Where to walk in Tashkent
for parks, shade and steps

Short version, if you're in a hurry

Tashkent is a flat city, and that changes the entire logic. The enemy of walking here isn't elevation or smog — it's sun and dust. In summer, between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. the streets are unusable: asphalt hits +50°C, sidewalks +60°C. Plan walks for early morning (before 8) or evening (after 7), when the city wakes up and the fountains turn on. In winter, the window is roughly 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., before it gets dark

The basic rule: more trees = cleaner air. PM2.5 on Amir Temur Avenue runs 1.5–2× higher than deep inside the Botanical Garden. In winter, valley inversion combined with private-sector heating and old boilers cloaks downtown in smog — on those days, drive out to Charvak or stay indoors

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Pick a route

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Check the air and the temperature first

Tashkent has two seasonal problems: winter smog from inversion, coal heating and the private sector, and summer dust (loess and the «garmsil» wind) plus pure heat. Before heading out, check:

• IQAir / AirVisual — app and website that aggregate Tashkent sensors. Colour indicator and hourly forecast
• uzhydromet.uz — official Uzhydromet. Government stations, slower updates but reliable
• Windy.com — for the wind forecast. Tashkent wind clears smog within hours; if it's windy, the air will be better soon

What the PM2.5 numbers mean (μg/m³): 0–12 clean, 13–35 acceptable, 36–55 short walk OK, no sport, 56+ stay indoors — especially kids and the elderly

For temperature: anything above a "feels like" of +35°C makes serious effort risky, especially in the first two weeks of the heat wave before your body acclimatises. Plan 0.5 L of water per walking hour in summer

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City routes — where Tashkent actually walks

1. Amir Temur Square + Sayilgokh (Broadway)

Length: ~1.2 km loop · Steps: ~2,500 · Profile: flat

Dead centre. The square around the equestrian statue of Amir Temur is ringed by mature plane trees that throw real shade even at noon. Sayilgokh, formerly Broadway, runs off the square — pedestrian only, full of street artists, chess players and cafés. A perfect 30-minute route between meetings or after dinner

Getting there: Amir Temur metro (blue line), exit straight into the square

2. Japanese Garden

Length: ~1.6 km full loop · Steps: ~3,500 · Profile: flat

A gift from Japan that locals tend to under-appreciate. Koi ponds, bridges, bamboo, a zen garden of raked gravel. There's a small entry fee, but the maintenance level justifies it. Quieter than anywhere else in town, and noticeably cooler thanks to the water and the canopy. Ideal for a meditative walk and a few photos

Getting there: next to InterContinental Hotel, buses 67 and 109; 10 minutes by car from downtown

3. Friendship of Peoples Park (Khalqlar Dustligi)

Length: ~2.5 km big loop · Steps: ~5,000 · Profile: flat

An old Soviet-era park next to the concert hall of the same name. Massive plane trees, dense shaded avenues, fountains. Air here is noticeably cleaner than on adjacent streets thanks to the canopy. Mornings belong to runners, afternoons to chess-playing pensioners, evenings to families. One of the best parks for the worst summer days

Getting there: Khalqlar Dustligi metro (blue line), 5-min walk

4. Yangi Uzbekiston (New Uzbekistan) Park

Length: ~3 km main avenues · Steps: ~5,500 · Profile: flat

One of Tashkent's biggest new parks (opened 2022). Large artificial lake with fountains, paved running and skating loops, kids' playgrounds. Evening lighting is a show in its own right. The downside: trees are still young, shade is sparse, summer afternoons get brutal. Go at dawn or after sunset

Getting there: Bunyodkor metro (green line), 10-min walk; or buses along Bunyodkor Avenue

5. Magic City + Eco Park

Length: ~2.8 km big loop · Steps: ~6,000 · Profile: flat

The marquee tourist draw of recent years. Magic City's singing fountains, an artificial canal with gondolas, Eco Park next door — all linked by pedestrian bridges. Crowded on weekends, near-empty on weekday mornings. You can rack up 6,000 steps without noticing the kilometres because the visual changes constantly

Getting there: Bunyodkor or Alisher Navoi metro, 15-min walk

6. Rusanov Botanical Garden

Length: ~3.2 km full loop · Steps: ~6,500 · Profile: flat

66 hectares of trees from across the world, founded in 1920. Oaks, sequoias, Korean pines, a bamboo grove. Air is honestly cleaner here than on the surrounding streets — measurements show 25–30% lower PM2.5 inside the garden. Small entry fee, café by the pond. Perfect when you want to get out of the city without leaving it

Getting there: Minor metro (yellow line), 10-min walk

7. Anhor Park along the canal

Length: ~6 km one way · Steps: ~8,500 · Profile: flat

Tashkent's main cardio route. A long, redeveloped embankment along the Anhor canal: paved running and cycling lanes, benches, outdoor gym kit, willow shade. You can walk from Mustaqillik Square to Khadra Bridge and back. Mornings belong to the city's runners, evenings to families and roller-skaters

Downside: sections of the embankment are still unfinished, especially on the southern stretch

