Aktau: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Aktau is a city of 147,443 people in Kazakhstan (Mangystau), 16 m (52 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Aktau International Airport (SCO), 23 km (14 mi) from the centre. It is a port city: Aktau port.
Key facts
Daylight in Aktau runs from about 8 h 59 min a day in late December to 15 h 30 min in late June (computed for 43.66° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Aktau is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Aktau International Airport (SCO), 23 km (14 mi) from the centre, whose 10,013-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft.
Flights to Aktau: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Aktau · Driving and car hire · Ferries
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Baku, 380 km (Azerbaijan) — flights
- Makhachkala, 307 km (Russia)
- Astrakhan, 387 km (Russia)
- Sumgayit, 363 km (Azerbaijan)
- Atyrau, 387 km — buses · car rental
- Khirdalan, 376 km (Azerbaijan)
- Khasavyurt, 373 km (Russia)
- Derbent, 295 km (Russia)
- Zhanaozen, 141 km — buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Atyrau, Sumgait, Constanța, Poti, Gorgan, Cherkasy, Samsun, Urgench, Klaipėda, Astrakhan, Orenburg, Makhachkala, Samara, Elista.
Common questions
Which airport serves Aktau?
Aktau International Airport (SCO), 23 km (14 mi) from the centre.
How big is Aktau?
About 147,443 people live in Aktau, across 140,000,000 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Aktau in?
Asia/Aqtau, currently UTC+5.
What currency is used in Aktau?
The Tenge (KZT). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Aktau?
Baku (380 km), Makhachkala (307 km), Astrakhan (387 km), Sumgayit (363 km), Atyrau (387 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.