Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan and an important starting point for traveling the country. But before you leave it for an adventure, it is highly recommended to explore the city, because it has a lot to see, do, and taste. So, it is very likely that you would like to spend a longer time here- at least a night or two. The question is: where to stay in Dushanbe, and what are the best hotels there?
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Where to stay in Dushanbe: Useful tips
Dushanbe is the largest city in Tajikistan, but most of its places to see are located in the center. At the same time, you have to consider some important spots and their location- Dushanbe Airport, the starting point for Pamir, the mountains in the north, and more. These spots are located mostly in the suburbs.
So, you have to consider not only the price and the comfort of the property to stay in but also its location, which is important. It depends on what is your itinerary.
Concerning the price and quality, Dushanbe is not different than most of the cities in Central Asia. In general, the hotels in Dushanbe are cheap. With only a few exceptions, even the prices of the luxurious hotels are mostly under 100$ per night.
You can easily find a hotel on Booking or Agoda. But let’s first focus on the location, and choose the best places to stay in each main area of Dushanbe.
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Dushanbe areas
Let’s divide Dushanbe into four main location areas, depending on your purpose of staying in the city.
The center of the city
This is the most popular area in Dushanbe. Most of the tourist attractions are here. In this area, you can see and feel the best of the city, in its full glory- its parks, museums, monuments, palaces, and other spectacular buildings.
You are also not far from the main spots of the local and foreign cuisine, nightlife, markets, and traditional lifestyle. So, if this is your main focus in exploring Dushanbe and if you are not urgent about grabbing an early schedule for flights, Pamir, or another place, it is better to stay in the center of the city.
Let’s take a look at some good options to stay. The hotels can be divided into budget, middle-range, and luxurious. Budget hotels are somewhere between 10 and 30 USD, middle-range- from 30 to 60 USD, and luxurious- more than 60 USD.
Budget hotels and hostels
Green House Hostel
Location: On the eastern side of the center.
Rate: Very good- 8.5
Highlights: The most popular hostel in Dushanbe among adventurous travelers heading to Pamir.
Details:
This is a typical backpacker’s hostel, a popular hub for adventure travelers- hitchhikers, cyclists, motorcycle travelers, or travelers with 4×4 vehicles. Here you can see a lot of them, coming from various countries. During the summer, the yard of the hostel is full of motorcycles, bicycles, and various types of equipment.
The hostel also sells gas canisters, bicycle, and motorcycle spare parts, and more, providing a convenient service before the Pamir adventures. Here you can hear all the necessary information you need, as well as a lot of stories and experience. Finally, you can have a great time finding new traveling friends.
Like every hostel, Green House Hostel provides dormitory rooms with 8 and 6 beds, but also small rooms just for couples like a hotel- twin rooms, double rooms with private bathrooms, and triple rooms.
Cons: Stuffy rooms and light breakfast.
Check for availability in Green House Hostel on Booking!
Check for availability in Green House Hostel on Agoda!
Ultra Hostel
Location: In the center, near Alisher Navoy Park, almost right in front of OVIR (Department for Visas and Registration) where you can get a GBAO permit for traveling in Pamir.
Rate: Superb- 9.1
Highlights: One of the cheapest options in the center of Dushanbe.
Details:
This hostel is a bit different. Unlike Green House Hostel, this one is not exclusively “Pamir-oriented” but it is proper for everybody who just wants to travel around all parts of Tajikistan. You still can see adventurous travelers but it is not its main highlight.
Ultra Hostel is small, located on the 17th floor of a tall building. That’s why travelers on bicycles and motorcycles usually don’t go here. It has only three rooms- a dormitory with 6 beds, a double room, and a large double room. The best thing that travelers like is that everything is clean, new, and fresh.
Cons: Not proper for adventure travelers on bicycles and motorcycles.
Check for availability in Ultra Hostel on Booking!
Check for availability in Ultra Hostel on Agoda!
Middle-range hotels
City Hostel
Location: In the north part of Dushanbe, almost in the suburbs but still in the “northern edge of the center”.
Rate: Superb- 9.2
Highlights: Another great hub for adventure travelers.
Details:
This is a newer, competitive version of the Green House Hostel mentioned above. Recently, it has become another popular starting point for journeys to Pamir, a favorite place for various types of backpackers, cyclists, motorcycle or 4×4 vehicle travelers, hitchhikers, and more.
The reason why we list it in the “Mid-Range” hotels is because it is slightly more expensive than the average hostel. This is mostly due to the better quality of the rooms and breakfast that it offers. Again, it is a competition.
City Hostel offers various types of rooms. Some are regular hostel dormitories with 8 beds, but there are also twin rooms, triple rooms, quadruple rooms, and more. Some rooms have private bathrooms and are more like hotel rooms.
