Travel information:

How to Get to Kyrgyzstan
You can reach Bishkek directly with the following airlines:
- Turkish Airways - British Airways - Kyrgyzstan Airlines - Aeroflot
- or via Almaty, Kazakhstan (250 km from Bishkek)
- KLM
- Lufthansa (with bus connection to Bishkek)

Currency The national currency of Kyrgyzstan is the Kyrgyz SOM. There are no any problems with money exchange in Kyrgyzstan. $US or EURO are widely accepted in exchange offices throughout the country. But we recommend bringing only 100 or 50-dollar notes issued after 1996, as smaller and older notes are more difficult to exchange and attract a lower exchange rate. website will provide up-to-date exchange rates The National Bank of Kyrgyzstan
Insurance
Car, property, public liability, health and travel insurances are virtually unheard of in Kyrgyzstan. We therefore strongly recommend that the tourist obtain a good accident and medical insurance covering all aspects of traveling, mountaineering and skiing as appropriate. Without guarantee of payment it will not be possible to arrange rescues. Some Kyrgyz areas are only accessible with proof of such insurance and we suggest that you bring copies of all such documents including that of guaranteed payment for rescues.

Telephones The International Dialing Code for the Kyrgyz Republic is 00 996.
All city calls are free.
For other calls the average prices per minute are:
Within Kyrgyz Republic 5-10 Soms
CIS: Central Asia (Almaty, Tashkent etc.)$US 0.40-0.80
Other (Russia, Ukraine etc.) $US 0.60-1.10
Turkey $US 1.40
Europe $US 1.60
Other (USA, Israel etc.) $US 2.30
Telephone Directory Assistance: 160, 109
Note: A double rate will be applied for CIS/ Kyrgyz Republic calls between 10:00 - 18:00 and a half price rate from 24:00 till 6:00 (to get more detailed information call:160).

Shops Shop opening times: more and more shops are usually open Monday to Sunday from 9.00 to 18.00 hrs. In many places shops are closed at lunchtime for one hour. Transport
The prices for public transport range from 3 Soms on buses, minibuses and trolleybuses to 10 Soms. Useful telephone numbers:
1. Railway Station: 624865
2. Bus station: 656575
3. Airport Information Centre: 693109
Taxi Service Taxi services are private. We advise you to negotiate the price in advance. In town, day tariffs range from 70 to 100 Soms, but are higher overnight
Super Taxi 152
Express Taxi 156
Mobi Taxi 166