Last updated on 03 January, 2019 at 10:46 am
To start a journey around the world in the easiest possible way, the best is to choose a country where you understand a bit the language, where people speak English easily, where the alphabet is the same as yours and where the quality of infrastructures is close to the one you are used to.
In other words, the logical choice would not necessarily be on a Central Asian country, also often called the ‘Stan.
That being said, it is in Kyrgyzstan, more precisely in Bishkek, that our journey began. The choice was motivated by the climate in this part of the world at the end of August: the hot weather has already passed and the cold of winter has not yet arrived. For more details, here you can read our analysis of the best place to go to for each month.
Our arrival in Bishkek
To arrive in Bishkek, we flew with Pegasus from Zurich with a stopover in Istanbul. 3h flight to Istanbul, 5h to Bishkek, paid service on board, simple but effective.
When we arrived, despite being 4:30 am, the exit from the airport is anything but quiet and it’s not pleasant. A bunch of unofficial taxi drivers want to take you to your destination and this at prices far to high! Since we didn’t want to get to the center of a city we didn’t know in the middle of the night, we first had a coffee at the airport.
We met there an English couple that took the same flight from Istanbul. After sunrise, we decided to share one of these taxis. We negotiated the taxi to our two hostels for 700 soms (10 CHF, 9 € or 10$) while the first price offered was 2,000 soms (almost 30 CHF, 25 € or 30$)!! It is also important to know that the person with whom the price is negotiated is not the driver but a matchmaker who is likely to receive a commission. The driver didn’t speak any English and was unaware of the agreement between us and the matchmaker. Therefore, he refused to take us to our second destination without paying an extra 100 soms – which we refused. We finally had tea at our hostel with our English friends before continuing by foot together.
What is surprising when we take the road is that although we drive on the right hand side as in Europe, there are as many cars with the steering wheel on the left than on the right! In addition, the anti-pollution control is as out of order as are the brakes. As for the middle line of the road, it serves more often as a marker for the middle of the car than a demarcation between two lanes of traffic. The cars usually drive on the fuel reserve and only partially fill up its tank. If you see once a car with the tank full, send us a picture!
In the streets, public lighting is rare, which gives a dark atmosphere after nightfall. But we never felt in danger day or night, despite an episode with an old drunk guy guy that had a little too long aperitif. Even at Osh Bazaar, we didn’t feel the need to be constantly focused on our bags although we were still paying attention. People are very respectful, if they see you taking a picture, they will stop or change their path so as not to disturb you.
Our visit of Bishkek
Once downtown, the historical part can be visited by foot for 1-2 days. The Google Trips app gives a great overview of the sites to visit, each city being downloadable for later offline use.
Ala-Too square
The Ala-Too square – temporarily in the colors of the Nomad Games taking place in early September 2018 in the city – is the tourist asset of the city. Beautiful flowers and fountains are surrounded by arcades.
Changing of the guard ceremony
Nearby, we witnessed by chance the national flag changing of the guard ceremony. The gestures are precise, the procedure short, we aren’t in a show as in the tomb of the unknown soldier in Washington D.C.
Manas square
The Manas Square is also worth a visit. Located in front of the Philharmonic Hall, the square has a huge fountain with a statue in its center. The square continues with beautiful flower gardens.
Osh bazar
About ten minutes west of Manas Square, the Osh Bazaar is a veritable anthill. You can find literally EVERYTHING. From food, electronics, jewelry (is not it Céline? 😛 ) and dishes. There is an aisle for each specialty. You won’t find the plates next to the TVs, nor the eggs next to the pants.
And so much more
Not far from there, you can take a ride on a ferris wheel in the amusement park of the city. It is recommended to go in the morning to have a nice view of the surrounding mountains, avoiding the fog of the afternoon. Many parks invite you to relax a moment in the shades: the day the sun hits hard, even at the end of August. All monuments can be visited by foot.
Practical tips to visit Bishkek
Where to sleep in Bishkek? Accommodations
We stayed at Boorsok Hostel, where we paid $ 20.50 a night for a private room with two single beds and a shared bathroom. Dorm beds are also available. The lady holding the hostel is very friendly and speaks well English. She loves her country and will sell it to you as no one and is available to give lots of valuable advices. We would be almost tempted to come here to ski in winter.
Upon returning from our trek to Kyzart, we stayed at the Freedom Hostel for $ 15 for a private double room with bunk beds and a shared bathroom. The hostel is run by a Turkish couple traveling around the world who stoped in Bishkek 4 months ago. Even if we arrived late at night, we were able to eat dinner offered by the hosts, before going to sleep on very, very hard beds …
Where to eat in Bishkek? Restaurants
The first night we went eating at a Kyrgyz restaurant, named Faiza, following our host’s advice. The map was only available in Cyrillic but luckily an image presented each dish. Wanting to taste everything, we made a choice of dishes, which was a little too much for us. Despite having a lot more food than the size of our stomachs, the bill was modest: 600 soms (8.50 CHF, 7.50 € or 8.50 $) for both.
Transportation
Shared taxis
Shared taxis are widely used. These are vehicles that people share in order to travel to a common destination by dividing transportation costs.
Other means of transportation
There are several other means of transportation:
- The marshrutkas in town: public minibus, you are packed even standed and it is difficult to find the one that will take you to your destination (the locals know so you can try asking them) but it is super cheap: 50 soms (0.70 CHF, 0.6 € or 0.70 $) per person from the airport. You can also ask your hostel which number to take from the airport and where to stop. The trips in the city center are even cheaper: 20 soms (0.27 CHF, 0.24 € or 0.27 $).
- Yandex.Taxi: an app acting as a local Uber, working exactly in the same way. Price from the city center to the airport: 600 soms (8.40 CHF, 7.48 € or 8.40 $), which can vary a bit depending on the location of your hostel. In the city, we paid 80 soms (1.10 CHF, 1 € or 1.10 $) for about 10 minutes drive. You can pay in cash after the ride or by credit card beforehand.
- Some hostels/hotels offer a shuttle service to/from the airport, the price – often higher than other solutions – can vary from one to the other, but it can be an easy way out.
To arrive in Bishkek, no direct flights are currently available from Europe, a stopover will be necessary either in Istanbul or Moscow or elsewhere depending on where you come from and the chosen airline.
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