Navigating Bishkek’s Western Bus Station

Bishkek’s Western Bus Station can be overwhelming and confusing for travellers (and for locals too!). Being the main bus station, there are numerous bus bays with specific buses going to certain areas of Krygyzstan and other countries. It can be busy and boisterous with a choir of men yelling out destinations incessantly. The old Soviet main building is imposing but largely redundant and empty inside with the exception of a few service counters and a waiting area.

There are destination signs on buses, signs beneath bay roofs (or near the top), and signposts with destinations, although they may not be always so obvious.

To help you navigate through the bus station and know where to get a particular bus/marshrutka to your destination (such as to Karakol, Naryn, Osh, Almaty and Tashkent), I have created a map to make things easier for you.

Please have a look at the Bishkek’s Western Bus Station map below to get a general idea where buses are and where they go.

Get that cash money!

If you need to get cash for bus tickets, there are ATMs inside a nearby ‘Frunze’ supermarket – only a few minutes’ walk from the bus station. It is also a good place to grab some snacks for your bus journey.

For the supermarket location, click here.

Here you will find mini buses (marshrutkas) to destinations like Karakol and Almaty from early morning until late.

In this bay, there is a service counter where you can purchase bus tickets. There is also a price list so you can see the latest prices (the list is in Russian though). Alternatively, you can just hop on board a marshrutka and pay cash directly to the bus driver (find out how much the tickets cost beforehand, such as from your accommodation provider or the service counter).

Arrive early, depart earlier

Most buses in this bus station depart only when it is full so you could wait anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. It’s better to depart in the morning than afternoon; mornings tend to be busier with more passengers wanting to depart than in the afternoon.

If you are planning to go to Karakol or Tashkent during the night, you can buy the bus tickets inside the main building. The service counters are towards the back and on the east/right side of the building. Not everyone speaks English so make sure to have Google Translate ready if you don’t speak Russian or Kyrgyz.

It is recommended that you purchase the tickets in advance (the earlier the better, especially during the busy summer season).

The bus bay for these buses is behind the main building – you will see the large coach buses with destination signs on the windscreen.

Currently there are no marshrutkas going to Osh due to the difficulty of the roads. If taking a flight from Bishkek to Osh is out of your budget, taking a shared taxi is the best way to reach Osh from Bishkek (normally around 1,000 som – 2019 pricing; subject to yearly changes).

During winter, the road to Osh from Bishkek is treacherous due to snow and ice, increasing the risk of a car accident. There will be some brave (or mad) taxi drivers willing to take you there, though not many passengers would be wanting to go to Osh; be prepared to pay extra if that happens.

You can find out about the common bus routes (and prices) and schedules (for night buses) at Bishkek Western Bus Station by visiting the website ‘Avtobeket’ here.

The (non-mobile friendly) website is not in English so you will need to translate it (via Google Chrome browser).

Below is a translated page to give you an idea of the information provided (click on the image to enlarge it).

Bishkek’s second bus station handles mostly regional departures to Tokmok (transit here if you want to get to Burana tower; you’ll have to get a taxi to Burana tower from Tokmok), Kant, Kemin, Kegeti, Issyk Ata, or the Korday border crossing (note this border is now closed in 2020 until further notice due to reconstruction of the border crossing on the Kazakh side) and the Chuy Valley.

Hopefully all this information will help you to easily navigate through the bus stations in Bishkek.

If you know a friend who is going to Kyrgyzstan, share this post to help them out.

If you have already been to Bishkek, what did you think of the bus stations there? Was it confusing or easy to find the right bus?

Let me and others know in the comments below!