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Date of the journey:- November 2019
Distance travelled:- 193 miles
The train journey
The preferred method of transport to get from Samarkand to Tashkent was the train.
Booking the train tickets in advance using the Russian booking portal Tutu.ru. We found this the easiest site to use. Pre-booking train tickets is essential if you want a seat or bed on a specific train as they sell out quickly.
We had to book seats on the 1728 hrs train from Samarkand, as the alternative trains on that day had all sold out.
To get to Samarkand train station, our accommodation The Trip.LE Guesthouse booked us a taxi for 15000 Som. This was 5000 Som cheaper than the one we got from the station to the accommodation on our arrival. So it certainly pays to have the accommodation to get transport for you.
The train was the newer Talgo high-speed train which, at times, goes up to 230 km/h. The tickets cost 207,500 Som per person, to sit in a comfortable carriage with plenty of overhead luggage storage for our backpacks.
Coffee and cake were provided free of charge during the journey. There was also a buffet car serving drinks and snacks.
The train arrived at Stantsiya Tashkent Pass Tsentr at 1944 hrs. As with most Uzbekistan train stations, Tashkent is located outside of the city centre. The Tashkent metro system has the Tashkent Metro station immediately outside of the train station.
Tashkent Metro
Open every day from 0500 hrs until 0000 hrs. Made up of three lines, the Red (Chilonzor) line, the Blue (Ozbekiston) line, and the Green (Yunusobod) line. There is a ticket office at the entrance of every metro station which is indicated by a sign “Kassa”.
Paying for the metro is in the form of a token. Tokens are purchased at the ticket office for 1,400 Som each.
Entry to the metro is by a turnstile which is operated by the token purchased at the ticket office. One token allows unlimited use of the metro, provided you don’t exit a station.
The Metro system was clean, fast, and empty. Slightly confusing at the station that we changed trains at. Because the intersection station has a different station name for each of the lines! The stations themselves are large architectural masterpieces. It’s not uncommon for the stations to have chandeliers hanging from the ceilings.
Expect to have your backpacks and luggage put through a scanner on entering a station.
Our accommodation was located in the Oloy district of Tashkent. Staying at the 1-bed apartment in the very city center. Booked through Airbnb a lovely little apartment in Block 11 Door 6 of a Soviet housing complex, looking very bleak from the outside.
From the Tashkent Metro station on the Blue line, we needed to travel to the Yunus Rajabiy Metro station at the intersection of the Red and Green lines. Travelling one stop on the Blue line to Oybek station. Transfer to the Green line station of Ming Urik. Travel one stop on the Green line to Yunus Rajabiy.
From the metro station, it was a 7 min walk to our accommodation. Going down Mustakillik Avenue, then turning left into Yahyo Gulyamov Street, Tashkent. Walking up there to the Just Tasty Cafe, turning right along accommodation Block 11 to the last door on the left, Door 6.