1. Explore the Charming Soviet-Era Residential Micro-Districts & their Weekend Flea Market
2. Visit the Excellent Historical Museum and Bishkek’s other Outstanding Soviet-Era Civic Architecture
3. Be Blown-Away by the Nation’s Traditional Cuisine in a Kyrgyz-Themed Restaurant & Indulge in Bishkek’s Excellent Coffee
4. Visit the Stunning Ala Archa National Park that forms the City’s Famous Mountainous Backdrop
5. Experience Rural Kyrgyzstan at its Best by Taking a Hiking, Horse-Riding or Skiing Day-Trip
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Bishkek is much more than a base from which to explore this beautiful country - it’s the heart of Kyrgyzstan and its an increasingly dynamic hub in what is a relatively underpopulated and largely misunderstood part of the world. Bishkek offers the curious traveller some lovely surprises, especially if you get off the beat and track and leave the city centre and head to its suburbs, micro-districts and nearby mountains and rivers.
Widely known for its beautiful mountainous landscapes, nomadic culture, brutalist architecture and crumbling soviet infrastructure, the green shoots of a new, vibrant Kyrgyzstan are now rising-up from its Soviet past with panache, and offer the visitor, not only a nostalgic window to a fascinating past, but a glimpse of an exciting future filled by the strength and the flair of its people.
Having stayed in Bishkek numerous times over the last decade, and with connections to the locals, and a curious eye, I probably have a bit of a different take on the city to most travellers. I explored Bishkek (again) recently (2023) for three weeks in early summer, the best of which I have summarised here. I provide links where useful, including to the sections of this website with relevant photographs. Each suggestion can easily be accessed on foot, by very affordable public transport, or via the regular trips organised by English speaking outdoor clubs etc.
If you get to experience all five, then I think you will depart Bishkek with an authentic connection to the country and its people, and with an appreciation of the subtle qualities that life here offers, especially when you scratch a little beneath the surface. And finally, I hope you leave with a glimpse of the green shoots of the new, vibrant Kyrgyzstan that is rising-up from its Soviet past - with panache.
1. The Charming Soviet-Era Residential Micro-Districts & their Weekend Flea Market
Admittedly this might be an acquired taste but having stayed in multiple Bishkek micro districts (MD5, MD6 and Asanbai MD, which doesn't have a number but is next to MD6 and MD11), I have built-up an affinity for these charming leafy residential areas, that consist of high density apartment blocks built in the 1960s and beyond from pre-fabricated concrete panels. Most are 5 or 9 stories high, punctuated with the occasional much higher tower block. Old film clips from the 70s and 80s on YouTube show the micro districts (MDs) of Bishkek in all their immaculate glory, rather like those 'American dream' promotional films of suburban bliss of 1950s USA. Today the majority of the MDs are deteriorating and shabby, but have charm and a vibrancy that is hard to find to these days, and more importantly, they are the homes and communities to tens, if not, hundreds of thousands of Bishkek residents.
Thanks to Bishkek’s soviet-era centralised heating system, in which the power station, whose smoke stacks dominate the skyline in the east of the city, pumps highly subsidised hot water to residents through pipes that snake their way across the city like the tentacles of a giant ‘milli-pus’ (think octopus but with thousands of tentacles), the concrete apartments of the MDs are surprisingly warm and cosy despite Bishkek's pretty harsh winter.
Living in these vibrant areas feels completely different to the more spacious city centre area, and for the visitor it’s a completely different Bishkek to what they generally experience. They also feel like a sanctuary to those that live there, venture out of these enclaves in the midday sun during the summer and the temperature is at least 10oC higher without the leafy tree cover that fills the spaces between the blocks.
I recommend visiting the micro districts in the late afternoon and early evening during the warmer seasons of the year when they come alive with children playing (above) and families walking and shopping and buying ice creams in the little micro shops that have sprung up amongst the apartments blocks over the years.
Even better is to visit on a weekend when the pavements, walls, fences and trees of MD7 become a sprawling open air flea market (above) where the local residents sell everything from kitchen utensils, old tools, to soviet-era coins, medals, cameras (below), army uniforms and other awesome memorabilia that make great presents and talking pieces.
Over the years, as the market has expanded, it's no longer dominated by the elderly Russians, that never left Bishkek when the Soviet Union collapsed, that take to the streets to sell a few items in an attempt to help make their pensions stretch a little further.
