Kyrgyzstan
Osh travel guide
Osh is a city in Kyrgyzstan, home to about 375,000 people.
- Best months
- April, May, September and October
- Nearest airport
- OSS9 km · Osh International Airport
- Currency
- KGSKyrgyz som
- Time zone
- Asia/Bishkek
- Language
- Kyrgyz, Russian
About
About Osh
Osh is the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan, located in the Fergana Valley in the south of the country. It is often referred to as the "capital of the south".
Osh (Kyrgyz: Ош) is the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan. It's in the south of the country and often referred to as the "capital of the south". It has served as the administrative center of Osh Province since 1939. The city has an ethnically mixed population of about 322,000 (2021), about 46% Uzbek, 43% Kyrgyz and several smaller ethnic groups. The city is more conservative and Islamic than rest of Kyrgyzstan, as is typical of cities in the Fergana Valley. Osh was famous for its outdoor bazaar (Jayma Bazaar / Жайма базар), the largest and most crowded in Central Asia.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Osh
See
The city has several monuments, including one to the and one of the few remaining statues of Vladimir Lenin, and the largest mosque in the country.
- Sulayman Mountain
- Mechet' Ravvat Abdullakhana
- Turgunbai Sadykov Osh Regional Museum of Fine Art
- Mausoleum of Asaf ibn Burkhiy
- Sulaiman-Too Mosque
- Russian Orthodox Church
- Alymbek Datkanyn Aykeli
- Manas Statue
- Abshyr-Ata Waterfall
- Alai Valley
- Kyrgyz Ata National Park and Kara Koy
Do
- CBT Osh
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Osh
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Osh are April, May, September and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; March is the wettest, with about 57 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Osh: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Osh International Airport (OSS), about 8.5 km from the city centre in a straight line; Andijan International Airport (AZN, 47 km) and Fergana International Airport (FEG, 90 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
Taxis are cheap, a ride from the city to the airport is about 300 som. Buses are 10–15 som, and marshrutkas are 15 som per person.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
OSS · Osh International Airport
AZN · Andijan International Airport
FEG · Fergana International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Osh
Drink
Alcohol is perhaps more elusive in Osh than in the capital, but there are nonetheless a few good bars in the city. The national beer is "Arpa", and really quite good, even by international standards. 80 som for a pint is fairly standard.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Osh: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Osh?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Osh are April, May, September and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; March is the wettest, with about 57 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Osh?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Osh International Airport (OSS), about 8.5 km from the city centre in a straight line; Andijan International Airport (AZN, 47 km) and Fergana International Airport (FEG, 90 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Osh?
Kyrgyz som (KGS).
Nearby
Destinations near Osh
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.