Khujand is a city with echoes of the USSR and a modern outlook on life. It is the second most populous city in Tajikistan after Dushanbe.
People usually come to Khujand either from Tashkent or Dushanbe. The route below is made if you come from Tashkent, if you go from Dushanbe it is better to go in reverse order. I divided it into two days for a comfortable journey.
1-st day
Let’s start from Stella Khujand
In summer you can get to the top for a small fee to the guard. Going down we will reach Park Ismoila Somoni.
Park Ismoila Somoni
A pleasant multi-level park with a statue of Ismoil Somoni in the center. Ismoil Somoni founded the Samanid state in 892.
From Ismoila Somoni Park we move on to Khujand Fortress by cable car.
Сable car
Excellent transportation to see the city from a height. On the way you can also see the river and get directly to the fortress of Khujand. The fare in a regular booth is 15 somoni, in a vip 20 somoni.
After the cable car ride, walk back to the park on foot, make a detour and go first to the Sughd Region Museum(1), then inside the fortress(2) and end it all with the statue of the Capitol wolf(3). This way the emotions will build up.
Kamoli Khujandi Park
A very well organized park with the Khujand fortress on its border. At the entrance to the park there are different kiosks with sweets and rent of bicycles, scooters, etc.
Sughd Region Museum
The entrance fee for tourists is 30 somoni. Important: The museum is organized by time, starting from the most ancient times and ending with the immediate past of Tajikistan. You should start looking at the museum from the underground floor! The entrance there is on the right at the entrance. It is by starting the viewing from the lower floors that the sequence of time is preserved. Some people think that there is only the upper floor and do not go down to the lower installations, which are the most interesting!
Khujand Fortress
The entrance is to the left of the museum entrance. The ticket is bought in a small booth near the entrance. The cost of entrance for a tourist is 100 somoni. There is a lot of interesting things inside.
After exploring the Khujand fortress, go back to the park entrance and go a little bit up, there will be a statue of a she-wolf.
Capitol wolf
Located near the entrance to the park. Here you can make a detour to the theater and have a snack at CoffeeMoose on the way. This is European-style coffee.
If you follow the road where the she-wolf is standing, you will come out through the underpass to the central alley.
Kamal Khujandi Statue
Walking further along the alley we go to the heart of the city – the bazaar of Khujand.
Panjshanbe Bozor
A place where you can find just about anything. Except a sleep mask and rexon deodorant.
There are various interesting buildings around the market. There’s an indoor market and stalls outside. On the left side, first everything related to food, in the back there are clothes. On the other side of the road there are various knitwear, household products and some clothes.
It is a 15-20 minute walk from the market to a large tree that is over 500 years old.
Tuti Kalon
You can feel the power from it. There is a mosque near this place.
All the sights above can be traveled on foot in 1 day. So you will see the main places in Khujand! Next is the advanced level for those who are longer in the city.
2-nd day
We will have lunch at the Oshi Palov pilaf center and walk near the Nuri Islom Mosque
Two locations next to each other.
Here you can try Samarkand and Khujand pilaf. They are made amazingly delicious! The best time to arrive would be 11.00-11.30. Earlier pilov may not be ready, later there will be no vacancies.
There is a nice viewing room on the side of the mosque.
Trip to the Kairakum reservoir
The locals call it “The Sea”. It is a large reservoir, near which sanatoriums are located. A trip to the reservoir with return to Khujand will take a day, there is a place to walk and spend leisure time in peace.
Either after the reservoir or before the pilaf you can walk around the parks. The ideal route would be: Park Abumakhmudi Khudzhandi – Botanic Garden – Navruzgon Park.
Let’s start with the Park Abumakhmudi Khudzhandi
It is a pleasant park with various installations dedicated mainly to space. There is a planetarium here. You can get there in a group (by sharing the price) or you can pay a lot for 1 show.
Not far from the park is the Okay Pizza Cafe, Probably the best place in the neighborhood to grab a bite to eat.
Botanic Garden
There’s not much to do in the Botanical Garden, it’s just rows of trees. Maybe if you are a woman over 40 or obsessed with vegetable gardens, you will find a lot of interesting things to do there, otherwise it is just a quiet park.
Navruzgon Park
In the evening it comes alive with rides and becomes a place of leisure for many people in the neighborhood. It is an amazing place, where you can meet camels and horses (there are farms at the back of the park), see a running forest and much more.
From the bird monument you can see in the distance and the airplane standing on the shore. If you don’t mind walking 50 meters through the thicket and then climbing through a hole in the fence, you can walk to the plane from here. This is a popular local route.
That’s actually all the sights of Khujand, have a great trip!