Cons: A bit far from the terminal for Pamir, and a bit expensive.
Check for availability in City Hostel on Booking!
Check for availability in City Hostel on Agoda!
Aram Hotel
Location: In the center, not far from the Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan, south of Ismoil Somoni Monument.
Rate: Excellent-8.9
Highlights: One of the cheapest 4-star hotels in Tajikistan, with excellent quality.
Details:
This hotel is in the upper end of the “Mid-Range” category. In fact, it is a luxurious hotel of quality, with 4 stars, but due to its relatively low prices, it still can be classified as “Mid-Range”.
Aram Hotel is not the best option for adventure travelers who are mostly budget, especially for those who come with bicycles. It is more proper for tourists with more money who don’t necessarily go to Pamir.
The hotel offers various types of rooms and apartments with all features of a 4-star hotel. There is also a restaurant and a fitness center. You can also enjoy airport shuttle service and even free bikes.
Cons: WiFi is not so good.
Check for availability in Aram Hotel on Booking!
Check for availability in Aram Hotel on Agoda!
Hotel 777
Location: In the center, southeast of Rudaki Park.
Rate: Excellent-8.5
Highlights: Cheap 4-star hotel with ATM.
Details:
This is a 4-star hotel, with quite cheap prices for its value. It is established in a high building with an excellent location, in short walking distance to the main attractions of Dushanbe.
Hotel 777 offers standard twin and single rooms, as well as deluxe apartments. It has a bar, a breakfast buffet, a restaurant, a free airport shuttle, an ATM, and a money change service.
Visitors especially like the staff- they are very friendly, helpful, and with good English. Not everything is perfect but in general, this hotel has a very high review score.
Cons: The main problem is that the hotel is somewhat hidden, not easy to find by some visitors, behind a metal gate.
Check for availability in Hotel 777 on Booking!
Check for availability in Hotel 777 on Agoda!
Firdavsi Hotel
Location: South of Rudaki Park, southwest of the Museum of Antiquities.
Rate: Excellent-8.1
Highlights: Standard middle-range hotel, closer to the luxurious category.
Details:
Although this hotel is “middle-ranged”, it is closer to the luxurious hotels than the hotels described above. Its location is not the best but still, it is in the center, in convenient distance from the main points of interest in Dushanbe.
Firdavsi Hotel is a 4-star hotel, established in a classical architectural style building, with a great variety of rooms- from single and twin rooms to family rooms and two-bedroom apartments. In addition, it has a terrace, a restaurant, a bar, and a money change service.
Cons: Breakfast is relatively poor, no regular room cleaning.
Check for availability in Firdavsi Hotel on Booking!
Check for availability in Firdavsi Hotel on Agoda!
Luxurious hotels
Dushanbe Serena Hotel
Location: Imeni S. Ayni Square, south of the main center.
Rate: Fabulous 8.6
Highlights: One of the most luxurious hotels in Tajikistan.
Details:
This is one of the few 5-star hotels in Dushanbe. Obviously, it is made for luxurious and rich tourists, although a budget adventurous traveler can make himself/herself a reward for one night after an intensive journey in the wild too.
As a luxurious hotel, Dushanbe Serena Hotel offers the best facilities and features for this category. It has two swimming pools, a spa, and a wellness center. Other facilities include a restaurant, a shared lounge, a meeting hall, a fitness center, and more. It offers various types of rooms- from Deluxe Double Rooms to Presidential Suites.
Cons: Wifi can be weak at times.
Check for availability in Dushanbe Serena Hotel on Booking!
Check for availability in Dushanbe Serena Hotel on Agoda!
The Rumi Hotel & Residences
Location: In the center, near Alisher Navoy Park, almost right in front of OVIR (Department for Visas and Registration), next to Ultra Hostel.
Rate: Superb 9.4
Highlights: Extravagant luxurious hotel, organizing tours.
Details:
This is a 4-star hotel, in the upper end of this category. It is established in a high building with traditional ornaments. Its interior is also very glamorous. Anyway, it is preferred by rich tourists or people with higher requirements, rather than adventurous backpackers.
The Rumi Hotel & Residences offers deluxe twin and double rooms, as well as executive suites. It has an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center, a spa & wellness center, a garden, a shared lounge, a restaurant, and a terrace. It also organizes tours, mostly to the cultural destinations in Tajikistan.
Cons: Again, WiFi can be weak.
Check for availability in The Rumi Hotel & Residences on Booking!
Check for availability in The Rumi Hotel & Residences on Agoda!
Hilton Dushanbe
Location: In the southeastern part of the center.
