There are many ways to get from Bishkek to Almaty and vice-versa, each with their own benefits and shortcomings:

• Flights are quick but expensive and require you to adhere to schedules and baggage regulations.
• Trains are comfortable but slow and not running frequently.
• Buses can be inexpensive but you will again have to adhere to their schedules and you may have to wait for them at the border.
• Taxis are quick, but require some haggling skills at the border.

Flying between ALA and FRU

Booking tickets is straightforward, head to your favourite flight search engine, pick your preferred date and book your ticket directly with the airline.

The airports of both Almaty and Bishkek are a bit outside of the city centre, so you will need to plan some time to get there, especially during rush hour. Both airports have ample taxi services as well as public transportation.

Taking the train around the mountains

There are weekly trains linking the two cities on the way to Novosibirsk in Russia. Train 385Н takes about 14 hours because there is no direct rail link between the two cities, instead the train has to go through the Jambyl Region along the Turk-Sib route.

Detailed schedules can be viewed here (Russian) , tickets can be bought online from the Kazakh railways and from any rail operator or ticket shop in the area.

The train ride is slow but comfortable and between the Kazakh border and Bishkek you might end up being the only passenger in your carriage. Passport and customs checks are done in-place, meaning that you do not need to leave your compartment and you will always have your belongings and documents in sight.

Using buses between the two city bus terminals

Scheduled buses run between the Sayran Bus Terminal in Almaty and the Western Bus Station in Bishkek. Both bus terminals are near the respective city centres and can be reached by city buses.

The schedules for departures from Almaty can be seen here (Russian) , departures fom Bishkek here (Russian) . Tickets can be bought at the bus terminals in advance or as long as there are seats available.

There are two stops en-route, a toilet break in a rest stop on the Almaty-Shymkent highway and the border controls of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. For the border formalities everybody has to leave the bus and take their documents and luggage through the checkpoints themselves.

Door to door by taxi

The fastest way of getting between the two cities overland is by using taxis to and from the border. For the long leg between Almaty and the border, it makes sense to use a shared taxi unless you have a lot of luggage or prefer to travel without strangers in the seat next to you.

Shared taxis can be found near the Sayran Bus Terminal in Almaty as well as right outside the border checkpoint in Korday. For the link between Bishkek and the border any taxi can be used, at the border drivers will approach you.

The border is open 24/7, so you can do this journey at any time of the day. If you manage to avoid the rush hour traffic in either city, you can get from door to door in less than 4 hours, rivalling the speed of flights for a fraction of the price.

Mixing different methods

Buses and taxis can be mixed and matched on the route, the following combinations are particularly useful:

• Skipping the last segment of the Almaty-Bishkek cross-border bus by using a taxi or minibus from the Kyrgyz side of the border: This can save time if your destination is in the East of the city where taking the bus until the Western Bus Station would be a considerable detour, especially in rush-hour traffic.
• Getting to the border from Bishkek by minibus: There are two minibus routes (285 and 333) which leave from the TsUM department store and pass through the Eastern part of the city centre. Their destination is “таможня” (“customs”), right in front of the border checkpoint.
• Negotiating an individual drop-off with the driver of the shared taxi: For a little extra payment, the drivers of the shared taxis between the border and Almaty are usually willing to drop you off anywhere in central Almaty.

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