Less than 8 months after we did this route the other way, we were back in Almaty, and so it seems appropriate to detail how to go in the opposite direction, from Almaty to Bishkek. It turns out that even on a route as short and well-trodden as this one, doing it the other way round has a few differences, so I wanted to write this one up properly. Here’s my guide to go from Almaty to Bishkek.
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN COMPENSATED AND AFFILIATE LINKS MORE INFORMATION IN OUR DISCLAIMER
First of all, if you’re looking to go from Bishkek to Almaty, then my guide is here. And unlike that direction, which has only just become possible for non-Kyrgyz to book online, booking the Almaty to Bishkek bus online has been possible for quite some time now, which means that it’s very smooth.
You can check times and book your ticket here. You can also book it on tickets.kz, but 12go is just somehow a lot easier.
Almaty to Bishkek Transport Options
As with the Bishkek to Almaty direction, the direct bus is the easiest and cheapest way to do this route, although neither bus station (as is the way with these things) is in the center of the cities, so you’ll have to arrange transport to and from them. But anyway, the bus is what I’ll cover first below.
Bus from Almaty to Bishkek
There are 5 scheduled departures a day, at 08:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, and 18:00, from Sayran Bus Station in Almaty. Tickets cost around 3,000–3,325 KZT (roughly €7), whether bought online or at the station, with a small service fee for booking online. It’s 3,000 KZT if you bus at the bus station, 3,325 if you buy online.
Getting to Sayran Bus Station in Almaty
Bus numbers 7, 16, 19, 37, 48, 59, 63, 65, 126, 201, or 206 all head to Sayran Bus Station from central Almaty. If you’d rather use the metro, Moscow metro station is the closest stop, and that’s about a 30-minute walk from the metro to the bus station. The easiest option, though, is still Yandex Go or inDrive, both of which are as reliable in Almaty as they were when we were here last time, and neither requires a local card, just cash or an in-app payment.
Buying Tickets at the Sayran Bus Station
If you don’t want to buy your Almaty to Bishkek bus tickets online, then here’s what to expect at the bus station.
Head into the ticket office area, “Kacca” for Bishkek. There are signs in Cyrillic and also in the Roman alphabet. You’ll need to be realistic about which bus you get on. It’s unlikely that you can turn up 30 minutes before the 10:00 bus and expect that there will be seats available (most people are booking online these days), so you might have to wait until the next bus after that. Perhaps longer at weekends and on holidays.
You’ll need your passport to buy the ticket. You can pay with cash or a card. Your ticket will have the license plate of the bus on it.
Then you’ll just have to wait until your bus boards and the Bishkek bus boards from Stand 1. It’s the door near the ticket office, and then you’ll need to turn right.
On the Road to the Border
After about 2 hours, there’s a 10-15-minute break at a rest stop. It’s in the middle of nowhere, and there’s just a restaurant, toilets, and a small store. Toilets cost 100 KZT or 10 KGS. After the break, it’s just under another 2 hours to the border itself.
The border crossing that the Almaty to Bishkek bus uses is called Qorday, sometimes Korday.
Crossing the Border: Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan
When you get to the border, you’ll need to get off the bus, take ALL your bags, and exit from Kazakhstan through immigration. This is the point where you need to take note of the license plate of your bus (if it’s following you through the border); it is likely to be on your ticket, but CHECK.
Walk through no man’s land.
And then enter Kyrgyzstan.
At both immigration checkpoints, expect to use your elbows a lot to maintain your place in the line. This isn’t an orderly British queue!
Once through to the Kyrgyz side, you’ll have plenty of offers of taxis and SIM cards. The SIM card counters are usually all genuine, and you pay the same price here that you do in the city center, so it depends if you’re going to want to get yourself a Yandex when you arrive at the bus station in Bishkek (as you’ll need data).
It’s for situations like this, when we think we might be on a time crunch and don’t want the border hassle of getting a SIM card there and then, that we use our global eSIM (read more about that here).
