The easiest way. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office or on the Sairan Bus Station website if you have a Kazakh bank card (there will be a service fee for online purchases). The fare from Almaty to Bishkek is 3000 tenge.

Sometimes there may be two buses. The first departs from the international Sairan Bus Station in Almaty (Location on 2GIS) and takes you to the border. At the border, you’ll be asked to get off and go through passport control, stating the bus number you’ll board on the Kyrgyz side. After that, you’ll get on the second bus that will pick up passengers and take them to the bus terminal in Bishkek. Or the same bus may cross the border alongside you.

Buses arrive at the new Bishkek Bus Terminal, which is currently located outside the city. I recommend using the current location on 2GIS at Alma-Atinskaya, 1/1. Buses operate according to the schedule: 08:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, and 18:00.

There is no need to go all the way to Bishkek Bus Terminal. A better way to reach downtown Bishkek is to tell the driver that you might continue on your own after the border. From the Kyrgyz side, you can take minibus #285 (Route on 2GIS) or bus #34 (Route on 2GIS)—this will be much more convenient!

🚘 By Shared Taxi

At the international Sairan Bus Station in Almaty (Location on 2GIS), where buses depart from, you can also find taxi drivers gathering people to share a ride to the Kordai checkpoint (Location on 2GIS). Prices start from 5000 tenge per person in a shared car. You can also rent the entire car for a more comfortable ride, depending on your negotiation.

After passing the checkpoints, you can get to Bishkek by taking minibus #285 (Route on 2GIS), bus #34 (Route on 2GIS), or a regular taxi. The trip to the city center won’t take long.

✈️ By Plane

There are direct flights available.

Have a great trip to Bishkek!

The post How to get from Almaty to Bishkek? appeared first on Catharsis Travel.

At the airport

Antalya has a main terminal and terminal 2. The distance between them is about 2 km. If you are “lucky” to land in the second terminal, you need to take a taxi or walk (30 minutes) to the main terminal where you can find an exchange office and buy a transport card. Taxi drivers accept foreign currency. There are buses at terminal 2, but they run extremely rarely. and there is nowhere to exchange currency.

Get some cash turkish lira (TL)

The currency exchange rate at the airport is extremely unprofitable, Best if you exchange a little amount of money to be enough to buy a transport card.

Buy AntalyaCard

You can buy AntalyaCard at the ticket machines which are located next to the entrance to the Antray rail transport, which is very similar to the metro, it is also called a tram. You will see escalators, next to them there are those vending machines.

How to get to Antalya City Center

The easiest and most reliable way is to take the subway from the Havalimani stop at the airport to Muratpasa. It is extremely difficult to get lost in this type of transport and it is easy to get off at the right stop, there are screens inside with visualization of the stops.

The Muratpasa stop (1 on the map) is located in the very center of the city next to the MarkAntalya shopping center. The first more or less normal currency exchange office is in this shopping center. You can also exchange by crossing the boulevard at the corner on the way from point 1 to 2 on the map. If you go down below there will be many different exchange offices with a better rate.

All you need to know for comfortable orientation in the city is how to get to MarkAntalya and the stop indicated on the map as 2. From this stop you can go by bus anywhere. This is the main boulevard that runs through the city. You can install the official Antalya Kart application in advance – it shows the current traffic and its route with stops, but unfortunately it does not work without the Internet.

I would recommend staying somewhere within walking distance from the metro for convenience if you are in Antalya for the first time. It will be easier to go back to the airport. Important! From the airport there is only one way to the center, but if you want to go to the airport from the center you may take the wrong tram. To go to the airport, make sure that HAVALIMANI is written on the tram! You can also go inside and look at the screen with stops and make sure that the destination is Havalimani.

Well, the main organizational matters have been done, let’s start our day in Antalya!

Swimming at Konyaalti beach

We go out to the beach early in the morning. You can leave the center from the main stop 10151 (mentioned before) by bus VS18 and KL08. Buses in Antalya stop at the nearest stop after pressing a button in the cabin. In Turkish stop is “DURAK” – it’s easy to remember. The best decision would be arriving to the middle of the beach looking at the map where it is better to get off, for example at this stop to have a walk along a beautiful pedestrian path towards the city center. Even in winter, it’s a great place to enjoy the views.

