A city of criss-crossing Soviet boulevards and post-communist tenements that’s framed by the icy ridges of the great Tien Shan Mountains, Bishkek’s various monumental squares and Tsarist parks gleam brilliantly in the Central Asian sun that reflects down endlessly from the snowy peaks that enfold it.

This is a place awash with a curious mishmash of cultural influences; a town where the buzzing bazaars of Osh and Dordoi stand laden with colourful spice racks next to the old Soviet architecture of Ala-Too Square and Panfilov Park. Bishkek tour guides often recommend getting to grips with the local culture by making a trip to the State History Museum right in the heart of town, or the Mikhail Frunze Museum, where the unexpected Slavic roots of the city are unravelled throughout the exhibitions. Of course, the mountains beckon many a tourist also, and today an increasing number of visitors are opting to take excursions out to the alpine slopes of the Ala-Archa Gorge, or the burgeoning ski fields of Kashka-Suu.