# Navoi Theatre, Tashkent > The Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre is Uzbekistan's main opera house, a 12–15 minute walk from Amir Timur Square. The facade and fountain are free to see at any time — 20 minutes is enough. To get inside you need a ticket for a show: unofficially 77,000–220,000 som, evening shows usually start at 19:00, and there are no performances on Mondays. A night at the ballet takes about three hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/navoi-theatre - City: [Tashkent](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent), Uzbekistan - YesGo score: 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 20 min - Entry: Shows from 77,000 som - Opening hours: Shows usually at 19:00, children's shows around midday; no shows on Mondays (unofficial). Facade and fountain — any time - With kids: Fine with kids - Outside: Free: facade, fountain and the memorial plaque - Show tickets: Usually 77,000–220,000 som; festivals and premieres cost more - Where to buy: iTicket website or app, iTicket sales points, or the theatre box office - Cards: iTicket says it takes Visa and Mastercard with 3D Secure and sells to buyers abroad - Box office: 11:00–19:00, unofficial - Start times: Evenings usually 19:00, sometimes 18:00; children's shows around 12:00 - Day off: Monday — no performances - Address: 28 Zarafshon Street, Tashkent - Metro: Mustaqillik Maydoni, about 7 minutes on foot - Coordinates: 41.30917, 69.27167 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **1947** — opened in November for the 500th anniversary of the poet Alisher Navoi (source: English Wikipedia; Orexca) - **6 foyers** — each decorated in the style of a region: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Termez, Fergana (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orexca) - **1,400–1,440** — seats in the stalls and two tiers — the sources disagree (source: English Wikipedia — 1,400; Russian Wikipedia and Uzbekistan Travel — 1,440) - **Alexey Shchusev** — the architect, who also came up with the fountain in front (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orexca; English Wikipedia) - **1945** — Japanese prisoners of war arrived in Tashkent in November and worked on the final stage of building (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orexca; English Wikipedia) - **1996** — a plaque about the Japanese builders was put up on the theatre wall (source: English Wikipedia; Russian Wikipedia) - **1959** — the theatre became an Academic theatre (source: English Wikipedia; Russian Wikipedia; Visit Tashkent) - **1966** — it was given Bolshoi (Grand) status (source: English Wikipedia; Russian Wikipedia) - **2012–2015** — the building was reconstructed while the company played elsewhere (source: Russian Wikipedia; Visit Tashkent) - **1929** — the company began as the Uzbek musical theatre of Mukhiddin Kari-Yakubov (source: Visit Tashkent; English Wikipedia) - **Ganch** — carved plaster in the foyers, by masters from different regions; the Bukhara hall is by Shirin Muradov (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orexca) - **Chingiz Akhmarov** — painted the large murals in the foyers (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orexca) > **You only see the interior with a show** There is no daytime walk-in visit, and we found no regular building tours. The carved foyers open before each performance, so arrive 30–40 minutes early to explore them. Without a ticket you still get the facade, the fountain and the plaque to the Japanese builders — all free. ## Navoi Theatre tickets and prices For regular performances tickets cost **77,000–220,000 som** — these are iTicket prices for upcoming shows, so treat them as unofficial. Premieres and festival nights can run from 100,000 to 800,000 som. The cheap seats are high up in the tiers: you see the whole stage but hear the orchestra less well. The easiest way to buy is **iTicket**, the city's main ticket platform, on its website or app. The e-ticket goes to your email and you show it on your phone. iTicket says it accepts Visa and Mastercard with 3D Secure and sells to buyers outside Uzbekistan. For cash, use an iTicket sales point or the theatre box office, unofficially open 11:00–19:00. Around town, local Humo and Uzcard cards work everywhere; foreign Visa and Mastercard are taken in many places but not all, and Russian-issued cards don't work. Carry some som in cash for the cloakroom, the buffet and taxis. ## What's on and when The repertoire is opera and ballet: classics like Giselle and Swan Lake, Uzbek operas and ballets, contemporary choreography and fairy-tale shows for children. Evening performances usually start at 19:00, sometimes 18:00, and children's shows run around midday. There are no performances on Mondays. When we checked, the theatre's own website wasn't showing a schedule, so use **iTicket** or **Afisha.uz** for listings and booking. Each production may only play once or twice a month, so check the dates before you plan your evenings. Spring brings international opera and ballet festivals with visiting companies. ## Is it worth it? Yes, if a ballet is on during your stay. It is the best-decorated interior in Tashkent you can sit in for an