Bishkek is just a cool city. Maybe part of my appreciation for it is due to the fact that I tried not to over research it ( you should try that too…). But what you’ll notice right away in Bishkek is that tourism isn’t at the forefront- the nature is.
In Bishkek you’re surrounded by the snow top Tien Shen mountains. The streets are lined with tall, leafy trees.
Bishkek is a mix of Soviet- block buildings ( and those quintessential large, large open squares), international food, Kygerz traditional culture all sprinkled in with some modern amenities like electric buses that make navigating the city and beyond pretty easy.
So if you find yourself what to do in Bishkek, here’s exactly how to lay out 3 days ( including some of our favorite VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY) places to eat.
Where to Stay in Bishkek
We stayed at 68 Hostel and enjoyed the experience for what it is. It’s clean, relatively spacious, offers some good shared amenities, and is close to anything you might want to see/ go to.
We opted for the room with the private bathroom which cost us around $29 USD/ night. The other rooms are a bit cheaper and have a shared bathroom ( but there are only 5 rooms total so you don’t have to worry about waiting in line to pee).
All rooms have access to a small shared kitchen and fridge. And one of the best parts of this spot- FREE laundry!
3 Days in Bishkek- Full Itinerary
Day 1
Morning: You’re probably arriving in Bishkek jet lagged ( we landed at the beautiful hour of 4 am after coming from Moldova), so today is the morning to start off with a treat.
Head to Ant’s cafe for a really nice coffee and breakfast. There’s a mix of pastries and “ sit down” breakfast options.
Now to digest breakfast.
You’ll see Ant’s is located rough along the leafy, pedestrian walk way. Stroll through for some people watching and relaxing on one of the many benches( they even have benches that allow you to stretch with your legs out which, as a petite person, I REALLY appreciate.
Afternoon: Make your way to the State History Museum.
Entrance is 200som and it’s well worth it. The museum is spread over 3 floors and outlines a relatively chronological history of Kyrgyzstan. The majority of the displays have captions in English too, but make sure to have the Russian language pre downloaded through Google Translate to get the most out of the museum.
The museum is a great way to orient yourself to Kygerz’s dynamic history from prehistory, to the Silk Road, featuring it’s nomadic culture, traditional clothes, up to modern legislative, educational, athletic, and art accomplishments.
After a few hours at the museum, exit out back through the dominant Ala Too Square ( meaning “ Great Mountain” in Kygerz)
Remember to look up to appreciate the dominate Kygerz flag dancing above you right next to a large statue of Manas.
Surrounding the square you’ll find many Soviet- era statues ( including a few of Lenin), parliament buildings, and a memorial to those killed in revolutions.
Ala Too Square is the central square in Bishkek. It’s a gathering place that hosts very thing from concerts to celebrations and festivals.
You’ll pass through many times during your time in Bishkek and you’ll probably notice something new each time.
Now it’s time for LUNCH. We got this recommendation from a vegetarian blog and are so glad we checked it out!
Chicken Star is a Korean Chicken spot this is surprisingly vegetarian friendly. If you’ve got meat eaters and vegetarians in your group- then this is a great spot to enjoy a quality meal together.
We ordered the vegetarian kimbap and kimchi for 600som
Evening: After a bit of a refresh at your hotel, head out to Sum Mall to walk around, people watch, pick up some groceries/ snacks and get some souvenirs!
On the third floor of the mall you’ll find several stalls selling souvenirs and folk crafts.
For a wide variety of grocery options, check out Globus Supermarket ( there’s one near the mall) as well as other locations sprinkled through the city center.
After a bit of pursuing, head over a few blocks to a local spot for dinner.
You won’t find an English menu here, but if you’ve got Google Translate pre- downloaded on your phone and your happy to communicate with smiles, points, and nodding, then you’re in for a treat.
It’s not on the menu, but I read from other travelers that you can order the traditional lagman noodles with no meat. Yes, they just pick out the meat for you ( which I know bothers some veg heads out there), but what you’re left with is chewy hand-pulled noodles and oyster mushrooms in an oily delicious sauce!
We also ordered some creamy lentil soup, tea, and a salad.
Pat, the meat eater, also enjoyed a few traditional beef manti ( a type of steamed dumplings) bringing our total dinner bill to around 1,000som.
Day 2
Morning/ Afternoon
It’s time to make your way out of the city center for a really easy, and well worth it, day trip!
Before June 2025, tourists that wanted to make it out to Ala Archa National Park without a tour guide had to navigate a bus to village, a taxi to the park entrance, and then possible hitchhiking or a second taxi to the start of the trails- yikes!
Now, the city has added a new bus route, route 1, that goes DIRECTLY to the park for just 50som!
For more details on how to get to the park, check out my comprehensive Ala Archa Guide.
But for the quick version, you’ll need just 44 minutes and the willingness to go on a direct, easy, bus ride to get you right to the footsteps of a beautiful valley!
If you want a quick, accessibly ( paved) path, then stick to the first 2km path that starts right after the bus drop off!
If you’re looking for some more time in nature, continue onwards through the valley and follow one of the many paths that snake along the river.
We recommend packing a picnic ( Globus also has a pre- made food bar area) to enjoy the majority of the day out in the crisp, mountain air! There aren’t any shops or cafes in the park ( but there are toilets!), so anything you want to eat, you’ll need to pack!
Evening: If you aren’t done with the outdoors yet, head back to Oak Park to enjoy some time outside with all the locals enjoying the evening after work hours.
When you’re ready for dinner, head to Host Indian food for some delicious curry! Again, this spot is perfect for veg heads and meat eaters as there are plenty of quality options for both.
Day 3
Morning:
You might’ve hit the ground running yesterday to catch the bus out to Ala Archa in the morning, but today allows for a nice slow start.
Another great coffee spot to start the day at is Flask. It’s right across the green pathway from Ant- just on the opposite side ( Google Maps has the location incorrect for some reason so we couldn’t find it at first).
With a nice cup in hand, make your way about 15 minutes to your first stop of the morning: the Museum of Fine Arts.
The Gapar Aitiev National Museum of Fine Arts features a maze of art from primarily Kygryz and Russian artists. The art displays both traditional and modern art with over 17,000 exhibits. You can shuffle from room to room for hours to enjoy the art.
Afternoon:
Cross back to head towards Чайхана NAVAT for lunch. There’s a large outdoor patio to enjoy or you can soak in the colorful, pattern filled interior. Warning: the menu here ( like many other Asian restaurants in the area) is HUGE. I only looked through about 1/3 of the menu before the waitress took our order but we did enjoy the potato dumplings and salad that we got!
Evening:
Once the sunsets, make your way back to Ala Too Square to enjoy the architecture and fountains lit up! Lots of locals were hanging out, snacking, and relaxing and we enjoyed the people watching!
To take full advantage of the city amenities before we continued our journey through Kyrgyzstan, we headed out for another vegetarian friendly spot- Potayski.
It’s a Thai- inspired menu and though the portions are on the shorter side, each table is automatically served EIGHT salad appetizers! Honestly, for the samplers alone we would recommend this spot.
After Bishkek- Where to Next?
If you have more time/ interest to explore more of Kyrgyzstan, then one option is to head to Karakol next- the base of outdoor adventures and hikes!
From Bishkek, it’s very easy to grab a shared minibus ( mashrutka) to Karakol.
The ride is 7 hours, but does make one 20 minute stop. We were charged 550som each which is very reasonable considering the journey.
More to come on the adventure capital- Karokal! We spent a week in this sleepy town and really enjoyed the slow pace ( and great food )
