Tashkent Audio Tours

Plov is the national dish -- rice cooked in a kazan (large cast-iron pot) with lamb, carrots, onion, and chickpeas, served from communal pots at teahouses and restaurants. Samsa (meat-filled pastries from a clay tandoor oven) are sold on every corner. Lagman (hand-pulled noodles in a meat broth) reflects the city's significant Dungan (Chinese Muslim) community.

Yes. Fares are very cheap, stations are clean and architecturally striking (especially Kosmonavtlar and Alisher Navoi stations), and the system covers most major sights. You can now photograph freely. Signs are in Uzbek, though some have Russian transliterations. Google Maps shows the routes accurately.

Many nationalities can enter Uzbekistan visa-free for up to 30 days. Requirements change periodically -- check your country's current status before booking. Registration at your accommodation was historically required but regulations have been simplified significantly in recent years.

The Uzbek som is the local currency. Card acceptance is expanding but not universal outside hotels and larger restaurants. ATMs are available throughout the city. Currency exchange offices offer favorable rates, and it's worth exchanging some cash on arrival for markets and street food.