The Big Chefs restaurant will be a great place to have breakfast – it’s not a cheap place, but it’s cool.

If you just want to have a coffee with dessert in the morning, then Mackbear’s is the perfect choice, their caramel frappe with dessert “Izmir bomba” (also pronounced in Turkish) is a very tasty combination.

Walking along the embankment of Konyaalti beach we go in the direction of the city center until the moment when the embankment begins to turn into a park. Here you will need to decide how to spend time further.

Choose what to do during the day from 4 options:

If you are very quick, you can try to visit everywhere at once. In summer, it would be better to wait out the peak of the sun in some building.

1. Visit the largest aquarium

Situated very close to the beach. You can see the prices on the official website

2. Shopping in 5M Migros

It is located further than the Aquarium. It takes some time to get there from the beach. It is the largest shopping center in Antalya. Next to it is an amusement park that comes alive after dark.

3. Visit the Glass Pyramid Exhibition Center

A place where various events can be held.

4. Archaeological Museum

You should know that there is an elevator to go up next. Otherwise, you’ll have to climb the serpentine steps later. There are a lot of different exhibits in the archaeological museum.

There is a cool observation deck near the museum, and you can get from here to the old town by an old tram, but it runs once an hour. In fact, it’s not that far away, you can walk there.

It’s perfect to take a walk in the old town in the evening

The tourist route starts from Mark Antalya in the direction of Ataturk Cd. There are many cafes and various shops on this street. It’s just nice to walk through the narrow streets in the old town.

You definitely have to try the hot Turkish ice cream at Helvaci Ali Antalya on your way

Hadrian’s Gate

The main attraction, the central entrance to the old town.

Hadrian’s Gate in the evening, locals call it “triple”

Ataturk House Museum

It closes quite early, unfortunately you can’t get there in the evening. You can walk nearby, it’s beautiful.

There is a park not far from the museum where it would be perfect to meet the sunset with a beautiful view of the city.

If you have more than 1 day in Antalya, it is worth going to the amazing Zoo, where you can stay from morning to evening, such a cool place. Take a ride to the Upper and Lower Duden waterfalls. Well, I do not suggest riding the funicular, which is well known after the accident.

Have a great trip around Antalya!

The post What to see in Antalya in one day? appeared first on Catharsis Travel.

The easiest way is by bus. Tickets can only be purchased at the ticket office, and the fare from Bishkek to Almaty is 600 som. In practice, there may actually be two buses involved. The first bus will take you from the Bishkek Bus Station (location available on 2GIS) to the border crossing point.

Note: The Western and Eastern Bus Stations in Bishkek have been relocated outside the city. The current departure point is at Alma-Atinskaya, 1/1, Buses now depart from this new out-of-town station according to the old schedule: 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, and 6:00 PM.

Once you arrive at the border crossing, you will need to get off the bus to go through customs control. The staff might tell you the bus number waiting on the Kazakh side of the border, or you may have to wait for the same bus you arrived on to cross the border.

You will be dropped off at the Sayran International Bus Terminal (location available on 2GIS).

🚘Public Transport

First, you need to get from Bishkek to the Ak-Zhol border checkpoint (location available on 2GIS). The easiest way to do this is by taking bus #34 (route on 2GIS) or minibus #285 (route on 2GIS). You can also take a regular taxi—it’s not too far from Bishkek.

After crossing the border, private taxi drivers will be waiting at the exit of the Kazakhstan checkpoint. They will offer to take you to Almaty for 5000 tenge shared with other passengers. Departure will happen as soon as the car is full. If you walk a bit further to the parking lot behind the gas station, you can arrange to buy a bus ticket for 3000 tenge (the same bus mentioned earlier). Departure will take place once all passengers have passed passport control at the bus station.

✈️ Plane

There are direct flights available, but they are much more expensive compared to land transport.

