{"id":12745,"date":"2026-03-20T04:03:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T19:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ashu-travel.com\/news\/i-rode-the-vip-seats-on-kyrgyzstans-summer-only-train-a-staff-members-experience-a-scenic-journey-from-bishkek-to-issyk-kul\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T21:07:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T12:07:26","slug":"kyrgyzstan-train-bishkek-issyk-kul","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/ashu-travel.com\/en\/news\/kyrgyzstan-train-bishkek-issyk-kul\/","title":{"rendered":"I rode the VIP seats on Kyrgyzstan’s summer-only train | A staff member’s experience! A scenic journey from Bishkek to Issyk-Kul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Salamatsyzby! This is Sugi from ASHU TRAVEL, scenic horse riding journeys in Central Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you know there’s a tourist train in Kyrgyzstan? It runs only in summer and goes straight from Bishkek to the spectacular Issyk-Kul. It’s a little-known route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I actually rode it last July, and it far exceeded my expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stunning views of the Tian Shan from the window, VIP seats like a moving hotel, and conversations with local strangers. The 5 hours flew by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, from the perspective of a staff member living here, I’ll cover everything from basic information about trains in Kyrgyzstan to my ride itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are trains like in Kyrgyzstan? Basic info on the summer-only scenic route<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Mountains make up 94% of Kyrgyzstan’s territory, so the country has very few railway lines. They are broadly divided into a northern and a southern network, which aren’t connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The route I’m introducing here is on the northern line, linking Bishkek with Balykchy (station name: Rybachye) on the western shore of Issyk-Kul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a nutshell, this route is a “scenic train that runs only in summer.” The tourist train operates only in the summer season and doesn’t run in winter, when only freight trains use the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The journey crosses mountain passes in the Tian Shan and takes about 5\u20136 hours. It’s by no means fast, but that’s exactly why the views from the window are breathtaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Few people use the train when traveling in Kyrgyzstan, and there isn’t much information about it. That’s why I want to share my experience exactly as it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s where to catch the train in Bishkek | Getting to Bishkek-2 station<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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You board at Bishkek-2 station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got there from central Bishkek using the taxi app Yandex. If you enter the station name in the app, you’ll get there without any trouble. (But it has to be in Russian… if you use Yandex in English, it sometimes takes you somewhere completely different. Please copy and paste \u0411\u0418\u0428\u041a\u0415\u041a-2 \u0412\u041e\u041a\u0417\u0410\u041b\u042b!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n