Osh is a city in the Ferghana Valley of Kyrgyzstan. The city is at least 3,000 years old and today remains a lively place.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
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. Sadly this was heavily damaged by flooding and then inexplicably bulldozed by the city in 2024.
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.
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. 1 Sulayman Mountain. 08:30-20:00. A mountain looming over the city full of ancient sites of worship, some still in use, dating back several millennia. It is considered the most complete example of a Central Asian sacred mountain, and accordingly has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A cave in the mountain is the site of a museum containing a collection of archaeological, geological and historical finds and information about local flora and fauna.
CBT Osh, Ergesh Alieva Street 190, oshtours@gmail.com. If you want to go trekking, CBT Osh is the closest thing you'll find to a tourism office. It is a private company, but they do offer free information (up to 10 minutes) if you go to their office (which is also a guesthouse). Their main activity is offering guided trekking tours throughout the country. Keep in mind that they have an incentive to sell you their more expensive tours. (updated Jun 2025)
Nirvana Restaurant. Short taxi ride outside of city center; European and local cuisine; good shashlyk, steak, chicken and beef burritos. Indoor and outdoor dining areas, with toys for children. Good service, clean. They brew their own beer, the vats are visible from the dining room in a large area next door. Kafe "Zhyz-Byz", 226 Kurmanjan-Datka St. (in the centre, road parallel to Lenin Avenue), ☏ +996 777 557 939. Very good range of local food. Two mains with drinks, around 450 som. Menu in English. Pleasant decor. (updated Sep 2018) 1 NAVAT, 288 Lenina Ulitsa. 10:00-00:00. Chaikhana chain also found in Bishkek, wide choice of regional food and drinks. (updated Jul 2023)
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. 1 Chu-Tal (at the intersection just west of Sulaiman-Too, 50 m west of Al Mayda). A large open-air (but sheltered for bad weather) 'beer cafe' and restaurant with a nice atmosphere and a good selection of drinks. Beers cost 70-100 som for a pint, food from 100-400 som. Traditional 'tabchans' and western seating available. Menu is only in Russian but there are pictures so ordering is painless. (updated Jun 2019)
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Osh typically sees ~33°C daytime highs and 4 rainy days.
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