Have a pleasant trip to Almaty!

The post How to Get from Bishkek to Almaty? appeared first on Catharsis Travel.

Public Transport

This is actually the only option, and it’s very simple. First, you need to go to the Taraz Bus Station (location on 2GIS). It’s best to arrive around 12:00 PM-1:00 PM, as the minibus departs once it collects enough passengers. According to the minibus driver, there are departures at 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM. The driver also mentioned that sometimes the minibus leaves at 12:00 PM if enough people are gathered quickly.

The minibus goes to the border town of Kordai. The fare for the trip is 3000 tenge.

The minibus will take you directly to the customs checkpoint. It travels through the entire town of Kordai, dropping off passengers along the way at their requested locations. The final stop is at the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan border checkpoint.

First, you will pass through the Kazakh border, followed by the Kyrgyz border. There are many exchange offices at the border with a much better exchange rate than I found in Taraz.

At the exit of the Kyrgyz border, you will be greeted by persistent taxi drivers offering rides at the prices listed in the Yandex Taxi app. If you walk another 200 meters, you will find minibus #285, which will take you to Jibek Jolu Avenue for just 30 soms. The minibus then turns around and heads back. There was a queue of about 5 of these minibuses. About 150 meters further, you will find a bus stop for bus #34, which travels along Jibek Jolu Avenue (route on 2GIS).

So it’s pretty simple! Go for it!

The post How to Get from Taraz to Bishkek? appeared first on Catharsis Travel.

Shared Taxi

The most popular way to get from Tashkent to Khujand is by shared taxi. The route works like this: Uzbek taxi drivers take you from Kuyluk Market to the Aybek border checkpoint. After crossing the border, Tajik taxi drivers meet you and drive you to Khujand. These are private drivers who gather 4–6 passengers and make their living by working in a highly competitive environment.

First, you need to get to “Kuyluk Market” (Google Maps link available). The easiest way is to take the metro to 7-Bekat Station. Once you arrive, taxi drivers will greet you with loud calls of “Aybek.” They usually wait near underpasses and under the bridge. You will wait until the car is full before starting your journey.

The cost of a shared taxi is 100,000 sums per person. This means other passengers will also pay the same fare. If you don’t want to wait for other passengers, you can book the whole car for 300,000 sums. Keep in mind that Uzbek drivers can be quite enterprising and may try to charge higher prices, so don’t accept unfair offers.

Important Note:
If you don’t have a Tajik or Uzbek passport, you must cross at the international terminal at Aybek. There are other checkpoints on the map, but some of them are not international, and you won’t be allowed through.

At the border, many individuals offer currency exchange services, but their rates are typically around 2% higher than official exchange offices. Both Uzbek and Tajik taxi drivers usually accept dollars, Tajik somoni, and Uzbek sums. There is an official currency exchange office with reasonable rates just outside the Tajik checkpoint on the left, near where Tajik taxi drivers wait.

After crossing, negotiate with the Tajik drivers and wait until the car is full. The standard fare from the Aybek checkpoint to Khujand is 50 somoni. By default, they will drop you off at “Taksistkho Maschoh“, but they may take you closer to the city center if it’s on their route.

If you need to exchange money in Khujand, it’s convenient to do so at the Sanduk exchange office ([Google Maps link available]). This exchange is not listed on maps but does exist.

Bus

Here’s the thing: sometimes buses are not running, and it’s quite difficult to find their schedule online. For instance, the Tajik company Asian Express has stopped operating on this route, and they don’t respond to inquiries on Instagram. It seems that recently an Uzbek company has started running buses, but if you decide to try this option, you should go to the bus station in advance to confirm the schedule.

Train

There is a way to travel through Samarkand, but it takes nearly a day. And tickets (if available) must be purchased at the station in advance. Even then, the train will only take you to Chkalovsk, a neighboring city, making this option less practical.

Plane

There are no direct flights between Tashkent and Khujand. Traveling by land is faster and more convenient.

Have a wonderful trip to Khujand!

The post How to Get from Tashkent to Khujand? appeared first on Catharsis Travel.

