Beyneu

Beyneu is in the Mangystau Region of Western Kazakhstan.

Understand
Beyneu is the administrative centre of the Beyneu District in the Mangystau Region in Western Kazakhstan. Beyneu first began to expand in the 1970s from a village to a city with the discovery of oil in the area. There is a railway station where trains from Russia to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan stop and pass through.

By car
Beyneu is on the E40 highway from Northern Kazakhstan, at the point at which this highway splits to form the E-121, heading southwest to Aktau and southeast towards the Uzbek border.

By train
Beyneu is serviced by a number of trains, including the 323Ф Volgograd-1 to Tashkent and the 309Х Mangyshlak/Mangestau (Aktau) to Nukus (Uzbekistan).

Get around
Beyneu is a small town which is easily walkable.

See
There is very little to see in Beyneu. A bazaar where fruit, vegetables and other goods can be purchased may be visited. Go through the doors at the end of the market, it's four times bigger than it looks initially. There is also an air rifle shooting range near the market.

Buy
Fruits, vegetables and honey at the small bazaar. A SIM card for a mobile phone at one of the number of mobile phone shops. Good kimchi is also sold by the kilo at the market, 500 tenge for a rugby ball-sized bag. Probably because there's a Korean community across the border in Qaraqalpaqstan.

Eat
Samsa - a samosa made with onions and minced meat - available for around 50 tenge a piece. Other restaurants serving borsht and shashlyk are around but may be of dubious quality.

Sleep
Hotel Duman - On the edge of town, a twin room with shared squat toilets and showers (with hot water) is available for 3000 tenge (2014). The hotel also has a restaurant.

Hotel Aknur - English-speaking manager with rooms available for around 5000 tenge a night for a double en suite room, possibly negotiable. Non-en suite for 3000 tenge, less for longer stays.

Hotel Beyneu - smart hotel at Kosay Ata Street 2B. One of the better options around, 4000 tenge for a private room with two beds that could squeeze two in each. Free and fairly strong WiFi, 500 tenge laundry service and one of the receptionists speaks a little English.

Nur Hotel - M. Begenova 6 "А"

Go next
Nukus in Uzbekistan is a route towards the Silk Road cities of Urgench (for Khiva) and Samarkand. There is an overnight train that leaves at 03:10 (April 2019) local time (be careful of this, all the trains run officially on West Kazakhstan time. Get there a good hour early, beds are unassigned and it's every man for himself against the babushkas.