evening, the tickets are cheap by European standards, and dance needs no translation. Opera is a gamble if you don't follow Uzbek, Russian or Italian, as surtitles aren't guaranteed. If nothing suits your dates, a 20-minute stop at the facade and fountain on your way between Amir Timur Square and Independence Square is still worthwhile — the fountain is lit after dark. ## What is the Navoi Theatre? The company grew out of the Uzbek musical theatre that Mukhiddin Kari-Yakubov founded in 1929 and became an opera and ballet theatre in 1939. Its building, designed by **Alexey Shchusev**, was built through the war years and opened in November 1947 for the 500th anniversary of the poet **Alisher Navoi**, whose name it has carried since 1948. Shchusev wrapped a European opera house in Uzbek craft: sandstone arches and loggias outside, carved ganch plaster, marble and murals inside. It became an Academic theatre in 1959 and a Bolshoi (Grand) theatre in 1966, and was reconstructed in 2012–2015. > **Look for the Japanese builders' plaque** In November 1945 Japanese prisoners of war from the Kwantung Army were brought to Tashkent and worked on the final stage of construction. A plaque on the theatre wall, put up in 1996, remembers the hundreds of Japanese who helped build it. It takes two minutes to find. ## What to see - **The facade** with its arches and loggia — best seen from the square by the fountain. - **The fountain**, Shchusev's own idea, modelled on the traditional Uzbek pool (hauz), with a bronze cotton boll in the middle. - **The plaque to the Japanese builders** on the theatre wall. - **Six side foyers** named after Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Termez and Fergana, each carved in that region's style. - **The Bukhara hall** — Shirin Muradov's ganch carving over a mirrored base, the most ornate room in the building. - **Chingiz Akhmarov's murals** in the foyers; the ground-floor foyer shows four muses. - **The auditorium**, with stalls and two tiers for 1,400–1,440 people. ## Is there a dress code? The theatre doesn't publish an official dress code, but locals dress up for the opera. Smart casual is safe: trousers or a dress, a shirt, closed shoes. Leave the sportswear, shorts and flip-flops at the hotel — some guides even say jeans may be turned away, though that's unofficial. No photos or video during the performance, and never with flash. Take your pictures of the foyers and facade before the show and in the interval. With children, follow the age rating on each show: daytime fairy tales are usually 3+, evening ballets 12+. ## How to get to the Navoi Theatre 1. Start at Amir Timur Square, by the exit of Amir Temur Xiyoboni metro station. 2. On foot: walk west along Sayilgoh Street, the pedestrian street locals call Broadway — about 8 minutes. 3. At the end of Sayilgoh, near Independence Square (Mustaqillik Maydoni), turn left and head south; in 5–7 minutes the theatre appears behind its fountain. 12–15 minutes in total. 4. By metro: one stop on the Chilanzar line to Mustaqillik Maydoni, then 7 minutes south on foot. Pay with a QR ticket from the ticket office, an ATTO card or a contactless bank card at the gate — foreign cards don't always work. 5. After the show, book a taxi in the Yandex Go app — the fare is fixed in advance. ## Before you go: checklist Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] It isn't Monday and there's a show on - [ ] iTicket e-ticket saved on my phone - [ ] Smart clothes, no sportswear - [ ] Leaving in time to arrive 30–40 minutes early - [ ] Some som in cash for the cloakroom and buffet - [ ] Phone on silent, no filming in the hall ## Navoi Theatre, Romanov Palace or Applied Arts Museum | | Navoi Theatre | Romanov Palace | Applied Arts Museum | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | 1947 opera house | 19th-century Grand Duke's mansion | Carved house with a crafts collection | | Inside | Only with a show | No, outside only | With a museum ticket | | Best time | Evening | Daytime, in passing | Daytime | | Time needed | 20 min outside, about 3 h with a show | 10–15 min | About 1 h | | Ganch carving | In six foyers | — | In the museum rooms | Want to see Uzbek carving in the daytime? Go to the [Applied Arts Museum](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/tashkent-applied-arts-museum). The Navoi Theatre is worth an evening when a ballet or opera you like is on. ## Tashkent history: compare and choose Historic places in Tashkent rated by YesGo. - [Tashkent Metro](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/tashkent-metro) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 2,500 som by card, 3,000 cash - [Navoi Theatre](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/navoi-theatre) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Shows from 77,000 som - [Romanov Palace](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/romanov-palace) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free, outside only - [Hazrati Imam Complex](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/hazrati-imam) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free; Quran museum has a small fee - [Chorsu