Bishkek Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek is the capital and largest city in Kyrgyzstan, with a population of about 1.2 million. For many visitors, Bishkek just serves as a gateway to other adventures in Kyrgyzstan, such as heading way out east for backcountry skiing. Or you may want to visit some of the Bishkek ski resorts in the Tian Shan Mountain Range which looms just above the city.

Pros and Cons of Bishkek Kyrgyzstan

Pros

• It’s good for a short stopover as you start or finish up your trip to Kyrgyzstan.
• It’s inexpensive to stay and eat in Bishkek.
• Transport is also very affordable.
• Lift passes at the Bishkek ski resorts are cheap.
• Bishkek is a good spot to absorb some local culture and sample traditional Kyrgyzstan fare as well as other diverse cuisine.

Cons

• Winter often sees Bishkek overcome by heavy fog plus smog. The air pollution is mostly the result of the use of coal as a common form of heating.
• Most of the Bishkek ski resorts are small, have primitive lift systems, and cater mostly to those that like it mellow.

Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective

• If you’re in search of stunning Old Silk Road architecture, then you probably won’t find it, just Soviet style concrete buildings. The main beauty of the city of Bishkek is to look up at the mountains.

Where is Bishkek?

The city of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan sits on the northern periphery of the Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range which is the northern part of Tian Shan (Tien Shan). Bishkek is the capital of the Chüy Region of the Kyrgyz Republic, which is in the north of the country abutting Kazakhstan. The city of Almaty in Kazakhstan is 235km northeast of Bishkek by road.

The Manas International Airport is about 28km northwest of the Bishkek city centre. It receives flights from other Central Asian cities plus various other countries, and flights coming via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines are rather popular. You can look at flight routes here.

Whilst flying is a common mode of arrival into Kyrgyzstan, there are also buses to and from Almaty, plus some limited train options. Train travel around Kyrgyzstan is also not that extensive.

Transport options around Bishkek include marshrutkas (public minibuses) plus taxis. See if you can get the Yandex Go taxi app to work on your phone. 

Bishkek Ski Resorts

There is a collection of Bishkek ski resorts to the south of the city near the Ala Archa National Park. The status of the ski resorts is often in flux, so check opening status before travelling there. Most are very small ski bases and even though they might use the term “cable car” as a descriptor of the lifts, in reality many of the Bishkek ski areas have primitive surface lifts or chair lifts such as single “pizza boxes”.

You can click on the map icon above to see where the ski resorts are, or here are some of the Bishkek ski bases from west to east.

Ski Resorts Near Bishkek
Ski Area	1° Aspect	Top (m)	Base (m)	Vertical (m)	Piste Length	Lifts	Distance from Bishkek
Polytech	N	2,220	1,620	600	4km	3	31km S
Kasha Suu / Kashkulak	NW	2,270	1,890	380	9.5km	1	32km S
Ak Tash / Oruu Sai	N	2,329	2,040	289	3km	2	35km S
Edelweiss	NW	2,570	2,220	350	2km	1	39km S
Chunkurchak	N	2,440	2,070	370	10km	5	41km S
Tatyr	NW	1,830	1,470	360	2km	2	35km SSE
Zil	N	2,330	1,850	480	12km	5	40km SE
Norus (Norruz)	N	2,250	1,920	330	15km	3	44km SE
Toguz Bulak	NE	2,230	1,900	330	9km	a	49km SE

Whilst the ski bases are quite close to the city, it can take a while to drive there by the time you get out of the city, and the access roads can be slow-going. A few of the primitive ski areas have roads that are in bad repair where a 4WD is essential.

If you’re not on a tour or self-driving, taxis are the easiest way to get to and from the ski resorts.

The pick of the Bishkek ski areas is Chunkurchak which has 5 lifts that are modern relative to some of the relics at nearby ski resorts. The piste is mostly beginner and intermediate terrain, although it has sidecountry off the top lift that offers some steep pitches in the alpine and trees.

It’s usually very cold during winter in the mountains near Bishkek, although don’t expect the same volumes of snowfall as the ski areas east of Issyk-Kul, the large alpine lake.

Bishkek Hotels

Bishkek has a wide range of accommodation including business hotels, some deluxe hotels, apartments, and hostels. The main characteristic is that Bishkek accommodation is very inexpensive.

We stayed at the Art Hotel Bishkek, which is a modern 4 star hotel with well sized guest rooms, a good breakfast, and a bar and restaurant onsite. It’s located on the northern fringe of central Bishkek, so you might need to get a taxi to go out for dinner, yet the hotel provides easy access to and from the airport.

Bishkek Hotel Listings  

Attractions

The Bishkek attractions are somewhat understated and there’s nothing suggestive that the city was once a caravan rest stop. If you’re looking for dramatic mosques with azure domes or other fancy Silk Road buildings, if you’re heading to Uzbekistan, perhaps save yourself for that. Bishkek has mostly Soviet era architecture, although most of the buildings wouldn’t classically be described as “architecture” and commonplace are lots of Soviet style apartment blocks and decaying footpaths.

You may wish to go on a city tour of Bishkek so that a guide can help you to appreciate the history and culture of Bishkek, and so that transport needs are looked after.

First stop might be Ala-Too Square which features a statute of Айкол Манас (Mighty Manas). Ala-Too means “great mountain” and the mountains you’ll see beyond probably outshine the statue and the square, although if the soldiers are doing their goose-stepping march, that’s also rather dramatic.

The Osh Bazaar is a good spot to absorb the local culture. The market is spread across multiple city blocks and it’s usually bustling. You’ll need to keep your wits about you as you dodge the many workers pulling trolleys along. You might want to buy some handicrafts as souvenirs, or barter at the classic Central Asian fruit and nut stands, sample some creamed cheese products, or just watch the locals shopping.