Travelling from Almaty to Bishkek is very cheap and easy. In this guide I will explain how to do this.

The easiest way is to take the bus from Almaty to Bishkek. This will cost 3000 Tenge (around 6 euros) per person. The bus will leave 5 times per day, at: 08:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 18:00. We went to the bus station at 09:00, and could still buy tickets for the bus at 10:00. It should not be necessary to buy tickets in advance.

The bus will leave from this location: https://yandex.com/maps/org/1086141817

The bus will bring you to the border, where you will get out with all your luggage. The border control was very easy (in May 2026), and after leaving Kazakhstan, and entering Kyrgyzstan, you will have a few options:

1. You can wait for your bus to cross the border, and continue to the end destination. From there you will have to take a Yandex Go (taxi), or public transport.

2. You can take a Yandex Go (taxi) or shared taxi directly after crossing the border in Kyrgyzstan.

3. You can take public transport immediately from the border in Kyrgyzstan. For example bus 52 will take you to the center of Bishkek, and costs around 17 som (around 20 cents). This bus will leave every 10 minutes from the bus station at the border.

I would recommend using Yandex Maps to decide your best course of action, depending on the location of your accommodation in the city, and of course your budget.