Transport in Pavlodar

The airport is 14km southeast of Pavlodar. Air Astana operates a daily flight from Almaty, and flies five times a week to Astana. The railway station is a modern building with a dark interior, northeast of the town centre. Two trains from Almaty terminate here: one a daily train, the other running every two days. There is also a daily train to Astana. Other trains stopping here include one every four days between Karaganda and Novokuznetsk (Russia) and one every two days between Astana and Ridder, and there are options to various destinations in Russia and Ukraine, including Moscow, Sverdlovsk, Kiev and Novosibirsk.

The main bus station stands on the western side of the square in front of the railway station. It is a distinctive building of red-tinted glass, entered beneath a large red letter 'A'. There are departures roughly every 30 minutes to Ekibastuz, several daily to Bayanaul, Karaganda, Astana and Semey, and a few to Russian destinations, including Omsk and Novosibirsk.

The River Irtysh was long an important transport artery for Pavlodar, and there is still a river station, although river trips are now taken as pleasure cruises rather than as a serious means of transportation. They offer motorboat trips of roughly one hour's duration along the river, with evening departures made to the strains of loud pop music. There are also longer, roughly two-hour, trips on a restaurant boat.