ON THE GO
Traveling by plane
Turkmenistan Airlines (T5) flies Ashkhabad, Dashgouz, Mary, Tschardschau, Turkmenabat and Turkmenbaschi as well as once a day to Kerki and Balkanabat. Air tickets must be paid for in Turkmen currency.
The flight safety does not meet international standards. Delays happen regularly.
Flight times
Flight time from Ashkhabad to Mary: 1 hour, to Tschardschau: 1 hour 30 minutes.
On the way by car / bus
The main road runs parallel to the railway line (see above). There is also a road from Ashkhabad to the north through the Karakoram desert (the route through the desert is 500 km long) to Tashaus and Kunya-Urgench. Liability insurance must be taken out in Turkmenistan for private cars. The green international insurance card is not valid. Right-hand traffic. Road conditions are often dangerous.
Long-distance bus: There are bus connections to all major cities.
Taxi: There are taxis and chauffeured cars in all major cities. The majority have no license; the fare should definitely be negotiated beforehand. Since many street names have changed since independence, the destination should be given with the new and the old name.
Rental cars can be rented from some large hotels.
Documents: international driver’s license or national driver’s license with a certified translation.
On the go by train
The Trans-Caspian Railway runs from Turkmenbashi via Ashkhabad and Mary to Tschardschau and on to Bukhara (Uzbekistan). There are two night connections from Ashkhabad to Turkmenabat, one train continues to Dashgouz, another via Mary to Gushgy (Gushgy, however, is on the border with Afghanistan and is therefore an exclusion zone). For safety reasons, the compartment should be locked when the train runs at night.
On the way by ship
The Amu Darya River runs parallel to the Trans Caspian Railway, which has diminished its importance as a waterway.
TRAVEL WARNING
Overview Turkmenistan
Security
advice from the Federal Foreign Office: As of: January 11th, 2017
Unchanged valid since: January 6th, 2017
Country-specific safety information
There is currently no country-specific safety notice for Turkmenistan.
MONEY
Currency
1 new manat = 100 tenge. Currency abbreviation: TMT (ISO code). Banknotes are available in values of 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 manat. Coins are in circulation in denominations of 2 and 1 manat as well as 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 tenge.
Note: The US dollar is unofficially accepted as a second currency in authorized establishments (airports, international hotels). Paying with US dollars is prohibited elsewhere. Foreigners can usually only pay for some services in US dollars, such as flight tickets and mobile phone charges.
Credit cards
Visa and American Express are only accepted in the capital and in international hotels. There are three ATMs where you can withdraw with Visa or MasterCard. When presenting the Visa card, money can also be withdrawn at some bank counters.
ATMs
ec / Maestro card / Sparcard
There are currently no ATMs for withdrawals with an EC card.
Attention: Travelers who pay abroad with their bank customer card and want to withdraw money should find out about the possibilities of using their card from their bank before starting their journey.
Bank opening times
Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm.
Foreign exchange regulations
Import and export of the local currency is prohibited in Turkmenistan, a country located in Asia according to itypetravel.
Unrestricted import of foreign currencies; Declaration obligation. Export of foreign currencies up to the amount declared, minus the exchange amounts. All receipts must be kept in a safe place.
Currency Exchange
Only in approved banks or exchange offices, mainly at the airport in Ashgabat. Cash payments are common, with US dollars preferred. There are z. Some also accept euros. All invoices must be paid in foreign currency; for package tours, payment is made in advance. Illegal currency exchange is severely punished.
