Eco Park: Tashkent Travel Guide (4.6★)

Why go

Tashkent summers are long and hot, and Eco Park is one of the city’s answers to that heat. It’s a stretch of genuine shade (mature trees, mown lawns, paved paths) built for people who need somewhere green that isn’t a museum courtyard or a mosque forecourt.

You come here to slow down, not to sightsee. There’s no ticket booth, no plaque explaining a dynasty. Just families on bikes, teenagers batting a shuttlecock back and forth, and the low hum of a cafe kettle.

What you’ll actually do there

The bike lanes are the spine of the park, looping past badminton courts and open lawns. Rentals are common at parks like this in Uzbekistan, so don’t worry if you didn’t bring your own wheels.

At the center is a small lake with a pavilion. This is where the park shows its personality after dark, screening movies outdoors on select evenings. Locals treat it as a meeting point rather than a destination in itself.

Around the edges:

• A cafe for tea, ice cream, or a cold drink between laps
• Shaded benches facing the water
• Wide paths good for strollers, not just bikes
• Badminton courts that fill up in the cooler hours

None of this is dressed up for tourists. That’s the appeal. It’s a working neighborhood park that happens to be unusually well-kept, which is part of why it holds a 4.6★ rating from more than a thousand visitors.

When to go

Tashkent summers regularly reach the high 30s °C, so timing matters more here than at an indoor sight. The park is open daily from 6am to 11pm, and both ends of that window are your friends.

Early morning brings joggers and cyclists out before the sun turns serious. By late evening, once the heat has broken, the lakeside pavilion area fills with families and the movie screenings (when scheduled) draw a small crowd.

Midday is the dead zone, even the badminton courts empty out. If you’re visiting between June and August, plan your park time around sunrise or sunset and save the middle of the day for indoor sights.

Getting there

Eco Park sits on Taraqqiyot Street in Tashkent. A taxi or a ride-hailing app from the city centre is the simplest way to get there.

Once you are inside, the park’s own bike lanes are the easiest way to cover it.

How to visit like a local

Go early or go late. This is the single most useful piece of advice for Eco Park. The early morning and late evening hours are when the park feels most alive; midday is for staying indoors.

Cash is still king for small purchases like cafe drinks or bike rental, though card acceptance is spreading in Uzbekistan’s cities. Bring small notes rather than large ones.

There’s no formal queue system or booking here, you just show up, park your shoes by the badminton net, or find a bench. If a movie’s screening at the pavilion, arrive a little before dusk to claim a spot near the water, since seating isn’t reserved.

The mistake visitors make is treating this as a quick photo-stop between “real” sights. Because it’s still under the radar for international travelers, you’ll mostly share it with Tashkent residents rather than tour groups, so slow down, get a tea, and let an hour pass the way locals do.

Wear light, breathable clothing regardless of when you go, even the shaded paths hold the day’s heat longer than you’d expect. And if you’re cycling, stick to the marked lanes; they share space with pedestrians and badminton players spilling out from the courts.