Find places in Kyrgyzstan

Must-Haves

• Ala-Too Square (Centre)
  The ceremonial heart of the capital, with the Manas statue and the hourly changing of the guard.
• Victory Square (Centre)
  A striking memorial with an eternal flame honouring the Second World War dead.
• Burana Tower (Near Tokmok)
  An eleventh century minaret among stone balbal figures in a wide mountain valley.

Fun for Everyone

• Panfilov Park (Centre)
  An old fashioned funfair with Soviet era rides, popular with local families.

Off the Beaten Path

• Erkindik Boulevard Walk (Centre)
  A tree lined pedestrian avenue that is the city's best stroll.

Must-Haves

• State Historical Museum (Ala-Too Square)
  A renovated museum telling the story of the Kyrgyz from nomad times through the Soviet era.
• Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts (Centre)
  Felt work, embroidery and Soviet era painting in one compact collection.

Great for Date Night

• Kyrgyz National Philharmonic (Chuy Avenue)
  An evening of komuz music or classical concerts in a grand Soviet hall.
• Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Maldybaev (Centre)
  Affordable opera and ballet in a columned theatre from the Soviet golden age.

Off the Beaten Path

• Frunze House Museum (Centre)
  A small museum built around the cottage where Mikhail Frunze was born.

Fun for Everyone

• Oak Park (Centre)
  A shady old park filled with open air sculptures and families strolling in the evening.
• Botanical Garden of Bishkek (East Bishkek)
  A large old garden for a quiet walk among trees and greenhouses.

Must-Haves

• Ala-Archa National Park (South of Bishkek)
  Alpine valleys, glaciers and riverside walks within an hour of the capital.

Off the Beaten Path

• Chon-Kemin Valley (East of Bishkek)
  A quiet valley for horse riding, rafting and village guesthouses.
• Kegeti Gorge (Chuy Region)
  A waterfall hike in a green gorge, an easy escape from the city.

Must-Haves

• Osh Bazaar (West Bishkek)
  The classic city bazaar for dried fruit, spices, kalpak hats and fresh bread.

Off the Beaten Path

• Dordoi Bazaar (North Bishkek)
  A vast container market that shows how goods flow across Central Asia.

Fun for Everyone

• Tsum Department Store (Chuy Avenue)
  A Soviet era department store with a souvenir floor of felt goods and crafts.

Must-Haves

• Navat (Centre)
  A popular Central Asian chain serving plov, lagman and manty in a decorative teahouse setting.
• Arzu (Centre)
  A long running family restaurant for Kyrgyz and Uzbek classics.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Faiza (Centre)
  A busy local favourite for big plates of lagman, manty and shashlik.

Great for Date Night

• Supara Ethno Complex (South Bishkek)
  Kyrgyz dishes served in yurts and wooden pavilions on the edge of the mountains.

Must-Haves

• Sierra Coffee (Centre)
  A pioneer of Bishkek's coffee scene with good espresso and breakfasts.

Must-Haves

• Nooruz in Ala-Too Square (Centre)
  Spring New Year celebrations in March with sumolok, music and horse games.

Fun for Everyone

• Independence Day Celebrations (Ala-Too Square)
  Concerts and fireworks on the last day of August.

Must-Haves

• Hyatt Regency Bishkek (Centre)
  A central international hotel with mountain views and a pool.
• Sheraton Bishkek (South Bishkek)
  A modern business hotel with good facilities near the mountains road.

Great for Date Night

• Novotel Bishkek City Center (Centre)
  A modern hotel within walking distance of restaurants and parks.

Must-Haves

• Cholpon-Ata Petroglyphs (Cholpon-Ata)
  An open air field of ancient carved boulders set against snowy peaks.
• Rukh Ordo Cultural Center (Cholpon-Ata)
  A lakeside cultural park with chapels to five faiths and a museum.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tamga Stone (Tamga)
  A boulder carved with a Tibetan Buddhist inscription above the village.

Fun for Everyone

• Cholpon-Ata Public Beach (Cholpon-Ata)
  A lively summer beach on the clear warm lake.

Off the Beaten Path

• Grigorievka Gorge (North shore)
  Green valleys and small lakes for walks and horse rides.
• Semenovka Gorge (North shore)
  Spruce forest and meadows where you can sleep in a yurt.
• Barskoon Waterfalls (Barskoon)
  Waterfalls in a high valley above the south shore.

Must-Haves

• Skazka Canyon (South shore)
  The fairy tale canyon of red and orange eroded rock.

Fun for Everyone

• Bosteri Ferris Wheel (Bosteri)
  A big wheel with views over the lake in the resort strip next door.
• Issyk-Kul boat trips (Cholpon-Ata harbour)
  Short boat rides on the lake from the town harbour.

Must-Haves

• Eagle hunter demonstration at Bokonbaevo (Bokonbaevo)
  See a golden eagle hunter at work on the south shore.

Great for Date Night

• Karven Four Seasons (Cholpon-Ata area)
  A resort on the lake with gardens and beach access.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Tamchy village guesthouses (Tamchy)
  Family run guesthouses near a long quiet beach.

Must-Haves

• World Nomad Games (Cholpon-Ata and Kyrchyn gorge)
  Horseback games, wrestling and eagle hunting when the games are held here.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Cholpon-Ata Bazaar Food Stalls (Cholpon-Ata)
  Smoked fish and samsa from the town market.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Smoked fish sellers at Balykchy (Balykchy)
  Roadside sellers of smoked lake fish at the western tip of the lake.

