Tashkent City Food Tour: Private Guide, Bazaar Tastings

Old quarters, bazaar tastings, and how pilaf gets made in a massive pot

A private Tashkent city tour with an English-speaking guide takes you through the old Uzbek neighbourhood around Hasti Imam Mosque, into Charsu Bazaar for spice and bread markets with a small bread-baking class, and to a pilaf centre to watch the dish prepared in a three-tonne pot. The tour runs 5 to 6 hours and includes vehicle, fuel, bottled water and a power bank. Metro stations at Kosmonavtlar, Alisher Navoi and Pakhtakor are covered along the route. Entrance fees and lunch are separate.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Old Tashkent and Food Markets

• Visit old Uzbek neighbourhood
• See Kaffal Shashi Moseleum
• Explore Barakhan madrassah souvenir shops
• Visit Muyi Muborak Kuran museum
• Tour Hasti Imam Mosque and Islamic centre
• Walk through Charsu Bazaar dry fruits and spices market
• Attend bread making master class
• Taste food at open food bazaar
• Shop souvenirs
• Watch pilaf preparation and taste horse meat
• Visit Broadway for Soviet items and live music
• Tour Amir Temur, Pakhtakor, Alisher Navoi, Kosmonavtlar metro stations
• See theatre with Uzbek and Russian architecture outside

The experience

You're picked up and driven to the heart of old Tashkent, where narrow streets wind past the Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum and the 16th-century Barakhan Madrassah, now lined with souvenir shops. The Hasti Imam Mosque and the Islamic Research Centre anchor this quarter, and you walk through the neighbourhood with your guide to get the layout and the history. This section takes roughly an hour.

Charsu Bazaar is the next stop: a sprawling covered market under a massive blue dome where vendors sell dried fruits, spices, and teas in one section, then bread and national sweets in another. You'll see how bread gets baked and have the chance to try your hand at it in a small master class. The food bazaar lets you taste samples from different stalls, and souvenir shops line the edges. Budget an hour here.

The pilaf centre is famous for the wedding and teahouse versions of the dish, and you get to watch it being made in a three-tonne pot. The scale alone is worth seeing. You can taste the finished pilaf, and horse meat is available if you want to try it. From there, the tour takes in three Tashkent metro stations (Kosmonavtlar, Alisher Navoi, and Pakhtakor), so you see how the city moves underground. The whole day runs between five and six hours.

What’s included

• Private vehicle with fuel and parking.
• English-speaking guide.
• bottled water.
• power bank for charging devices in the vehicle.

Options for this experience

2 options

Private group tour for 5 to 15 peopleUp to 12 per booking · Guide in English · No fixed timeHyundai Starex or Toyota Hiace; includes pickup

Private tour for 1 to 4 people, sedan carUp to 4 per booking · Guide in English · No fixed timeIncludes pickup

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (18 to 50 years) · Senior (51 to 95 years) · Youth (4 to 17 years) · Child (2 to 3 years): free · Infant (1 year): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 28 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 6

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Tashkent tour guide with car

Is this one for you?Book this private tour if you want to move at your own pace through the old quarter and bazaar, stopping longer at the bread-making class or pilaf centre whenever something interests you.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (4 to 17 years); Child (2 to 3 years): free; Infant (1 year): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly happens at Charsu Bazaar during the tour?

Charsu Bazaar is a covered market where you visit the dry fruits and spices section under the blue dome, then move through the bread-baking market where you can do a small master class in bread-making, and finish in the open food bazaar where you taste samples from different food stalls.

Can I actually taste the pilaf at the pilaf centre?

Yes, you watch how pilaf is made in the three-tonne pot and then taste the finished dish. Horse meat is also available if you want to try it.

Do I need to pay extra for the metro stations?

Metro entry is not included in the tour price, so you'll pay separately to visit Kosmonavtlar, Alisher Navoi, and Pakhtakor stations.

Is lunch included, or do I need to arrange it myself?

Lunch is not included in the tour price. You'll have opportunities to taste samples at the bazaar and pilaf centre, but a full meal is your own arrangement.

How many people can book this tour together?

You can book a private tour for 1 to 4 passengers in a sedan car, or a private group tour for 5 to 15 people in a larger vehicle. Both come with an English-speaking guide and private transport.