Bishkek

By Car And Bus

Bishkek is approximately a 3½ hour drive from Almaty, Kazakhstan along a relatively good highway. There are also additional long distance road connections to Taraz, Kazakhstan leading to Shymkent & Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A minibus from Almaty Sairan bus station costs about KZT 1300 and will take at least 4 hours, depending on how long the border crossing takes. There is a rest stop at a gas station about an hour from the border.

At Kazakh-Kyrgyz frontier you have to step out with all your luggage and make customs control by yourself. If your control last too long, the bus can leave without you. Ignore the money-hungry taxi drivers waiting for you, at the left of the road is a parking place where a local minibuses depart to Bishkek for 20 som.

The immigration control going to Kyrgyzstan involves, first, a chaotic crush of people trying to get through up to 8 booths manned by Kazakh immigration officers forget any queuing manners you may have, followed by a walk over the border river bridge, and a smaller, less busy Kyrgyz immigration building. For non-Kazakh/Kyrgyz nationals, you'll need to walk into the Kyrgyz immigration building and knock on the mirrored window door on the left as you enter to get the attention of the officer to come and take your passports for processing. He will disappear for 5 minutes and re-emerge with your stamped passports, you then go on through to meet your minibus.

You can also share or rent an entire taxi from Almaty. Both KLM and Lufthansa offer bus service from the Almaty airport to Bishkek and back again so travelers can meet their early morning flights. The normal price for a seat in a shared taxi is approximately 500 som.

Shared taxis go to Bishkek as they fill up from Osh all day long. A seat will cost between 700 and 1000 som. It is also possible to buy a seat from a truck for about 500. The truck leave the bazar in Osh daily at 15:00.

Truly adventuresome travellers may want to attempt to get to Bishkek via the Chinese/Kyrgyz frontier crossing over the Torugart Pass. The pass connects Kashgar via an important route that runs along what was once the ancient Silk Road, linking Western China with the heart of Central Asia. The pass tops off at a height of 3,752 meters and is known as one of the most frustrating passes in Central Asia, as both sides can be closed for holidays, early snowfall, or just for seemingly random reasons. Only attempt this route if you have time and your patience can handle it. You will need a special permit to cross the border at Torugart. For easier crossing from China, go first to Osh through the Irkeshtam Pass.

By train
By train

There is a twice-weekly train service to and from Moscow, called the "Kirgizia" with two days operated by the Kyrgyz railways, and the other two by the Russian railways. The train has 2- and 4-berth sleepers and a restaurant car. Notice that all trains go through Uzbe

In addition, there is a service that goes to and from Balykchy on the western edge of the Issyk Kul lake. Although slow 6-8 hours and with minimal accommodation, it is one of the most scenic rail trips in Eurasia, sneaking through a thin mountainous alpine pass to the lake.As of July 2012, this service is running again, on a seasonal summer basis. Note that the taxi/bus road trip is only 2.5-3 hours.

By plane
By plane

Bishkek's Manas International Airport IATA: FRU (http://www.airport.kg/) is a 25 minute drive from the city centre. Most of the international flights depart and arrive at very early hours of the morning.

The following airlines operate to/from Bishkek:

Aeroflot - Moscow-Sheremetyevo 5 hour flight, Airbus 320

Air Astana - Almaty

Avia Traffic Company - Almaty, Dushanbe, Isfana, Jalal-Abad, Novosibirsk, Osh, Tashkent

bmi - London-Heathrow 11 hour flight 4x/week

China Southern Airlines - Ürümqi

Iran Air Tours - Mashhad

Iran Aseman Airlines - Mashhad, Tehran-Imam Khomeini

Itek Air - Moscow-Domodedovo, Ürümqi

Kyrgyzstan Airlines - Batken, Delhi, Dubai, Dushanbe, Islamabad, Jalal-Abad, Kazarman, Kerben, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow-Domodedovo, Novosibirsk, Osh, Tashkent, Urumqi, Yekaterinburg

Rossiya - St Petersburg

S7 Airlines - Novosibirsk

Tajik Air - Dushanbe

Turkish Airlines - Istanbul-Atatürk, Ulaanbaatar

Uzbekistan Airways - Tashkent

KYRGYZSTAN AIR New Delhi -Bishkek-New Delhi {Flight Twice a week starting 13TH July 2012}

While there are occasional reports of requests for bribes or hassling of passengers, it is very rare. Airport personnel are generally formal and sometimes hospitable. There is an ATM in the basement of the airport, and several small cafes and convenience shops that are open around the clock.

Manas International is also home to a US Air Force Base that provides logistics support to the forces in Afghanistan. You can see American fuel tankers and cargo jets sitting alongside old Soviet passenger jets on the tarmac.

Keep your baggage tag receipt with you as your receipt will be checked by airport security to make sure you have picked up the correct baggage.

Note: There are many aggressive "unofficial" taxi drivers awaiting all incoming flights. The normal rate charged by the major taxi companies to the city center is 350-400 soms, so you should attempt to bargain for a similar rate if you choose to take one of these taxis.