There’s also a small minimart for drinks and snacks, and a money changer, so if you want to get rid of any remaining Kazakh tenge for Kyrgyz som, then this is a good place to do it, but really you just need enough money to get into Bishkek, as the rates aren’t great here.
Border to Bishkek New Bus Station
If you look on the map, you’ll see that the border is very close to the New Bishkek Bus Station, and that’s where your bus is going to take you; it is NOT going to the center of Bishkek city.
Now, depending on the bus service you get, your bus might be coming through the border with you (and therefore needs to clear customs).
Or you might be getting on a different, Kyrgyzstani bus. Your ticket will indicate it. If it doesn’t, use Google Translate and ask when you buy your ticket. If it’s the same, but then your bus is going to have to clear customs, then it’s now your choice as to whether you wait for it, because it might be a while. (On our recent trip from Urumqi to Almaty, we were waiting for about 2 hours for the bus. It wasn’t pleasant).
Wait for your bus to Bishkek New Bus Station.
If you decide to wait for the bus, then it’s going to take you to the Bishkek New Bus Station, which is about 10-12 kilometers (6-7.5 miles) from the center of Bishkek. You’ll see where that is on my map below.
Alternative Options from border to Bishkek / New Bus Station
The border crossing (the Qorday/Ak zhol border control point) is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Bishkek New Bus Station, which is itself about 10-12 kilometers (6-7.5 miles) from the center of Bishkek. If you’re not staying near the bus station (and I mean, why would you?), then you can skip waiting for the bus and have a few options to get to our accommodation in Bishkek.
- Take a local bus – the numbers 34 and 51 wait at the border and take you to the city. They cost about 30 KGS
- Use Yandex to get a ride from the border to the city
- Use a taxi to get from the border to the city. I’d still use Yandex to see what the price should be if I did this.
- Use one of the marshrutkas(shared minivans); tickets cost 10 KGS. You can use maps.me, or 2GIS to see which of them go to which location, but #285 and #333 go to the center of Bishkek, near the Tsum Shopping Center (which I’ve marked on the map).
Bishkek New Bus Station to Bishkek
If you decided to wait for your bus, then your options to get from the bus station to the center of Bishkek are easy.
- Take a Yandex into the center; it’s about a 30-minute drive.
- Take a taxi –most of them here will quote you PER PERSON pricing, so bear that in mind. Yandex will ALWAYS be cheaper.
Fly from Almaty to Bishkek
As with the other direction, flying is the quickest option in terms of time in the air, around 50 minutes, though you’ll need to weigh that against getting to and from both airports. If you’d rather skip the road entirely, this is the option to look at. You can check out the flights here. And make a note of where the airports are.
Map of the Bus Stations from Almaty to Bishkek
Here’s the map of the locations you’ll need to decide how you’ll go from Almaty to Bishkek. Here’s the link to the live map.
Almaty to Bishkek FAQ
Here are the questions that you needed answering about traveling to Bishkek from Almaty.
Is There a Bus from Almaty to Bishkek?
Yes, there are 5 direct buses a day from Sayran Bus Station in Almaty, at 08:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, and 18:00.
Can I Book the Bus from Almaty to Bishkek Online?
Yes. This route can be booked online in advance. Check times and book here.
How Long Does the Journey Take?
You should allow around 5 to 6 hours in total, including the rest stop and the border crossing. If you’re waiting for the bus to clear customs, it might take a little longer, but you can avoid this by taking a local bus, Yandex, or taxi to avoid this.
How Do I Get from Bishkek to Almaty?
The reverse direction has its own quirks, which I’ve covered in detail in our full Bishkek to Almaty guide.
Final Words on Going from Almaty to Bishkek
This is still one of the easiest border crossings in Central Asia, in either direction. The one genuinely useful thing we can pass on from doing it this way round: don’t wait for your bus at the border. Get on a local bus or a taxi into Bishkek instead, and save yourself the best part of an hour. For more on independent travel in the region, check out our full Kyrgyzstan guide, and if you need cash sorted before you go, here’s our guide to ATMs and currency.
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