I suggest catching an old soviet-era electric trolley bus (below) from the city centre late morning - get on at the front and pay the driver - each trip, however far, is only a remarkable 11 soms as of 2023.
The number 17 trolley bus, in about 20 minutes, takes you all the way to the flea market where you can exit at CosmoPark cinema, a well known landmark in Bishkek. The flea market runs along the MD5 side of the main road that separates MD5 and MD7, from CosmoPark down to Adriano Coffee (see map extract below).
Adriano has arguably the best coffee in town (refer #3 below for more information) and if you're lucky bag a table on the balcony, and spot, from the comfort of your seat, what might be your first piece of MD artwork - a giant mosaic of blue, yellow and red Kyrgyz motifs that adorn both sides of a 9 storey concrete apartment building on the opposite side of the road (below).
After stocking-up on soviet-era army medals (below), pin-badges (below), old food blenders, Russian literature and CCCP Road Atlases, and as the heat of the sun starts to mellow, it's time to explore inside the micro-districts.
I suggest crossing the road from the flea market to first explore MD5. While walking around the MDs, scan the ends of the concrete apartments for murals, mosaics and other art and iconography - MD5 has more than it’s fair share, but be warned they are often not easy to spot and it feels like a treasure hunt finding them.
To get you started you should be able to find quite quickly the artwork below which depicts the construction of the MD5 apartments back in 1967 complete with Soviet hammer and sickle iconography. Hardly anyone notices, but it sits there big and bold for anyone who cares to marvel at what seems to be, quite a historic treasure - a real piece of Bishkek and Soviet history.
There are even mosaics on side of some apartment buildings, that act as maps for that particular micro-district, showing the layout of the buildings and their numbers. I was gratefully alerted to this phenomenon when watching a YouTube video by the channel 'Paul from Russia'. I unfortunately only found one which was in MD7 and it was impossible to photograph due to being almost totally obscured by trees. I couldn't find the one in Paul's video which was in MD6, so I have taken the liberty of grabbing a screenshot (below) of it - I hope you don't mind too much Paul.
In terms of MD5 mosaics they include an old man on his flying carpet, possibly depicting the main character ‘Khottabych’ from a 1956 Soviet fantasy film, a mythical winged creature with mountain backdrop, snow leopards with more mountains, and a beautiful scene that glistens in the early evening sun of a fabulously dressed warrior (below) with sword, riding a magnificent white horse looking back towards a stunning islamic city, adorned with minarets, that perhaps he has just single handedly ransacked.
Unfortunately many of the mosaics of the MDs are now damaged from renovations especially from the application of insulation cladding with many sadly lost forever.
Between every apartment block there is always at least one children's playground, with worn out, yet very charismatic, soviet-era climbing frames, swings and slides, that seem just as popular as ever. Apparently each MD had its own school and even it’s own open air paddling pool (below), that must have brought even more joy to children during Bishkek’s hot summers, than they do today without the water.
Notice also the apartments often have intricate concrete patterns on their cladding (below) - patterns that give them more of a Kyrgyz flavour.
The various intricate metal fences and window guards (below) are fascinating and makes me wonder if the Soviet town planners could choose different variations of fencing and other street furniture, such as playground equipment from a giant CCCP catalogue published annually out of Moscow...
After mural and mosaic spotting in MD5, cross the road into MD6 (MDs are always separated by main roads) and head for the birch and walnut grove parks (see map extract below), a delightful shady oasis anytime of the day, and one of the biggest and nicest parks to be found in any of Bishkek’s MDs.
Take a picnic or buy an ice cream from one of the little shops and soak-up the ambience in the park (below) before heading back towards the CosmoPark area for dinner, perhaps at Plov Centre opposite Adriano Coffee, or check out the other excellent nearby Kyrgyz themed restaurants recommended in the cuisine section #3.
2. The Excellent Historical Museum and Bishkek’s other Outstanding Soviet-Era Civic Architecture
I’m not much of a museum person but this one is excellent - very visual and displayed beautifully across several natural light filled floors in this concrete masterpiece. The museum dominates Ala Too Square which, during Soviet times, was known as Peace Square, where all the large scale soviet parades took place in the centre of the city. A huge statue used to stand proudly outside of Lenin which has now been replaced with a beautiful statute of the Kyrgyz hero Manas (above), a warrior that united all the scattered Kyrgyz tribes in the 9th Century, the period in time when the Kyrgyz state reached its greatest expansion, way beyond the area occupied today.
