Tashkent Metro

Is the Tashkent Metro worth visiting?

Yes — even if you have nowhere to go. The metro opened on 6 November 1977, the first in Central Asia. Each of the older stations got its own theme, stone and lighting, so riding a few stops is like walking through a string of underground halls. It costs less than a coffee and takes an hour.

There are 50 stations on four lines. The three original lines are underground; the newer Circle line runs on a viaduct around the outskirts and is purely practical, so skip it for sightseeing.

Until 2018 photography was banned — the metro doubled as a shelter and was treated as a military site. Now you can shoot freely, which is why the stations have become one of the city's top sights. The YesGo view: the cheapest great experience in Tashkent.

Tashkent Metro fare and how to pay

Since 1 October 2026 a ride costs 2,500 som paid electronically and 3,000 som in cash. Transfers between lines are free as long as you stay inside, so the whole station loop is a single fare. You only pay again if you exit to the street and re-enter.

For visitors the reliable option is an ATTO transport card, sold at stations and topped up at ticket points or in local apps. A single paper QR ticket bought with cash also works for one trip. Local Uzcard and Humo cards tap straight on the gate, but foreign Visa and Mastercard cards are unofficially reported to work only some of the time, so don't rely on them. Russian-issued cards don't work at all.

Many stations have replaced ticket windows with kiosks, so keep some small notes in som just in case. Riding buses as well? A one-day bus and metro pass on a transport card is 13,500 som.

Best stations: what to see

• Kosmonavtlar — the space station: walls fade from pale to deep blue like the atmosphere, with ceramic medallions of Gagarin, Tereshkova and Ulugh Beg. UNESCO-listed since 2026.
• Mustaqillik Maydoni — white Nurata marble columns, pink Gazgan marble walls and crystal chandeliers. It was Lenin Square until 1991.
• Alisher Navoiy — blue dome-like vaults and pointed arches that feel like a mosque, with scenes from the poet's work.
• Paxtakor — columns with glowing capitals and big mosaic panels of cotton.
• Oʻzbekiston — a ceiling carved in ganch and lamps shaped like cotton bolls.
• Toshkent — national-style ceramics and the city's coat of arms, right under the railway station square.
• Chorsu and Gʻafur Gʻulom — on the way to the old town if you continue to the bazaar.

Tashkent Metro map: four lines

The map is easy. The Chilonzor line (red, 17 stations) runs south-west to north-east through the centre. The Oʻzbekiston line (blue, 11 stations) runs north-west to south-east through Chorsu and the old town. The Yunusobod line (green, 8 stations) heads north. The Circle line (14 stations) loops around the outskirts on a viaduct.

The three old lines meet in the centre at three interchanges: Paxtakor–Alisher Navoiy, Amir Temur Xiyoboni–Yunus Rajabiy and Oybek–Ming Oʻrik. Maps hang in every station and carriage, with names in Uzbek Latin script — the spellings used on this page.

Hours and when to go

The metro runs daily from about 5:00 to midnight; the overground Circle line closes at 23:00. Sources disagree on exact opening times for some lines, so treat these as a guide rather than a timetable.

For photos, come on a weekend morning or mid-morning on a weekday, after the commuter rush. Trains are short — four or five carriages — so platforms are compact and clear quickly once a train leaves. In summer the stations are also a cool break from the heat.

Metro, Navoi Theatre or the Applied Arts Museum

Do the metro first — it's cheap, quick and on your way anyway. Add the theatre or the museum if Uzbek decoration has hooked you.

Tashkent's history spots compared

Historic places in Tashkent rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby — add to your day

44

Navoi Theatre

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

20 min · Shows from 77,000 som · 12 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Navoi Theatre

44

Romanov Palace

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

15 min · Free, outside only · 15 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Romanov Palace

36

State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

1 h 30 min · Closed for reconstruction · 16 min walk

Yes — add to my route: State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan

36

Museum of Applied Arts

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

1 h · ≈ UZS 30,000–40,000, unofficial · 35 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Museum of Applied Arts

How to do it right

• Don't exit between stations — the whole loop then stays one fare.
• Shoot from the end of the platform right after a train leaves: the hall empties within a minute.
• Chorsu station puts you next to Chorsu Bazaar — an easy way to carry on the day.
• Write down station names in Uzbek Latin script; that's what the maps and signs use.
• With kids it's a cheap, cool outing on a hot afternoon.
• Want the stories behind each station? A guided metro tour adds the history.

Questions