Start by going to the Shakhriston metro station in Tashkent. Just a few meters from the metro exit, you’ll find a bus stop (check Google Maps). From here, the #169 bus regularly departs for the Zhibek Zholy border checkpoint. The bus will drop you off right at the customs area. You can check the schedule on Yandex Go.

At the border, you’ll first clear Uzbek customs and then Kazakh customs. After crossing, you’ll find plenty of currency exchange booths on the Kazakh side with reasonable rates .

From there, private minibuses can take you to Shymkent for 2000 tenge. These minibuses are parked in the lot across from the exchange booths and leave as soon as all the seats are filled.

Typically, these minibuses will drop you off in the Kolos district of Shymkent.

Train

The train ride takes around 6–8 hours. Uzbek ticket websites do not accept international cards (I couldn’t pay with my Turkish Visa card). Instead, I asked a hotel receptionist to purchase a ticket for me in exchange for cash. You’ll need a local card for online payment or can buy tickets at the train station.

Bus

The official website lists two buses per day, though the accuracy of this information is uncertain.

Plane

Flying is an option, but ground transportation is much simpler.

That’s all the ways to get from Tashkent to Shymkent. Have a great trip!

The post How to Get from Tashkent to Shymkent? appeared first on Catharsis Travel.

Taxi

This is the most affordable and well-known option to get to Tashkent. Tajik taxi drivers will take you from Khujand to the customs clearance office Aibek. After that, Uzbek drivers meet you at the border and take you to Kuyluk bazar. Private taxi drivers gather groups of 6 people and earn from it. This is a common job, but it has a big rivalry.

First of all :

You need to get to ”Taksistkho Maschokh” (Link in google map). Taxi drivers will welcome you here with open arms. They will find you with loud shouts of ”Aibek” and ”Tashkent”. Then you have to wait for the car to fill up with passengers and go on.

Attention! If you don’t have a Tajik or Uzbek passport, you need the Aibek International Terminal. There are other checkpoints, but some of them aren’t international so you won’t get through.

The usual cost of trip from Khujand to Aibek terminal is 50 somoni.

You can easily exchange currency at the Sanduk exchange office (Link in google map). It would be better to arrive at this place by car and walk to the taxi rank on foot.

There are people who go around offering currency exchange, but on average their rate is 2% higher. Regardless, Uzbek and Tajik taxis take both somoni and sums and dollars.

The currency exchanger is located right in front of the Tajik checkpoint.

At the exit of the checkpoint, after passing Tajik and Uzbek control, taxi drivers will be waiting for you. You will easily recognize them as they will loudly say ”Tashkent” and invite you into the car.

You”ll be able to leave in a shared taxi for 100 000 sum (there will be other people with you), and you”ll be offered a private taxi for 300 000 sum. Uzbeks are quite enterprising and they can inflate prices. A taxi will take you to Kuyluk bazar, and you’re in Tashkent now!

By bus

Sometimes buses don’t run and it’s quite complicated to find out the schedule online. For instance, buses of Tajik company Asian Express stopped running on this route. Seemingly, a company based in Uzbekistan has recently started offering this service. If you’re interested in using it, it’s advisable to go to the bus station in advance to find out when the next bus is leaving.

By train

Samarkand will take a whole day and you need to buy tickets in advance at a train station in a neighboring town. Not the best choice.

By plane

There are no direct flights, land transport is faster and easier.

Have a good trip to Tashkent!

The post How to get from Khujand to Tashkent? appeared first on Catharsis Travel.

Shared taxi

The most common and affordable way to travel between these cities is by shared taxi. Local Tajik drivers gather passengers at the “Chobor” Passenger Terminal. Taxis to Panjakent also depart from this terminal. You can reach it by taking bus #3 or #3A from Rudaki Avenue.

In the morning, just head to the terminal, and the drivers will find you. 😊

How it works:

Drivers (often competing with one another) call out “Khujand” and invite you to put your luggage in their car. Once you’ve done this, you’re informally “claimed” by that driver, and others won’t approach you anymore. Then, you wait for the car to fill up with passengers.