Rate: Very good 8.2
Highlights: 5-star hotel with some special service details.
Details:
This is the other one of the 5-star hotels in Dushanbe- a luxurious gem, obviously again preferred by the rich tourists and businessmen, rather than the adventurous backpackers. And as a luxurious hotel, it can make you feel like a king, with its service and facilities.
Hilton Hotel Dushanbe is located in a tall building with panoramic views of the city and the surrounding mountains. It offers various types of rooms, most of them marked as “king suites”- the most luxurious for more than 500 $. In addition, it offers a bar, a restaurant, a terrace with barbecue, a fitness center, a spa & wellness center, an indoor swimming pool, and more.
Cons: Too expensive. Some tourists complain about the staff.
Check for availability in Hilton Dushanbe on Booking!
Check for availability in Hilton Dushanbe on Agoda!
The south and southeast- on the way to Pamir and more
This is mainly the area around the Dushanbe Airport, Dushanbe Railway Station, and Badakhshan Station. This area is not far from the center, so you still can explore it, even on foot. But the best thing is that it has a strategic location. If you have to travel to Pamir or to leave Tajikistan by plane or by train on the next day early morning, this area is very convenient.
The main problem is that there is almost nothing here, except for one very strategic and well-known to the adventure travelers place- Sakho Hostel.
Sakho Hostel (ObodHotel)
Location: At Badakshan Taxi Stand to Pamir, not far from the airport.
Rate: Good 5.2
Highlights: In the best location for those going to Pamir.
Details:
If you are a backpacker going to Pamir (not a cyclist, a motorcyclist, or a self-driver), and if you don’t have too many requirements for the accommodation quality, Sakho Hostel is the best and the most convenient place to stay due to its location- exactly beside the taxi stand for Pamir. Shared taxis usually depart early morning, between 6:00 and 7:00 am, so you just wake up in the hostel and immediately go there before they are full.
Sakho Hostel (on Booking registered as ObodHotel– it is the same place) is a budget accommodation, established on the second floor of a larger building. It offers several types of rooms. 4-bed rooms are typical hostel types of rooms, but there are “normal” hotel rooms too, with 2 single beds or 1 double bed. It also offers breakfast in the morning.
Cons: The main issues are related to cleanliness and comfort. Yet it is a budget hotel or hostel, so it is normal.
Check for availability in Sakho Hostel on Booking!
Check for availability in Sakho Hostel on Agoda!
However, Sakho Hostel has competition with better quality but higher prices, located exactly beside it- Kiropol Hotel.
Kiropol Airport Hotel
Location: At Badakshan Taxi Stand to Pamir, not far from the airport.
Rate: Exceptional 10
Highlights: In the best location for those going to Pamir- a more luxurious and expensive option.
Details:
This is a middle-range option for those going to Pamir. At the same time, its proximity to the airport makes it also proper for other travelers, and that’s why it is an “airport hotel”, in other words- “we are here not only for Pamir but also for the international travel connections”. It is a new hotel, obviously established as a competitor of the neighboring Sakho Hostel.
Kiropol Airport Hotel offers standard rooms of good quality. It has a garden, a terrace, and a restaurant. There is an ATM nearby (of course, it can be used by Sakho Hostel visitors too), and here you can also change money.
Cons: The owners of the hotel try to make everything perfect but some facilities still can be improved more.
Check for availability in Kiropol Airport Hotel on Booking!
Check for availability in Kiropol Airport on Agoda!
The rest of the suburbs
This area is located mostly west of the Varzob River. It consists of new residential buildings and complexes, some industrial zones, and old quarters. It also includes the north part of Dushanbe, at the foot of the nearby Hisor Mountains, as well as the far south of the city.
There aren’t too many interesting places to visit here, except for Navruz Palace, but just the environment is nice. Also, here is Zarnisor, the transportation spot where you can find taxis and marshrutkas (minibusses) to Hisor Fortress. Finally, here is the Asian Express Terminal, the starting point for traveling to Khujand, other places in the west of Tajikistan, and even to some neighboring countries.
Budget Hotel
Orom Hostel
Location: In Zarnisor, right beside the point of departure of marshrutkas and shared taxis to Hisor and Hisor Fortress.
Rate: Excellent- 8.4
Highlights: Capsule type of beds with curtains.
Details:
The main reason you would like to stay in this hostel is to visit Hisor Fortress, spending the night in a cheap place, and eventually meet other travelers. But there is one more reason- it is located in a relatively quiet place, far from the busy city center.
Orom Hostel is established in a nice house with a yard. It offers beds in 6-bed dormitory rooms, and every bed has a curtain. There is also a nice sun terrace, a shared kitchen, a bar, and an airport transfer.
