Means of transport Kazakhstan

Two railway stations serve Almaty. Most long distance trains, including international ones (to China or Russia), stop at Almaty I, 9 km north of the city centre, at the end of Seyfullin Street. But the majority of trains have for terminus and departure point Almaty II station, closer to the city centre, at the north end of Abilay Khan Street.

International trains make it possible to travel to Moscow (a train every two days, 3 days driving time) and Urumqi (two to three «Genghis Khan» trains per week, counting 28 hours of journey, 10 hours at the border for the change of wheel trains). It is also here that trains go to Tashkent.

National trains serve virtually every city in the country, but the journey times are always extremely long and often make the bus more convenient. Take 36 hours to reach Oskemen (Kamenogorsk-Kamenogorsk), 15 hours for Tchymkent, 22 hours for Kyzyl-Orda, 16 hours for Turkestan and 20 hours for Astana. The compartments are divided into first and second class, with the last category of spaces in six sleeping areas.

The fast train Talgo linking Almaty to Astana covers the distance not at the speed of the TGV but with 7 hours less than the usual trains and offers a much superior comfort (restaurant and bar, air conditioning, different compartments of compartments). Talgo trains make the connection five times a week, with only one stop (but not always) in Karaganda. Departures from Almaty in the evening.

Tickets for the Almaty II train station are open 24 hours a day for the purchase of tickets.

Located close to the city center, the railway station offers trains to Kyzyl-Orda (then Turkestan and Almaty, with a change at Kyzyl-Orda) to the east, and to towns on the Caspian Sea and in the north-west of the country. To save time, you can also fly to Kyzyl-Orda before taking an overnight train. It's best to buy your tickets in advance.

The bus station is just opposite the railway station. Regular buses to Turkestan (15h drive).

Semey station is located just north of the city center. Semey is served by at least two daily departures to Almaty (usually in the morning). Connections to Astana are less frequent, but a train runs at least every 2 or 3 days. Please note that it is possible to take the train to Ust-Kamenogorsk (Öskemen), but the line passes through Russia and you'll need a Russian visa and a Kazakh double-entry card to make the journey.

Semey is linked mainly to Astana via Pavlodar to the west and Ust-Kamegogork (Öskemen) to the east. Even buses to Karaganda, to the south-west, avoid Kurchatov and pass through Pavlodar before heading back down.

Connections to Astana every day: several buses between 8am and 6pm. Cost 6,000 KZT and 15 hours' travel time.

Connections to Ust-Kamenogorsk (Öskemen) 5 to 6 buses/day. (2,500 KZT, 4 to 5 hours' travel time).

Connections to Karaganda: 2 busses/d. (4,500 KZT, 15 hours).

From Aktau, ferries run daily to Atyrau on the northern Caspian Sea, as well as Baku in Azerbaijan and Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan. For these last two routes, you'll need to ask locally for departure dates, which are highly irregular and often depend on load factors. It takes around twenty hours to cross the Caspian to Baku, and the plane is clearly preferable in terms of price, comfort and speed.

The railway station is located 12 km east of the city center, in Mangyshlak. The best way to get there quickly is by cab from the city center. Aktau can be reached by train from Beyneu, a railway junction where the tracks divide towards Atyrau to the north or Nukus and Uzbekistan to the south. This station is often crowded, and you'll have to elbow your way to buy tickets if you haven't had the foresight to do so in advance. It takes almost two days to reach Almaty.

Aktau airport is modern and well connected to the rest of the country. Many flights are operated by Kazakh airlines such as Air Astana and Qazaq Air. Daily flights to Astana, Atyrau, Shymkent and Almaty. Several flights a week to Aralsk, Kyzyl-Orda, Turkestan and Uralsk.

International flights serve Moscow and Rostov in Russia, Baku on the other side of the Caspian (Azerbaijan), Tbilisi (Georgia) and Istanbul. Allow yourself plenty of time to pass through the various airport entry and boarding controls.

Unlike the well-regulated transport system in the rest of the country, the towns of Aktau and Atyrau are served in a slightly more anarchic way. Don't hesitate to arrive early to find seats on the buses, even if it means waiting for them to fill up. Even if the bus fleet has been renewed, the best solution is still to take a shared cab or minibus, which are faster, more comfortable and more frequent. Cabs to Fort Chevchenko also depart from the bus station.

There are many different types of bus: classic buses, minibuses, streetcars... Tickets cost 80 KZT with the "Onay" card, or 150 KZT individually.

Buses^nos. 30, 34 and 434 serve Almaty I station.

Streetcars^nos. 4, 5 and 6 serve Almaty II station.

Buses^nos. 92, 97 and 492 and streetcars^nos. 9 and 19 serve Sayakhat bus station (for local buses operating in the Almaty area).

Buses^nos. 37 and 94 and streetcar no. 4 serve Sayran bus station.

Buses^no. 92 and 492 serve the airport.

5 km northeast of town center. Trains leave Atyrau daily for Aktobe, from where you can continue on to Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana). Allow 35 hours to reach the Kazakh capital. Trains also run to Beyneu, where you can connect with the south of the country: Aralsk, Turkestan, Chymkent and Almaty. It takes around 48 hours to reach the former Kazakh capital by train. As for international trains, the only cross-border connection is to Moscow, which is served from Atyrau every two or three days.

The airport is located 8 km from Atyrau town center. You'll find roughly the same flights and frequencies as at Aktau International Airport. In other words, daily rotations with Almaty and Astana, several weekly flights to Chymkent, Aktobe or Turkestan and at least one flight a day between Atyrau and Aktau. International connections include shuttles to Istanbul, Amsterdam, Sharm-el-Sheikh and Moscow.

Most connections are with Uralsk, north of Atyrau, or Beyneu, to the east. From Beyneu, you can travel to Astana, in the north of the country (40h min.), or Almaty (48h). Given the distances involved, you'll need to consider spending a night in the bus if you choose this mode of transport. Shared txis or minibuses are a good, albeit more expensive, option if you want to save a little time and travel more comfortably. Like buses, they leave throughout the day as soon as they've filled up with passengers.