking around and looking at the portraits of different cosmonauts – luckily, that was easy as the gaps between trains are around 7-9 minutes (8, on average).
Another of the must-visit Tashkent metro stations is Alisher Navoi. Named after the famous Afghan poet, who lived in the 15th century, this station looks like a palace. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it on the list of the most beautiful stations in the entire world, but if not, I think it totally deserves to be there. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take a photo that would do this station justice, as it looks 100 times better in person!
Toshkent
Another stunning metro station in Tashkent is named after the city, where it’s located, Tashkent. In the Uzbek language, Toshkent is the name of the city (or Тошкент – when Cyrillic was still used in Uzbekistan). Toshkent is the underground station serving the central railway station of Uzbekistan. The station looks very monumental – with large marble columns decorated with beautiful blue carved decorations at the top.
Mustakillik
Another stunning metro station is Mustakillik – it reminded me of the Avtovo metro station in Saint Petersburg, Russia, but it’s also somehow very different. The ceiling and the chandeliers were gorgeous!
Pakhtakor
Pakhator is another station in central Tashkent that is worth visiting. It’s the interchange station from Alisher Navoi – you don’t even need to take any trains to get there. While the station itself is rather simple, the walls are decorated with marble that looks like traditional Uzbek embroidery – definitely unique and stunning! You can see a lot of these beautiful geometrical patterns in other cities of Uzbekistan (e.g. in Samarkand or Bukhara).
Beruniy
Bernie station has a slightly different layout compared to other stations – it has a much wider platform and an arched roof with a geometrical pattern. It’s not as grand as Alisher Navoi or Kosmonavtlar, but it’s totally worth visiting if you have extra time in Tashkent.
Tinchlik
We didn’t spend that much time in Tinchlik – basically, when the train stopped, I ran out, looked around, took 1 photo and ran back to the train, as we needed to go to the next location and it was already getting late. However, I must say that I liked what I saw during these 30 seconds – if you’re a bit luckier than we were and you have more time to explore the Tashkent metro, you can explore and enjoy this station.
Gafur Gulom
The last one of the most beautiful metro stations in Tashkent is called Gafur Gulom and it’s named after a very famous Uzbek poet and writer. While the station itself is more simple (however, it’s still made of marble), I like the unique and unusual ceiling with circular lamps at the top!
Summary of the most beautiful metro stations in Tashkent
Alright, these were 8 of the most beautiful metro stations in Tashkent and I think at least 2 of them deserve to be recognised on the international level. As I mentioned previously, the gaps between the trains in Tashkent are slightly long, around 8 minutes, on average. Hence, visiting every station in Tashkent might take an entire day. If you only have 1 hour to explore the Tashkent metro, I recommend visiting these 3 stations: Alisher Navoi (+ Pakhtakor, as they are technically one station), Mustakillik and, of course, Kosmonavtlar, which is probably the most unique station I’ve seen in Uzbekistan.
There are way more stunning metro stations in Tashkent than 8 – I only had an opportunity to explore these 8 and the other ones we’ve seen on the way to Chorsu market and some other attractions, but these 8 were the ones that impressed us the most.
Here are some other posts you might like reading:
Is Tashkent worth visiting? The best things to do in Tashkent in 2 days
The itinerary for 4 days in Uzbekistan
Travelling to Uzbekistan in winter: is it any good?