Must-Haves

• Dungan Mosque (Centre)
  A wooden mosque built without nails in the style of a Chinese temple.
• Holy Trinity Cathedral (Centre)
  A wooden Orthodox cathedral with golden domes among poplars.

Off the Beaten Path

• Przhevalsky Memorial and Museum (Pristan)
  A memorial to the Russian explorer near the lake shore.

Must-Haves

• Karakol Animal Market (Edge of town)
  A Sunday morning livestock market of horses, sheep and cattle.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Karakol Bazaar (Centre)
  The daily market for food, dried fruit and trekking supplies.

Must-Haves

• Ala-Kul Lake (Karakol National Park)
  A turquoise glacial lake reached on a classic three day trek.
• Altyn-Arashan Hot Springs (Above Ak-Suu)
  Natural hot pools in a high pine valley.
• Jeti-Oguz Rocks (Jeti-Oguz)
  The seven bulls red cliffs and the Valley of Flowers.

Fun for Everyone

• Karakol Valley (Karakol National Park)
  Easy forest walks along a glacial river.

Off the Beaten Path

• Chon-Kyzyl-Suu Valley (South of Karakol)
  A quiet alpine valley with a weather station and trails.

Fun for Everyone

• Karakol Ski Base (Karakol valley)
  The country's main ski resort among spruce forest.

Off the Beaten Path

• Karakol Tourist Information Centre (Centre)
  Maps, trek advice and route registration before you head out.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ashlyam-fu stalls (Near the bazaar)
  The town's famous cold spicy noodles with fried bread.

Great for Date Night

• Dastorkon (Centre)
  Kyrgyz and Uyghur dishes in a lively family restaurant.

Must-Haves

• Karakol Coffee (Centre)
  A friendly café with good coffee and a social enterprise ethos.

Off the Beaten Path

• Altyn-Arashan Guesthouses (Altyn-Arashan)
  Simple lodges with hot spring pools in the valley.

Fun for Everyone

• Jeti-Oguz Yurt Camps (Jeti-Oguz)
  Yurts near the red cliffs for a night in the valley.

Must-Haves

• Altyn Kol Felt Cooperative (Kochkor)
  Women's cooperative making shyrdak felt rugs you can buy direct.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kochkor Market (Kochkor)
  The weekly town market for animals and goods.

Must-Haves

• CBT Kochkor (Kochkor)
  The community tourism office that arranges drivers, horses and yurt stays.
• Horse trek to Song-Kol (Kyzart)
  A two or three day ride over the passes to the lake.

Must-Haves

• Song-Kol Lake (Naryn Region)
  A high lake where herders summer in yurts under huge skies.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kyzart Pass (Kyzart)
  The starting point of horse treks and herders' camps.
• Kel-Suu Lake (Naryn Region)
  A remote lake among cliffs, reached with a permit and driver.

Fun for Everyone

• Naryn River (Naryn)
  A dramatic valley and the gateway to the far south.

Must-Haves

• Song-Kol yurt camps (Song-Kol)
  Simple felt yurts on the shore with home cooked meals.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tash Rabat yurt camps (Tash Rabat)
  Yurts beside the old caravanserai.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kochkor guesthouses (Kochkor)
  Family homes offering beds, breakfast and travel help.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tash Rabat Caravanserai (At-Bashy district)
  A fifteenth century stone caravanserai in a remote valley.

Must-Haves

• Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain (Centre)
  The UNESCO sacred mountain with shrines and city views.
• Sulaiman-Too Cave Museum (Sulaiman-Too)
  A history museum set inside the rock.

Off the Beaten Path

• Asaf ibn Burhiya Mausoleum (Osh)
  A small historic mausoleum near the sacred mountain.
• Muhammad Yusuf Baihodja Mosque (Osh)
  A historic mosque in the old city.
• Uzgen Minaret and Mausoleums (Uzgen)
  An eleventh century minaret and tombs.

Must-Haves

• Jayma Bazaar (Along the Ak-Buura river)
  One of Central Asia's great bazaars.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kara-Suu Bazaar (Kara-Suu)
  A huge border market near the Uzbek frontier.

Fun for Everyone

• Lenin Statue (Central Square)
  One of the largest Lenin statues left in the region.

Must-Haves

• Osh plov houses (Centre)
  Big pots of the city's famous reddish rice plov at lunchtime.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Samsa ovens near Jayma Bazaar (Bazaar)
  Tandoor baked samsa straight from the oven.

Fun for Everyone

• Chaikhana tea houses (Centre)
  The city's tea houses where life slows down.

Must-Haves

• Alay Valley (South of Osh)
  A huge valley beneath the Pamirs and Lenin Peak.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lenin Peak Base Camp (Achik-Tash)
  Meadows below one of the highest peaks in the region.
• Tulpar-Kol Lake (Alay valley)
  A small lake with views of Lenin Peak and yurt camps.

Fun for Everyone

• Navoi Park (Centre)
  A riverside park for evening walks with families.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sary-Mogol guesthouses (Sary-Mogol)
  Simple homestays in the Alay valley.

Must-Haves

• Osh guesthouses near the bazaar (Centre)
  Small family guesthouses close to the sights.

Must-Haves

• Nooruz in Osh (Osh)
  Spring New Year celebrations with games and food.