City Tours in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan's cities are compact and easy to explore, and a half-day walking tour is a great way to get your bearings before heading into the mountains. Each of the main towns has its own character and history.

Bishkek, the capital, is a leafy, low-rise city of wide Soviet-era boulevards, big squares, statues and busy markets like Osh Bazaar. It's the arrival point for most travellers and a relaxed place to spend a day. Karakol, in the east near Issyk-Köl, is the gateway to the trekking country and has two unusual landmarks: the wooden Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Dungan Mosque, built without nails in a Chinese style. Osh, in the south, is centred on the sacred Sulaiman-Too mountain and one of the oldest and liveliest bazaars in Central Asia.

City tours typically cover:

• Landmarks and squares: Ala-Too Square and the museums of Bishkek, or Sulaiman-Too in Osh.
• Markets: Osh Bazaar in Bishkek, the animal market in Karakol, and Osh's central bazaar.
• Food stops: tea houses and local eateries to try Kyrgyz dishes.

We can arrange a guided walk in any of the main cities, on foot or with a driver, and combine it with onward transfers to the lakes or mountains. Tell us how much time you have and what you'd like to see.