How to get from Tashkent to Almaty by bus (2024)

Although more than 800 km apart, Tashkent and Almaty are well connected by all forms of transport: air, rail, and buses.

The bus is the cheapest and a very reliable option. It takes around 16 hours, including border formalities. Although long, the journey isn’t that unpleasant and saves you a lot of money compared to a flight.

Quick information:

• Price: 240.000 – 290.000 UZS (~19-23 USD)
• Timetable: Every day at 16:00, 18:00, and 19:00
• Can you book online? Only the bus at 16:00
• Length of journey: 16 hours

Tashkent to Almaty by direct bus

Tashkent and Almaty are quite well connected by bus – at least 2, usually 3 daily buses go between the two major Central Asian cities.

Book tickets online

You can book tickets online only for the first bus at 16:00. To do that, go to https://avtoticket.uz/, change the language to English if necessary, and select the desired route and date of travel.

If you want to save money, try to travel on even dates (4, 6, 8…). For even dates, the ticket costs only 230.000 UZS making it the cheapest way to get from Tashkent to Almaty by bus.

Odd dates (3, 5, 7…) on the other hand cost 280.000 UZS. The only other thing different is the bus type- Vanhool 38 instead of Yutong 55 (i.e. fewer people inside the bus).

There is a 10.000 UZS “Bus station fee” added to your total price after you select your seat.

After confirming your journey details, enter your personal information and pay. The online portal accepts international Visa and Mastercard cards.

Book at the station

Another way to buy a ticket for the bus is to go to the Avtovokzal (bus station) in person. Moreover, if you want to depart Tashkent later than 16:00, you can only buy tickets for such buses in person, at the station.

You need to go to the main bus station (Tashkent Avtovokzal) near Olmazor Metro Station. Once there, go directly to cash desk #1 – it’s for the international buses to Kazakhstan.

You can theoretically pay by card but sometimes their POS terminals don’t work. It’s best to bring some cash.

The Bus Journey (Personal Experience)

The direct bus between Tashkent and Almaty takes around 16 hours, including the border crossing.

I took a bus at 18:00 having booked and paid for a ticket the previous day. I was the only foreigner on board – most other passengers were Uzbeks going to work in Almaty.

Zhibek Zholy Border Crossing

Less than 2 hours later, despite the heavy Tashkent traffic, we reached the Zhibek Zholy border with Kazakhstan.

Even though it’s one of the most popular border crossings of the otherwise 2330 km long border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Zhibek Zholy was quite efficient and we passed quickly.

For some reason, the customs officials were very inquisitive about how much foreign currency I carry but once they realized I was poorer than a temple rat, they lost interest.

We spent no more than 1.5 hours at the border.

The overnight bus ride from the border to Almaty

It was early winter and was snowing heavily. Despite that, the roads seemed clean enough and I felt safe. The road towards Almaty is more or less straight with very few turns making it possible to sleep somewhat comfortably.

The toilet stop was in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. Pitch dark outside. If you need to pee, you go out and just pee. Nothing around for miles.

There is heating inside the bus and I managed to get some shut-eye.

Arrival in Almaty

The buses arrive sometime in the morning (8-10 AM) depending on what time you departed Tashkent.

They drop you off at Almaty’s Sairan Bus Terminal – the busiest station with at least 10 public buses stopping in front. You can’t get lost there.

Reverse journey (Almaty to Tashkent)

The other way around is a similar ordeal. There are at least 2 daily buses from Almaty to Tashkent departing at 17:00 and 18:00 from Sayran Bus Station.

Tickets cost between 8.580 KZT – 12.820 KZT (~18-27 USD). You can book online here or go to the station and enquire in person.

Other ways to travel from Tashkent to Almaty

Direct train

The official websites to book tickets are Tickets.kz for Kazakhstan and Railway.uz for Uzbekistan. Train ticket prices are quite high if you book online with them.

Similar prices are offered on the reseller website Tutu.travel. It’s a Russian reseller, so keep that in mind if you try to book with a debit card from most countries.

The prices there are in Roubles and your card may reject the transactions (sanctions, right) However, I have received anecdotal evidence from travelers who had no problems with it.

There are three weekly direct trains between Tashkent and Almaty departing on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at 04:40, taking 17 hours to get to Almaty.

Trains are generally more expensive than buses for the route.

An international train from Tashkent to Novosibirsk (RU) runs once a week (not on a fixed day) and stops at Almaty after a whopping 23 hours and is even more expensive, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

Long story short, the train is more expensive and takes longer. However, you can sleep on a bed.

Break up the journey with a stop in Shymkent

Maybe the direct journey is too long, or maybe you want to have a short stop in Shymkent before you get to Almaty.

Either way, another popular way to travel from Tashkent to Almaty is to have a short stop in Shymkent (or Chimkent) on the way. It’s just a few hours from the border.

Shymkent is Kazakhstan’s third biggest city and has some interesting places worth stopping for like the Museum of Victims of Political Repression (very informational) and the abandoned Palace of Culture (creepy).

Tashkent and Shymkent are connected by frequent buses and not-so-frequent trains. Once in Shymkent, you can hop on the Kazakh rail network and get to Almaty on one of the 5+ daily trains. There are also sleeper trains.

Where to go after Almaty?

Almaty is a wonderful city and the region around is incredibly picturesque! I have a whole backpacking guide for the Almaty region.

If you’re traveling around Central Asia, your next stop may be Bishkek. Learn how to take the bus from Almaty to Bishkek here.