Cons: Some travelers complain about the staff.
Check for availability in Orom Hostel on Booking!
Check for availability in Orom Hostel on Agoda!
Middle-range hotels
Guesthouse Homely
Location: In the north-northwest part of Dushanbe.
Rate: Exceptional – 9.7
Highlights: Make you feel like home.
Details:
If you want to feel like visiting a Tajik home, this is the best place for such an experience- this is the best guesthouse in Dushanbe. You can feel it in the interior, in communicating with the staff, in the meals (yes, they offer a good variety of traditional Tajik food), and in the whole atmosphere.
Guesthouse Homely offers several exceptional rooms, some with garden views and a balcony. It is also well-designed for guests with children, providing a baby safety gate. In addition, it offers rental cars and bicycles.
Cons: The main problem is the location- it is too far from the center and the departure transportation points.
Check for availability in Guesthouse Homely on Booking!
Check for availability in Guesthouse Homely on Agoda!
Hotel Tajikgrey Dushanbe
Location: In the southwest part of Dushanbe.
Rate: Very good – 8.5
Highlights: Barbecue, ATM, vending machines with snacks, and other facilities.
Details:
This is a 4-star hotel, located in a bit far from the center and transportation points place. However, this place and its surroundings are quiet and it is very proper for tourists who want just to relax.
Tajikgrey Hotel offers various types of rooms, some with excellent views of the city. It also has a fitness center, a terrace, a restaurant, a business center, features an ATM, and offers a barbecue, a buffet, and vending machines with snacks.
Cons: Wifi not so good.
Check for availability in Hotel Tajikgrey on Booking!
Check for availability in Tajikgrey Hotel on Agoda!
Hyatt Regency Dushanbe
Location: In the western part of Dushanbe but still quite close to the center.
Rate: Excellent – 8.7
Highlights: Luxury in everything.
Details:
This is the third 5-star hotel in Dushanbe- a luxurious palace, located in a spacious area with large boulevards and grand buildings. Needless to say, its main purpose is to serve the highest class of tourists.
Hyatt Regency Dushanbe offers a variety of rooms. The executive suites- the most luxurious of them, have a price that is higher than 600 $ per night. The hotel offers a lot of facilities. They include a gourmet restaurant, a spa area with an indoor pool, a restaurant with Mediterranean and international cuisine, a lounge, a bar, a pastry shop, a modern fitness center, and more. Car rental is available too.
Cons: Weak Wifi, low quality of food for a 5-star hotel.
Check for availability in Hyatt Regency on Booking!
Check for availability in Hyatt Regency Dushanbe on Agoda!
Around Hisor Fortress
Hisor Fortress is one of the most popular travel points of interest around Dushanbe and the whole of Tajikistan. Although it is located about 30 km west of the city, it is still considered one of the main places to see for Dushanbe visitors.
However, there is almost no place to stay around the fortress. About 5 km north of it is the town of Hisor, and there is only one hotel in it. There is also a smaller village, called Hisor, located exactly around the fortress but there is no accommodation there.
If anyway you want to spend the night in Hisor, here is the option:
Hotel Usto Nabod
Location: In the center of Hisor town.
Rate: Good – 7.2
Highlights: The best (and almost the only) place to stay near Hisor Fortress.
Details:
This is a local hotel. You can’t find it on Booking or Agoda, but only on Google Maps, local websites, and information from the locals. As a result, it is mostly used by locals. At least, it is a new hotel that tries to reach a good quality and reputation.
It has several types of rooms, a restaurant, and a few more facilities. Sometimes couples ready for marriage come here before they go to the nearby Hisor Fortress for photo sessions and a party.
Cons: Difficult to find and to make a reservation.
In general, that’s the best of the properties in Dushanbe. Of course, there are many other options, some of them also very good, others- not so good for its price. Some properties are brand new and still not verified with customer reviews. And there are also some fake properties or scams that you’d better avoid.
So, to recap- if you want to spend a night or more in Dushanbe- check out our proposals, or check the reviews for the other options. If there are no reviews yet, send a message to the property, talk to them, and be careful.
Finally, Dushanbe is a big city with a lot to see and try. So, spend more than one day there, resolve your accommodation, and enjoy exploring this amazing place!
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Hi, we are Krasen and Ying Ying. Krasen is from Bulgaria, and Ying Ying is from China. We are passionate about geography and history, and we believe that the best way to experience it is by exploring the Earth in reality, not in a school, and not virtually.
So, we created this blog Journey Beyond the Horizon, where we share geographical knowledge, travel guides and tips how to experience it when you explore our planet, and a lot of inspiration.
And we wish you a happy journey, not just virtually, but most of all- in reality.
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