Lenin though hasn't been disappeared completely though, but rather stands to the rear of the Museum looking towards the Government Office building. The museum has striking artefacts (above) that span millennia representing the different eras and cultures that once ruled, occupied or passed through the lands of what is today the modern state of Kyrgyzstan, including the Uyghurs, the Mongols, the Chinese, the Russians, the Soviets, and of course, the Kyrgyz themselves.
Dating from 1984, the museum (above) is one of the most beautiful of the city’s civic buildings of the Soviet-era. There are plenty of resources online that point out the plethora of brutalist buildings in the city centre that the Soviets built to administer this far-flung corner of their empire, and to entertain the civil servants posted to what was known then as Frunze, the capital of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic (Kirghiz SSR). They are largely within walking distance of each other, except the stunning Western Bus Station which is a short bus or taxi ride from the centre.
Die-hard soviet architecture fans, that make the effort, wont be disappointed - nor will bus enthusiasts if they explore the cool 1980-era, long-distance buses at the very rear of the station.
My other favourites are the very brutal Sport Palace (above), and the UFO shaped Circus building (below), dating from 1976, which is next level in terms of quirkiness and still hosts circus acts to this day.
When departing the Sport Palace take a look at the cool signage (below) at the entrance to the football stadium opposite the Palace.
3. Traditional Kyrgyz Cuisine & Bishkek’s Excellent Coffee Houses
Fresh produce in Kyrgyzstan, especially meat, fruit and vegetables are outstanding, very affordable and plentiful and mostly produced domestically and therefore ripe and fresh. They can be bought from road side stalls and the micro shops, that are never more than a couple of minutes walk from where you are staying, out of the back of someone’s car, from supermarkets, and the city’s famous markets.
As for the Kyrgyz cuisine its highlight is surely the amazing meat dishes, especially those made with mutton, and the delicious fat that is highly sought after for its nutritional value. The main difference when visiting a butchers or a supermarket in Kyrgyzstan, is the availability of animal organs and the amount of fat on the cuts of meat compared to back home in the UK.
Probably the best and most popular way to enjoy the meat is to have sashlik - chunks of grilled meat and fat on skewers, in the plethora of small and large restaurants that can be found all over the city. Some of the other key dishes to savour are shown in the photo below taken at Plov Center; shorpo (clear broth soup with a chunk of meat and a few pieces of potato), shakarab (side dish of chopped tomato and raw onion), and plov (rice with onion, carrots and mutton -most famous in Uzbekistan), The revered horse sausage which is half fat, half meat, tastes somewhat like the dark meat of chicken, is not served in all restaurants and not shown below.
In terms of the best Kyrgyz themed restaurants to experience these delights, 'Pishpek' (the pre-Soviet name for Bishkek) in an impressive building (below), inside and out, loosely resembling the fortress of Pishpek that once stood during the 1800s to control local caravan routes and to collect levies, is superb and the location won’t disappoint either. It's located close to the Sport Palace and the Football stadium in the city centre .
For perhaps an even more genuine Kyrgyz setting don't miss Supara (below) on the southern outskirts of the city which is not too far by taxi especially if you've already made it to the micro-districts in the south of the city.
Ala Too Teppaca opposite MD10 and close to Victory Park, Barashek (translates to mutton in English) in Asanbai MD close to MD11, and Plov Centre in MD5 opposite Adriano (below) are three excellent alternatives in the micro-districts if getting to Supara in the foothills of the Ala Too mountains to the south of the city is a step too far.
Coffee in Bishkek is excellent! My favourite is at Adriano in MD7 close to CosmoPark cinema (see map above in section #1) which lightly roasts its own coffee beans and has an in-house barista school, and while being a 20 minute trolley bus ride (#17) out of the city centre, its a great starting point for visiting the micro-districts and flea-market (see section #1 above). The balcony is excellent for people watching in what is a very vibrant community setting, which also transforms itself at dusk, into a lively entertainment and promenading destination. It has the best coffee and lovely staff.
‘Bublik' (above, is the name given to a particular traditional Eastern European bread roll somewhat similar to a bagel) in MD 5 is more trendy and colourful and has an interesting location but lacks the street vibes of Adriano. Capito is a sprawling spacious light-filled canteen style cafe located in ‘South Gate’ in MD8 with friendly staff, or you can go even more upmarket at MOQA in Bishkek’s new glitzy high rise precinct to the south of MD7, or the pretentious french style cafe ‘Biscuit’, in a carpark close to the large Globus supermarket, but the coffee disappoints somewhat. Otherwise in the centre of the city, Antz is in an excellent location, with a superb terrace and oozes effortless class. There are also Adriano cafes in the city centre too, if you're not heading out to the micro-districts.
