Tashkent to Almalyk: Getting to Work and Visiting Family

Almalyk is best known for its mining and metallurgical plant, one of the largest industrial enterprises in the country. So the road between Tashkent and Almalyk is above all a route for people who work, study or visit relatives there. There are few tourists, but thousands of daily passengers. Here is how to travel most conveniently if you do it often.

Distance and time

From central Tashkent to Almalyk is about 65 km. The town lies in the foothills of the Kurama range, south-east of the capital. By car the trip takes about an hour when roads are clear, and an hour and a half or more in the morning rush, depending on which part of Tashkent you leave from.

One important point: there is no direct passenger rail service on this route that works for daily commuting. Road transport is the main option.

Transport options

Prices for all kinds of transport change, so use the comparison as a guide and check the exact cost before you travel.

Buses and minibuses

Suburban buses and marshrutka minibuses leave from bus stations and ranks on the south-eastern edge of Tashkent. The bus is the budget option but stops in villages along the way. Minibuses are faster, but they usually wait until they fill up, so departure times are not always predictable.

A few observations:

• morning services from Almalyk to Tashkent and evening services back are the busiest;
• at weekends the intervals are longer and the last departures leave earlier;
• in Almalyk vehicles stop at several points around town, so ask the driver where it is best to get off.

Shared rides: a practical choice for work

For people who travel daily or several times a week, shared rides often strike the best balance between price and time. Many Almalyk residents work in Tashkent, and many people from Tashkent work at Almalyk's plants, driving their own cars. On Yo'ldosh these drivers publish their trips and you book a seat in the app: you see the departure time, the route and the driver's rating, and drivers are verified.

Advantages for regular trips:

1. No waiting for a minibus to fill up.
2. You can agree on a pick-up point closer to home or work.
3. The cost is split between passengers, so it is much cheaper than a taxi.
4. Over time you find regular drivers whose schedule suits you.

Rush hour: how to avoid traffic

The slowest parts of the trip are leaving and entering Tashkent; the highway outside the city is usually clear. To save time:

• leave Tashkent before 7:00 a.m. if you need to be in Almalyk for the start of a shift;
• come back after 7:00 p.m. or leave before 5:00 p.m.;
• allow for shift changes at the plants, when the number of cars and staff buses rises;
• on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons the highway is busier with people visiting family and going to their dachas.

Visiting family: things to keep in mind

If you are going to Almalyk to see relatives at the weekend, especially with gifts and bags, a taxi or shared ride is more comfortable than a bus. When booking a shared ride, tell the driver about your luggage straight away so they can keep space in the boot. Around holidays, particularly Navruz and Eid al-Fitr, seats go quickly, so book a few days ahead.

What Almalyk and its surroundings offer

Almalyk is an industrial town with a Soviet-era layout, wide streets and plenty of greenery. The spurs of the Kurama range begin nearby: in spring the slopes are covered in flowers, and at weekends locals head out for picnics by mountain streams. The town's name means 'apple orchard', and there are indeed many orchards around it.

If you are going for the first time, bear in mind that the town is spread out and the industrial zone is separate from the residential districts. Check in advance which part of Almalyk you need.

For students and occasional travellers

If you come to Almalyk once a week or less, there is no need to fit around shift patterns. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. the road is quieter, minibuses fill up more slowly, and among shared rides there is usually one at a convenient time. Students who go home for the weekend are better off arranging their Friday trip in advance, as demand rises sharply by Friday evening. In the other direction, towards Tashkent, trips on Sunday afternoon and early Monday morning are in particularly high demand.

Practical tips

• Carry your passport, as there are checkpoints at town entrances.
• In summer the foothills are hot during the day but cooler than Tashkent in the evening.
• In winter morning fog on the highway is common, so allow an extra 15–20 minutes.
• If you travel regularly, mark the drivers you like in the app so they are easier to find later.

The way back

In the evening people travel from Almalyk to Tashkent after work, so trips between 5 and 7 p.m. fill up first. If you want to leave at that time, book in advance on the Almalyk to Tashkent page.

You can find a morning or daytime trip to Almalyk on the Tashkent to Almalyk page. If you drive this route to work yourself, have a look at the for drivers section: a couple of passengers make a real dent in your travel costs.

Cover photo: Jamshid Nurkulov, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.