Getting Around Khujand
Khujand sits on the Syr Darya river at the mouth of the Fergana Valley, and its historic core is compact enough that a visitor can cover a lot of it on foot. For longer hops across the river or out to the bazaars, you have a choice of minibuses, taxis, and a handful of long-distance connections. There is no metro or tram network in the city, and no local passenger rail service for getting around town.
Walking
Khujand is a pretty walkable city, though distances can be deceptive: what looks short on a map often takes longer in practice. Both of the main bridges across the Syr Darya in the centre of town have sidewalks, so crossing the river on foot is straightforward. If you are basing yourself near the fortress or Panjshanbe Market, much of the central sightseeing is within comfortable walking range.
Marshrutkas (Minibuses)
The workhorse of local public transport is the marshrutka, a minibus that links Panjshanbe with many other parts of the city, including Somoni Park and Kamoli Khujandi Park. You pay a low flat fare per adult, and each vehicle displays a placard in the window showing the route number and major destinations, written in Tajik.
For most practical purposes you do not need to memorise route numbers. Instead, look for the place name you want on the placard. Useful landmarks to watch for include:
- Универмаг (Univermag) – the main shopping street
- Ёва (Yova) – a district where many marshrutkas congregate
- Панҷшанбе (Panjshanbe) – the main market near Univermag and the marshrutka "nest"
- Атуш-Сомон (Atush-Somon) – a major bazaar
- Ҷумъа (бозор) (Jum'a) – a major market on the north side of the river
- Автовокзал (Avtovokzal) – where many shared taxis and marshrutkas bound for Istaravshan, Panjakent, and Dushanbe wait
- Аэропорт/Чкаловск (Aeroport) – the airport, in the town of Chkalovsk
- Кардиалогия (Kardiologia) – the cardiology hospital, a landmark for routes heading towards the eastern ("Jubilee") bridge
One caution at the Panjshanbe marshrutka station: Сомони and Сомон are different destinations. Somoni is a city park, while Somon is a major clothing bazaar on the outskirts of town, and marshrutkas for each stop at Panjshanbe.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive, and they are the easiest way to cross the river or reach outlying spots. Short cross-river rides are the cheapest fares, a trip within the "fortress-to-Panjshanbe" area costs a little more, and journeys to Somon Bazaar or the Avtostantsiya cost more again. A taxi out to the airport, which lies in Chkalovsk, is the priciest of the common local runs but still modest.
Some taxi companies that operate in Dushanbe also serve Khujand, such as Rakhsh, and can be ordered by phone. Maxim Taxi operates only in Khujand and the surrounding villages, and it has a very efficient phone app in the style of Yandex. Note that it is rare to hail a cab by waving your hand or whistling, so ordering by phone or app is the norm.
Long-Distance Connections from the City
If you are heading onward, different transport hubs serve different directions:
- To Istaravshan and south: marshrutkas and shared taxis gather at the Автовокзал (Avtovokzal).
- To Isfara and Konibodom: depart from the Автостанция (Avtostantsiya), just before Somon Bazaar on the south end of town; you pay for these marshrutkas when you disembark.
- To Buston and Mastchoh, and for taxis to the Oybek border crossing towards Tashkent: head to Абрешим (Abreshim).
Shared taxis and marshrutkas from Dushanbe, Panjakent, Istaravshan and other southern destinations meet at the Avtovokzal and also depart from there. Shared taxis may also drop you at your final destination within Khujand, though you may be asked to pay slightly more. Marshrutkas and taxis to the Uzbekistan border depart from the northern bus station (Rohi Abreshim).
Reaching the City from Khujand Airport
Khujand Airport (IATA: LBD) is an international airport located in Buston, in Gafurov district, some distance from the city centre. It is often referred to by the name of the town it sits in, Chkalovsk, and was formerly known as Leninabad during the Soviet era. The airport has many flights from Russia, and there are weekly flights from Dushanbe through Somon Air; in winter, when the mountain pass between the cities is treacherous due to snowfall and avalanches, those flights become the safest way to travel between the two cities. Chengdu Airlines also flies once a week to Kashgar.
For getting into town, the practical option is a taxi: a taxi from Khujand centre to the airport is a modest fare, and taxis to the airport are among the more expensive local runs. Marshrutkas also serve the airport direction, with Аэропорт/Чкаловск shown on route placards. One thing to plan around: there is no money exchange place at the airport, so arrive with local currency or a means of paying your driver if you need cash on landing.