Guys, good evening! Please tell me, is it actually possible to pick up a rental car at Issyk-Kul airport? We’re planning to travel in July, flying from Tashkent. Driving our own car isn’t really an option because we have a small child, and doing an 11–12 hour drive would be difficult. We were thinking of flying in and renting a car. I’ve seen services offering car rentals right at the airport, but the question is whether this is realistic, since the car location is listed as Bishkek.
Another question: are there any recommendations on where to stay if we’ll have a car? We’re mainly interested in comfort and beautiful views, and beaches without huge crowds 🙏🏼 I apologize in advance if these questions have been asked a thousand times already, but I’d be very happy if there are people here who can share recommendations. Thank you in advance.
As for staying somewhere in July — in any good place there will be a lot of people anyway, since it’s peak season. There are many good places, it all depends on your budget. Last year we really liked Baitur — it’s new, beautiful, but expensive. The views from the hotel are either of the lake or the mountains. There’s a large promenade area with different развлечения. The beach is good. Nearby there are also nice beaches that you can freely access.
There are also good classics — Kapriz, Karven, Talisman. I’ve also heard that a new large Uzbek resort called Boston has opened, but I haven’t been there myself. A bit cheaper options can be found in Zolotye Peski — there are many new hotels there and the beach is good, but there will be a lot of people.
Hello, please tell me, maybe someone has traveled by car around Issyk-Kul? We’re planning to go around Issyk-Kul by car in summer with a group. In some towns we’ll stay in hostels, and in some places we’ll camp in tents on the lakeshore. I’d love to hear about your experience — roughly how much it costs and how long it takes? Maybe you could also tell us about interesting places along the way that are worth stopping by? I would be very grateful.
Balykchy beach, the Nomads Museum, petroglyphs, Cholpon-Ata — there are hot springs there as an option, like Thermal or Ak-Bermet, Karakol, and Fairy Tale Canyon on the southern shore — that’s what we visited.
Thank you so much, so there aren’t as many places in the north as on the southern shore, right?
There are tons of tourist spots both in the north and in the south. We rushed through everything very quickly in just one day. Ideally, you should plan 2–3 days to really take in all this beauty.