Getting there: Mustaqillik Maydoni, Alisher Navoi or Pakhtakor metro — all three open onto the Anhor

8. Loop: Magic City → Yangi Uzbekiston → Anhor

Length: ~7.5 km loop · Steps: ~10,000 · Profile: flat

The best long single-loop route in the city. Start at Magic City, cross through Eco Park into Yangi Uzbekiston, exit via Bunyodkor Avenue to the Anhor canal, return along the embankment. Every metre is paved walkway, with fountains, benches and free city Wi-Fi for most of the way. You'll close out 10,000 steps without watching the counter

Getting there: start at Bunyodkor metro, finish at Alisher Navoi or Pakhtakor

9. Old Town: Chorsu — Kukeldash — Hazrati Imam

Length: ~5 km loop · Steps: ~9,000 · Profile: flat

This route is about history, not just steps. Start at the turquoise dome of Chorsu Bazaar, climb up to Kukeldash Madrasah (16th century), wind through the narrow mahalla streets to the Hazrati Imam complex with its mosque and madrasahs. Craft shops, chaikhanas, workshops along the way. Almost no shade — strictly a morning or evening walk in summer

Getting there: Chorsu metro (red line), exit straight onto the bazaar

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Outside the city — where the air is honestly clean

10. Tashkent Sea (Tuyabuguz Reservoir)

Length: ~7 km along the shore · Steps: ~14,000 · Profile: nearly flat

A large reservoir 30 km southwest of Tashkent. In summer — beaches, dachas, noise; in winter and shoulder seasons — empty, windy and quiet. Open shore, wide horizon, a low sky. The air is honestly cleaner out here — no smog, no traffic. The shore route is long and straight: ideal for clearing your head

Getting there: car or taxi only, or marshrutka from Dustlik metro — 40–60 minutes one way

11. Charvak — Chimgan — Beldersay

Length: 5–15 km depending on route · Steps: up to 22,000 · Elevation: 200–800 m

If you want real mountains and real air, this is it — Bostanlik district, 80 km from Tashkent. Charvak Reservoir is a turquoise bowl among the peaks. You can walk the embankment or climb up toward Chimgan and Beldersay. Skiing in winter, trekking and canyoning in summer. A full day trip — plan 5–6 hours of driving plus the walk itself

Getting there: car is the obvious option, or a guided tour. Public transport works but with transfers: marshrutka from Buyuk Ipak Yo'li to Gazalkent, then a local marshrutka to Charvak

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Seasonality — what works when

Winter (December — February)

The main problem is January–February smog from inversion, private-sector heating and old combined heat plants. PM2.5 in the centre routinely sits above 100 for weeks at a time. What to do: drive out to Charvak for the day, or walk early in the morning right after a wind. Inside the city, the Botanical Garden among the trees still beats an open avenue. After 9 p.m. on weekdays traffic drops and air improves a notch

Spring (March — May)

The best season in Tashkent. Blossom, +20–28°C, clean skies. What to do: March–April is peak for every outdoor route and for Charvak. Magnolias bloom in the Botanical Garden, sakura in the Japanese Garden. By late May the heat already creeps up to +35

Summer (June — August)

The serious challenge. +35–45°C in the day, never below +25 at night. What to do: walks before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m., strictly. Salvation comes from heavily shaded parks (Friendship, Botanical), fountains (Magic City, Anhor) and air-conditioned malls — those count as steps too. Long routes only at dawn

Autumn (September — November)

The second peak. By mid-September the heat breaks; October brings the «golden Tashkent» of coloured plane trees. What to do: grab October–November and walk a lot. The first smog can hit by late November — watch the index

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What to bring — short checklist

• Plenty of water. 0.5 L per hour in summer. At least 0.5 L any season
• A hat. Tashkent's sun is harsh 8 months a year
• Sunscreen. SPF 30+ for face and arms in summer — not optional
• A light jacket. Mornings in the Charvak mountains and winter sunsets in the city get cold fast
• Decent shoes. Sandals or flip-flops over 10,000 steps turn into torture
• A mask if winter PM2.5 is high and you're walking the centre
• A charged phone. Patchy coverage out near Charvak — keep an offline map

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Bottom line

• Tashkent has an honest air-quality hierarchy: Charvak > big parks > downtown. Winter gap can hit 5×
• The enemies are summer sun and winter smog, not elevation. The city is flat — every route works
• The most metro-friendly parks are Friendship, Yangi Uzbekiston, Anhor
• The longest in-city route is the Magic City → Yangi Uzbekiston → Anhor loop, 10,000 steps in one go
• The shadiest is the Rusanov Botanical Garden: 66 hectares of trees in the centre
• The most natural is Charvak and Chimgan: 80 km out, a full driving day
• Seasonality matters: best windows are March–May and October–November; in summer, only dawn and dusk

The rule is simple: in Tashkent you can't walk at any time of day — sun and dust don't forgive. But if you know five or six trusted spots and a couple of apps, you can hit 10,000 comfortable steps year-round. And Qozgal will count every step — no subscriptions, no ads, no junk numbers