{"id":11516,"date":"2024-09-23T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/?p=11516\/"},"modified":"2025-11-05T12:10:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T10:10:33","slug":"train-in-kazakhstan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/train-in-kazakhstan\/","title":{"rendered":"How to travel by train in Kazakhstan (with map)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Wanna travel to <\/strong>Kazakhstan with Against the Compass?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Join a group of like-minded travelers in our next scheduled tour in Kazakhstan on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 11th to 20th, 2026<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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With an area of more than 2.7 million square meters, almost 6 times the size of Spain, and with a population that barely reaches 18 million inhabitants, Kazakhstan is a huge country with one of the lowest population densities in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, composed of thousands and thousands of miles of desolate and deserted plain, better known as steppe, the vastness of Kazakhstan is something one can only assimilate through a long train journey, in which, for several hours and even days, you go through a desert of unimaginable magnitude, only disturbed by tiny villages located in the middle of nowhere and the occasional hairy camels characteristic of Central Asia<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you love traveling by train, especially in a Soviet one, and you enjoy interacting with locals, going across Kazakhstan by train is something you really don’t wanna miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During my first trip through Kazakhstan, I traveled 3,600 kilometers exclusively by train, starting from Beyneu, the first town you find after crossing the border from Uzbekistan<\/a><\/strong>, to Almaty, the most cosmopolitan city in the country, located in the far east, very close to the border with Kyrgyzstan<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was an amazing journey, very different from my travels through other Central Asian countries, so I decided to compile all the information you need for traveling by train in Kazakhstan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For tips and everything to visit in the country, read my 1-month itinerary in Kazakhstan<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In this train guide to Kazakhstan you will find:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Table of Contents<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Introduction<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Map<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Buy tickets<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Types of trains<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Prices<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Tips<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • More Information<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    For your train journey across Kazakhstan, get a few good books on the region: best books on Central Asia<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Introduction to traveling by train in Kazakhstan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Traveling by train in Kazakhstan is not limited to the functional benefit of transportation but it is one of the highlights of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Unlike in other parts of the world, in Kazakhstan, most locals need to travel extremely long distances that can take them several days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This turns into spending a long time with your fellow passengers and greater social interaction, which can go from sharing a glass of vodka to the typical local lady, who will spend the whole journey offering you bread, fruit, and much more than you could ever eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At the end of every journey, your bunk-bed-mates will become appreciated acquaintances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Hanging out with locals<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    But this is not all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    From staring out of the window to see the endless steppe to having a few beers at the wagon caf\u00e9 and just checking the infinite chaos present at every one of the train stations, always packed with street vendors selling food from kebabs to an extremely stinky smoked fish, whose odor can be smelled from miles away and which literally swamps all wagons…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Traveling the Silk Road on a Soviet train is a lifestyle and a real attraction in itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    The Kazakh steppe – Train in Kazakhstan<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Kazakhstan train map<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    This is an interactive railway map of Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bear in mind that it only shows the main stations and not the secondary or small ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tip #1 – <\/strong><\/span>If you are traveling in the north of Kazakhstan, remember that, even if your final destination isn’t Russia, at some point, some lines inevitably cross into Russia<\/a><\/strong>, so you will need to have a transit visa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The reason this happens is because, when they built the line, both countries were part of the Soviet Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n