Kazakhstan - Central Asia - page 64

Turkish Airlines ( % 333 38 49; www.turkish
airlines.com; Furmanov 100; h 9am-1pm &
2-6pm mon-Fri) To/from İstanbul.
Turkmenistan Airlines ( % 250 21 07; www.
turkmenairlines.com; Office 36, gorodskoy Aer-
ovokzal, Zhibek Zholy 111) To/from Ashgabat.
Ukraine International Airlines ( % 315 04 14,
24hr call centre 800 333 30 50; www.flyuia.
com; Keremet 5) To/from Kiev.
For information on international connections,
see p131 and p478.
BUS, MINIBUS & TAXI
Long-distance buses use Sayran bus station
( % 276 26 86, 396 70 63; cnr Tole Bi & Utegen
Batyr), 5km west of the centre. Destinations
(schedules subject to change) include Astana
(6500T, 19 hours, 2pm and 10.30pm), Kara-
ganda (5570T, 16 hours, three daily), Shymkent
(2600T, 11 hours, three overnight buses), Taraz
(2200T, eight hours, three overnight buses),
Turkistan (3000T, 14 hours, 6pm and 10pm) and
Ust-Kamenogorsk (4500T, 22 hours, two daily).
Quicker minibuses and shared taxis to some of
the nearer destinations wait at the front of the
bus station building or on Utegen Batyr at the
side. To Taraz it's 2500T (eight hours) by mini-
bus and 5000T (seven hours) by shared taxi.
most nearby destinations are served by the
ramshackle Sayakhat bus station ( % 380 74
44; Rayymbek), on the northern edge of the city
centre. A minibus to Kegen (1000T, ive to six
hours) leaves between 7am and 9am (when it
ills with passengers); a small bus to Zhalanash
(1500T, six hours) and Saty (2000T, eight hours)
goes from the street outside the station's east
side between 6am and 7am. You may also be
able to ind shared taxis to these destinations -
ask around Sayakhat a day or two ahead.
For international destinations to/from Sayran
bus station, see p132.
CAR & MOTORCYCLE
If you're planning to do much travelling outside
Almaty, self-drive rental is an option provided
you are prepared for possible encounters with
the traic police. Self-drive rates for one or two
days start around 7500T per day. Check all the
small print very carefully, including daily kilo-
metre limits and restrictions on where you can
take the car.
motorcyclists in need of help or advice should
head to Eldoro (p65) restaurant, where owner
Yeldos Ametbay is a nexus of the local motorbike
community and a willing source of assistance.
Dixie Travel (www.dixie.kz; Zheltoksan 59;
h 9am-6pm mon-Fri) This firm allows its rental
cars to be driven anywhere in Kazakhstan.
Europcar (www.europcar.com) The only major
international rental firm represented here has
branches at the airport ( % 270 30 72; h 9am-

1pm & 2.30-6.30pm) and in the city ( % 263
59 37; Office 3, mikrorayon Samal-2, No 30;
h 9am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm mon-Fri).
Rent A Car Ivan (www.rentacarivan.kz;
Baisheva 3)
TRAIN
most long-distance trains stop at both Almaty-I
station ( % 296 33 92), 8km north of the centre
at the end of Seyfullin, and the more central
Almaty-II station ( % 296 15 44), at the north
end of Abylay Khan, though a few trains only go
to one or the other. There are several train ticket
oices in the centre, including in the Gorodskoy
Aerovokzal (City Air Terminal; Zhibek Zholy 111;
h ticket oices 9am-7pm). Ticket oices in the
stations, and Atameken (Abylay Khan; h 24hr)
and Bakhytty Zhol (Abylay Khan; h 24hr) near
Almaty-II, are open 24 hours. You need to show
your passport when buying tickets.
Destinations served at least daily (in some
cases several times daily) from Almaty-II, with
typical kupeyny (2nd-class) fares, include Aktau
(mangyshlak; 10,690T, 72 hours), Aktobe (8320T,
42 hours), Aralsk (Aralskoe more; 6480T, 30 to
37 hours), Astana (6380T, 13 to 20 hours), Kara-
ganda (5580T, 10 to 16 hours), Shymkent (3480T,
11 to 17 hours), Taraz (2890T, 7½ to 12 hours),
Turkistan (4140T, 17 to 22 hours) and Ust-
Kamenogorsk (Zashchita; 4130T, 24 hours).
Trains for Semey (4480T, 19 to 22 hours) and
Novosibirsk (21,480T, 37 to 39 hours) go daily
from Almaty-I, every two days from Almaty-II.
Some services to Karaganda and Astana are
sleek, fast, Spanish-built Talgo trains (with
lovely clean bathrooms). Train 1, a Talgo, departs
Almaty-II at 7.54pm, reaching Astana at 8.25am
(tourist/business class 10,230/16,900T).
For international destinations to/from Almaty-
II train station, see p132.

8 Getting¨Around
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT
Bus 79 immediately outside the arrivals hall
runs about every 10 minutes from about 6am to
9pm to the city centre (a 30- to 40-minute ride),
where it travels south along Furmanov, west on
Abay, south on Baytursynuly then west on Timir-
yazev (and the same in reverse going back to
the airport). Bus fares are 80T. Further buses go
from a bus stop 400m along the street outside
the airport parking-area exit:
Bus 86 Sayakhat bus station, south on Fur-
manov passing Central State museum and
Ramstor, southwest on Al-Farabi.
Bus 92 Sayakhat bus station, west on Rayym-
bek, south on Nauryzbay Batyr, west on Abay
(returning to the airport, it heads north on
Zheltoksan instead of Nauryzbay Batyr).