Trekking Union of Kyrgyzstan

15 things to do in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Travel Guide

Few cities we've visited compare to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. At first glance, the city may not seem to have a lot to offer travelers; however, for those who linger find out Bishkek (Бишкек) has some fascinating attractions, top notch International food and cafes, tantalizing traditional Kyrgyz cuisine, relaxing parks, imposing monuments and plenty of quirky charms that will keep you coming back for more from the capital city of Kyrgyzstan (Кыргызстан - Киргизия)

In our Bishkek city guide we cover some of the best restaurants, museums, parks and attractions in the city as well as nightlife and other attractions and activities.

15 things to do in Bishkek City Guide:

1) Ala-Too Square (Ала-тоо аянты - Площадь Ала-Тоо)
2) State Historical Museum
3) Osh Bazaar (Ош базары)
4) Abandoned Casino
5) Victory Monument
6) Erkindik Park and eating gourmet ice cream
7) Kyrgyzstan Bath House at Zhirgal Banya
8) Rollerskating rink retro experience
9) Kyrgyz National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Abdylas Maldybayev
10) Bishkek Cafes
11) Hiking in Bishkek with Trekking Union
12) Kyrgyz traditional food and cuisine of Kyrgyzstan and International food scene in Bishkek
13) Craft Beer Scene
14) Oak Park
15) Panfilov Park (Панфилов көчөсү - улица Панфилова)

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Our visit Bishkek travel guide documentary covers some of the top attractions including a food guide (best restaurants and street food), top museums and the city by day. We also cover off-the-beaten-path activities you won't find in a typical Bishkek tourism brochure or Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan city tour.

15 things to do in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Travel Guide Video Transcript:

Greetings from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan! Hello from Central Asia. It is our first time here and we are going to be spending a few days here in the capital. So we're going to take you on a little tour and show you fifteen things to do around Bishkek.

First up, we visited Ala-Too Square, which is the central plaza in Bishkek. While there isn’t much to do here, it’s one of the city’s major landmarks, plus they also have lots of benches and water fountains where you can take a quick break. From there, we crossed the street and made our way over to the State Historical Museum.

Another place you’ll want to visit in Bishkek is the Osh Bazaar. It may not be the biggest in Central Asia, but it’s a bustling maze where you could easily spend a few hours. We had no problems at the market, but we were warned by several locals to ignore the fake police who may ask to see documents and camera permits. So keep that in mind if you encounter them!

It is shopping time. Next up we're at the Osh bazaar and you can find everything here. We're seen fresh produce, snacks, chocolates, clothes. Right behind me we have an entire aisle dedicated to dry cheese balls.

Directly across from the abandoned casino, you’ll find Victory monument which was built to commemorate the 40th anniversary of World War 2. The three curved arcs represent a yurt, and the sculpture of a woman standing near the eternal flame is meant to symbolize her waiting for her husband and sons to return from the war.

We missed the start of opera and ballet season by just a few days, however, if you’re in the city at the right time.

And if you’re craving a short escape from Bishkek, you can always plan a day hike to the nearby mountains with the Trekking Union.

As far as food goes, there’s plenty to sample ranging from grilled meats to dumplings, and noodles to mixed rice, plus there was one drink that really left an impression on us.

With our time in Bishkek winding down, we made a visit to Oak Park which is full of sculptures, and then we also visited nearby Panfilov Park.

And that’s a wrap for our trip to Bishkek. As you can probably tell from this video, this city is the kind of place that you experience as opposed to ticking off attractions, so it ended up being a fairly relaxing trip after a few busy weeks of travel around Kyrgyzstan. As always, if you have any suggestions of things to do in Bishkek, feel free to share your tips with fellow travellers in the comments section below. See you next time!

This is part of our Travel in Kyrgyzstan video series showcasing Kyrgyz food, Kyrgyz culture and Kyrgyz cuisine.

Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network

Hiking in Kyrgyzstan adventure travel with Trekking Union

On our last day in Kyrgyzstan we decided to have a little bit of an adventure by going on a day trip hiking. Hiking in Kyrgyzstan is worldclass and a couple of weeks prior we got a bit of taste of that with some horse-trekking that really wetted our appetite for more. Hooking up with the Kyrgyzstan Trekking Union we were able to hop in a van with a bunch of other hikers to tackle Issyk-Ata Gorge. If you're in Kyrgyzstan we definitely recommend you try trekking outdoors. The scenery is breathtaking and you won't feel too crowded like in some other popular destinations in Central Asia. To arrange something with the Trekking Union check out their site:

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Hiking in Kyrgyzstan adventure travel with Trekking Union Video Transcript:

Well good morning. It is Saturday here in Bishkek (Бишкéк) and it is our last day in the city so we figured why not get out of the city get close to nature. So we're going to be doing some hiking. Yeah, it is basically a day trip. We're joining like a hiking group. Yeah, the Trekking Union. Yeah, they go every week and we're just going to be doing like I think it is a pretty leisurely hike but it is going to be really scenic. I really hope so. Fingers crossed. So ending off here in Kyrgyzstan (Кыргызстан) on a high note hopefully. Let's go.

It is go time. We have arrived at the starting point. Today we're hiking Issyk-Ata Gorge. And now get this. We signed up for what we thought was a thirteen kilometer hike. They've just told us it is twenty five and we're going to be out all day. So I feel like this is a bit extreme. We're not that fit. We're not that prepared so it'll be interesting that is for sure. I hope we have enough water.

Status update. Status update. We've been hiking for like twenty minutes and it is getting really steep and we've lost our group because we're too slow apparently.

So two funny things. We had to sign a waiver in order to join this trek and there were two particular points that kind of jumped out at us. First, we had to agree that we wouldn't run away during the hike but it is like. You know how much we like to do that so. That was almost a sticking point. Where are we going to run?

And number two we had to promise we wouldn't drink alcohol. Haha. But again alcohol on a twenty five kilometer hike. I feel like that is just asking for trouble and we barely have enough water so. In other words we have to dump out the moonshine that is in my backpack, right? Ha.

Time for a status update. So we've been hiking for a while and the weather really changed on us quickly. It started raining, the winds started coming and this is a really fast hiking group so we've really had to pick up the pace so we haven't had many updates but we're taking a little break here and the group is way ahead of us but we don't care at this point.

So as far as hiking in Kyrgyzstan is concerned it is amazing. It is like world class. You have all of this rugged scenery and there is not a lot of people hiking here so it is an amazing opportunity for anyone who is looking for kind of an off-the-beaten-path type of destination.

So we're actually going to start heading back now for two reasons. First of all the weather is changing rapidly and it looks like it is going to start raining. Yeah, and we've also lost our group. Yeah, they disappeared. We were a little bit slow-pokey because we were taking photos and we just got left behind and now it is time for us I think we need to head back so yeah there is a few other straddlers. Like four of us who are slowly making our way back to the van trying to retrace our steps. So I think that is it for today's outing. Overall, a really good day of hiking. Tata.

This is part of our Travel in Kyrgyzstan video series showcasing Krygyz food, Kyrgyz culture and Kyrgyz cuisine.

Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network