Depending on the vehicle, they’ll collect either 4 passengers (for a 5-seater car) or 6 passengers (for a 7-seater). Once the car is full, the journey begins. The trip usually takes just over 5 hours, but the waiting time for other passengers is usually the longest. On one occasion, a driver took almost 2 hours to gather 4 passengers. It all depends on the flow of people.

Negotiate the price! Drivers typically start at 200–250 somoni, but a good price is 120–150 somoni. This depends on your bargaining skills.

Choose your driver carefully. Avoid those who seem like reckless speeders. The road is challenging—307 km of serpentine curves with no guardrails. A single meter of error can be life-threatening.

The driver will usually take you to the main bus station in Khujand. However, they might drop you off closer to the city center if it aligns with their route.

Plane

There are direct flights with a flight time of 45 minutes, but they do not operate daily.

When flying, you’ll land in Chkalovsk, not Khujand itself. From there, you’ll need additional transport to reach the city. A taxi will cost around 40-50 somoni, while a minibus (marshrutka) is much cheaper.

Train

This is a rather lengthy and inconvenient option, taking almost a full day. Tickets cannot be purchased online. I don’t know anyone who has used this method of travel, and to be honest, there are doubts whether it’s even feasible.

Bus

According to the Instagram account of Asian Express, buses on the Dushanbe-Khujand route are currently not operating

Have a wonderful trip! Information on how to return from Khujand to Dushanbe can be found here.

The post How to get from Dushanbe to Khujand? appeared first on Catharsis Travel.

Shared cab

This is the most basic option of transportation in Tajikistan! You arrive at the bus station in Khujand (preferably in the first half of the day) and there are private drivers waiting for you in their cars. Drivers will find you by themselves😊. As soon as there are 4-6 people willing to go to Dushanbe, you will hit the road. Travel time usually takes a little more than 5 hours. Usually the longest time is waiting for other passengers to arrive. Once the driver was waiting for 2 hours for 4 people to gather, in general it depends on the flow of people.

It’s worth haggling! They call the initial price 200-250 somoni (for people who do not speak Russian or Tajik the price can be even higher), but a reasonable price will be 120-150 somoni. It all depends on your diplomatic skills. Pay attention to the driver, a racer is a very bad option. The road is hard, 307 km(190 ml) on serpentine without jackhammers, a mistake of 1 meter costs a life.

The cab driver will take you to the Chobor Passenger Terminal by default, but can actually take you to the city center if he is further away.

By plane

There are direct flights with a flight time of 45 minutes, but departing not every day. From the nuances that you will need to get to the airport in the city of Chkalovsk, by cab from Khujand will be somewhere in 40-50 somoni or on a minibus much cheaper. The airport in Dushanbe is not far from the city center.

Getting there by train or bus is very inconvenient. The train is very long and difficult, buses don’t run often.

Have a wonderful trip!

The post How to get from Khujand to Dushanbe? appeared first on Catharsis Travel.

By bus

Buses to the reservoir leave from the Panshanbe Bazar stop. Bus #40 goes directly. There are others, but they talk about it in Tajik or Russian.

The price of a one-way trip is 5 somoni.

By cab

Call a cab via Maxim app (you need a Tajik SIM card to register in the app). The best place for the end point will be the entrance to the sanatorium Bakhoriston. But if you want to swim, you should probably choose another place, the beach is stony and very bad. In summer the guards of the neighboring sanatorium, where there is a better beach but without changing rooms, took 10 somoni per person for the entrance, in winter we passed for free. Just be prepared that for the entrance to the sanatorium you may be charged money.

A good price for a one way trip is 50-60 somoni. The price may be a little higher.

How to get back to the city?

In summer, cab drivers will be waiting for you at the entrance of Bakhoriston Sanatorium. From the same place there are shuttle buses to the city. In the off season there may be no cab drivers, either use the app or take a shuttle bus. The last shuttle bus to the city can go closer to 8-9 p.m., it is better to clarify this point in advance with the driver on the way there.

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