Tashkent

Most journeys through Uzbekistan begin in Tashkent, and it rewards a day or two of its own. Rebuilt after the 1966 earthquake with wide Soviet-era boulevards, the city hides some of Central Asia's most striking metro stations — each one individually decorated, from cotton-motif chandeliers to ceramic murals. Chorsu Bazaar, under its blue-tiled dome, is still the place to see the country's produce, bread and spices in one sweep.