4. Visit Ala Archa National Park - Bishkek's Stunning Mountainous Backdrop
Ala Archa National Park is situated at the beginning of those stunning snow capped Ala Too mountains you see looking south from anywhere in Bishkek. In terms of mountain scenery it’s up there with the best. There is a car park at the entrance to the national park after which access is only on foot, or by electric scooter. On a weekend, especially, it’s packed with cars and minibuses but don't necessarily be put-off, as after about 20 minutes of gentle walking-up the tree-lined valley path, you will leave 90% of the crowds behind and magnificent mountain vistas (below) will open up in front of you next to the Ala Archa River.
Take a picnic, soak up the wilderness and dangle your feet in the stunning mountain river. There are toilets in the car park, and even a young lady making great espresso coffees (below) out the back of her SUV.
Even though its less than 30km from the centre of Bishkek, it has recently got a lot easier to get to. A national tourist initiative called GoBus (don't confuse it with the major Globus supermarket chain found in Bishkek) now operates mini-busses to the park but you have to book online, while the booking app is fortunately in English, the website is not. Busses depart from the southern fringe of the city (towards the American University of Central Asia) at Tommi (shopping) Mall on Aaly Tokombaev Street just opposite MD 6. You can catch Trolley Bus #17 all the way there from the city centre. Tommi Mall is within walking distance of some of the cafes and restaurants mentioned in section #3 above - if you have time grab a coffee at MOQA first and experience first-hand the new glitzy Bishkek. As you depart Tommi Mall you will pass the new Bishkek that’s rising-up all along the south-east fringe of the city, from the American University right along the ring road to the American Embassy, it’s very dynamic and quite a contrast to the centre of Bishkek.
One of the delightful things about a trip to Ala Archa is seeing the locals enjoying themselves in the fields and along the river approaching the park. Reverting to their nomadic traits they come in hoards to barbecue and grill meats under shady trees and enjoy these truly wonderful pleasures together. But you don't have to completely miss-out on this delight. There are countless open air restaurants with lots of little covered tables lining the road back down to Bishkek, selling fresh grilled meat and fish straight from the pond.
If however you don't fancy jumping out of the GoBus minibus in the middle of nowhere, there are some very nice glitzier versions of these outdoor restaurants close to Tommi Mall when you get dropped-off. Barashek is a 5 minute walk along the main road towards the American University and Ala Too Teppaca is a 20 minute along the main road in the opposite direction (towards the American Embassy), but if that’s too far divert to the nearby (5 minute walk) glitzy 'Usta' restaurant (which means master in Turkish) with its now infamous Salt Bae style table entertainer (above) - but it’s an indoor restaurant, and it's Turkish rather than Kyrgyz.
5. Take a Hiking, Horse-Riding or Skiing Day-Trip to Experience Rural Kyrgyzstan at its Best
If for some reason you're not going to be travelling around Kyrgyzstan then take a day trip hiking or horse riding (below), or even skiing in the winter, with the Trekking Union of Kyrgyzstan (TUK).
This is such a convenient and affordable way, not only to get out into the mountains for some excitement, but to see something of the Kyrgyz interior, not least remote valleys and villages which are otherwise very hard to reach. Most of their trips, which they run every weekend and often during week days too, involve at least a two-hour drive each way so you get to see something of rural Kyrgyzstan, its agriculture, rivers and irrigation canals, small market towns, quirky soviet-era bus stops (below) and amazing mountain vistas.
Each trip has a couple of multilingual friendly guides with excellent English and usually involves at least a refreshment stop on the way back at a popular roadside tea house. The group size is approximately 15, so you get chance to get to know just about everyone on the minibus. It’s usually a mixture of tourists, ex-pats, and students who have a love of the great outdoors. A typical single day horse riding trip might involve 4 to 5 hours on horseback with a lunch break halfway. Checkout their upcoming trips online and if you want more information, or to discuss the nature of the trips, difficulty and equipment etc, then pop into their office in the centre of Bishkek. Trips usually depart from outside their office or next to the Sport Palace.
And by the way if you haven't got yourself a copy of 'Soviet Bus Stops' before travelling in these parts, then do yourself a favour and get one - a lot more things will start to make sense once you do.....haha
