[Uzbekistan] Travel Experience — Qarshi
(Accurate as of 2023/12/16)
This article is relatively short compared to articles for other cities in Uzbekistan, and it is mainly due to the fact that I only had 5+ hours in the city, which was definitely not enough time for me to walk from the south to the north of the city, I only got to explore a small part of the city (at least it included city center area).
Transportation
• Arrival — Flight (TAS — KSQ) | UZS99,000
- Spending UZS99,000 (c.USD8) on flight ticket…this is beyond imagination :) HUMO Air and Silk Avia are the 2 main domestic flight operators in Uzbekistan; Uzbekistan Airways also operates domestic flights but at higher pricing
- KSQ is one of the cleanest airports I have ever seen, including dustless arrival hall and neat & tidy toilets, probably because there is little traffic there
• Departure — Train (Qarshi — Tashkent North) | UZS235,000
- It was the first time I took high-speed railway in Uzbekistan, and the interior was cozy
My Itinerary
• Walked out of the airport, turned left and walked along Buyuk Turon koʻchasi
- There was a group of taxi drivers gathering / hunting at the airport exit (as always), and I definitely did not want to entertain them, so I walked alone along Buyuk Turon koʻchasi until I was far out of their sight and booked a taxi on Yandex to the train station, where I would actually start my walking tour
• Walked along Uzbekistan Street until I reached the roundabout (Qarshi markaziy soati), crossed the road and spent time in city center area
- Things to see in city center area — Qashqadaryo viloyat hokimligi (as always, regional administration building is a must-see!), Islam Karimov Monument, Qarshi shahar “Amfiteatr”i, Mulla Tuychi, Park Alishera Navoi (it is a very big park suitable for walking)
• Walked north along Uzbekistan Street, had lunch at Mexrangiz, dropped by Atlas real quick
- Atlas is a small shopping mall (more of like a shopping complex made up of several low-rise buildings)
• Took a taxi to “Eski Shahar”Dehqon Bozori area and walked around, and then took a taxi to the train station
- Most of the spots that Nicole recommends are located in this area, but due to time constraint, I could only visit my priority (i.e. Korzinka), looking at Vatanparvarlar Bog’i from the outside and at Odina Mosque from afar
My Thought
• Qarshi is also a massive city like Andijan and Fergana, and I would say it makes more sense to stay for at least 2 to 3 days (it seems like I always recommend so) to really take a closer look at most of the neighborhoods
• Another seemingly massive city I would want to visit in Qashqadaryo Region is Shahrisabz, located approximately 2 hours away from Qarshi
Read more about how to enjoy your time in other regions in Uzbekistan here — Andijan, Namangan, Fergana, Jizzakh, Termez, Urgench
