Samarkand to Tashkent

Mon 8/6/26

Today we would be taking the train from Samarkand to Tashkent which would take 3 hours and 45 minutes. The train ride cost UZS 200060 (RM 135) per person and bought online from the Uzrail app. There is the bullet train Afrosiyob and Jaloludin which would take half the time, but unfortunately cannot be purchased with a foreign card on the Uzrail app. We did also try to purchase from the web and tried a third party website but there was still no option for foreign card. The only way is to buy the ticket at the train station in Uzbekistan.

Before breakfast, we ventured out to take pictures at the Registan Square in the morning but saw that there were chairs being arranged for John Legend's concert. After that we-revisited Bibikhanum mosque, Hazrat Khizr mosque and Siyob Bozor. However, Siyob Bozor is closed on Mondays. Only a few stalls were opened. Then we returned to the hotel for breakfast at 8am.

Registan Square with chairs arranged for a concert

Hazrat Khizr mosque

Our train is only scheduled to depart at 1923, so after checking out from the hotel at noon we just went for prayers at Khoja Zudmurud mosque, had lunch at Chorraha Milliy Taomlar (national dish) restaurant and then had afternoon tea at Chorraha bakery, all situated near our hotel as it was too hot to venture far.

At Khoja Zudmurud mosque, there was no prayer room for women so the mosque caretaker allowed me to perform my prayers inside the imam's office.

Khoja Zudmurud mosque

Khoja Zudmurud mosque imam's office

After prayer, we had lunch of beef soup, vegetable soup, shashlik with a pot of tea which cost UZS 175K (RM 53) paid by cash. 

beef soup and shashlik

vegetable soup

We returned to the hotel and lounged at the lobby for an hour, and then went to Chorraha bakery to have beef and pumpkin samosas, baklava, apple crumble with cappucino for UZS 58K (RM 18). 

coffee and desserts at Chorraha bakery

Again we went back to our hotel and lounged around until it was time to go to the train station at 6pm. Our Yandex ride cost UZS 32k (RM 11 ) and took about 20 minutes.

Our train departed a bit late at about 7.30pm and we arrived in Tashkent train station around 11.10 pm.  We walked to our accommodation Qo'noq Railway Hotel located inside the train station since we didn't want to take a Yandex taxi late at night. The hotel cost RM 585 for 2 nights without breakfast, paid by card. It was then time to retire for the day.