Bazaar](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/chorsu-bazaar) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/tashkent-art-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Closed for reconstruction - [Museum of Applied Arts](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/tashkent-applied-arts-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ UZS 30,000–40,000, unofficial ## Central Tashkent: a day and a night at the ballet A museum and the Romanov mansion by day, a show in the evening, then the lights of Tashkent City. 1. [State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/tashkent-art-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Closed for reconstruction 2. [Romanov Palace](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/romanov-palace) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free, outside only 3. [Navoi Theatre](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/navoi-theatre) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Shows from 77,000 som 4. [Tashkent City Park](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/tashkent-city-park) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Don't confuse it with The Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre is not the Navoi National Drama Theatre — a different building and company, with separate tickets. Alisher Navoiy metro station is nowhere near it, almost 2 km away. Navoi is also a city in another region of Uzbekistan. ## Tips - Walk past in the evening even without a ticket: the fountain out front is lit up. - Pick a ballet over an opera if you don't speak the language — dance needs no surtitles. - Choose the stalls or first tier; the top tiers see everything but sound thinner. - Arrive 30–40 minutes early — six foyers on three floors take time. - By day, pair the walk with the [State Museum of Arts](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/tashkent-art-museum) and the [Romanov Palace](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/romanov-palace) — all in the centre. - After the show, carry on to [Tashkent City Park](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/tashkent/tashkent-city-park), which stays busy late. ## Questions ### How much are Navoi Theatre tickets? For regular shows, 77,000–220,000 som on iTicket; premieres and festivals can reach 800,000. These are unofficial figures — the price depends on the show and the tier. ### How do I buy tickets as a foreigner? Online on iTicket, the website or app. It says it takes Visa and Mastercard with 3D Secure and sells to buyers abroad; the e-ticket is shown on your phone. For cash, use an iTicket point or the box office. ### Can you visit the Navoi Theatre without a show? We found no regular building tours, so the interior is for ticket holders. The facade, the fountain and the Japanese builders' plaque are free to see at any time. ### What time do performances start? Evening shows usually at 19:00, sometimes 18:00; children's shows around 12:00. There are no performances on Mondays. Check the exact time on the listing. ### Is there a dress code at the Navoi Theatre? No official one, but locals dress up. Go smart casual and skip sportswear, shorts and flip-flops. ### Did Japanese prisoners build the Navoi Theatre? Partly. Japanese prisoners of war worked on the final stage of construction in 1945–1947, and a plaque from 1996 on the theatre wall remembers them. ### How do I get to the Navoi Theatre? From Amir Timur Square it's a 12–15 minute walk west along Sayilgoh Street, then south. By metro, ride to Mustaqillik Maydoni and walk 7 minutes. ### Is the Navoi Theatre worth it? Yes, if a ballet is on while you're in town — the interior is the finest in Tashkent and tickets are cheap. Otherwise give the facade 20 minutes on a walk. ### Can I take children? Yes: daytime fairy-tale ballets are rated 3+. Evening ballets are usually 12+. ## How we checked The theatre's own website was down when we checked (a hosting placeholder), so prices, box office hours, start times and the Monday closure are marked “checking”. Prices come from iTicket performance pages (77,000–220,000 som) and Afisha.uz listings; the festival top price is from Afisha.uz, 2025. Box office hours are from Afisha.uz; Sputnik8 says there is no box office, which contradicts Afisha, iTicket and listings, so we kept it. Monday off: Orexca and Sputnik8. Capacity: 1,400 in English Wikipedia, 1,440 in Russian Wikipedia and Uzbekistan Travel. The address is 28 Zarafshon Street per Wikipedia, Afisha.uz and Visit Tashkent; other directories label the same spot as Ataturk or Bukhara Street. Card payment for iTicket is from its own FAQ. Walking times are from OpenStreetMap coordinates. ## Sources - Wikipedia: Navoi Theater (English) and the Russian article on the theatre - Wikidata: Q3354568 - Orexca: Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Alisher Navoi - Visit Tashkent: Alisher Navoi Theatre - Uzbekistan Travel (National PR Centre): Grand Theatre named after Alisher Navoi - Afisha.uz: Navoi Theatre listings 2025–2026 and venue page - iTicket.uz: Navoi Theatre performance pages and FAQ - Sputnik8: Navoi Theatre visitor information - OpenStreetMap: metro stations and streets around the theatre --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.