Kandahār: 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.
Kandahār is a city of 523,300 people in Afghanistan (Kandahar), 1,007 m (3,304 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport (KDH), 18 km (11 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Daylight in Kandahār runs from about 10 h 8 min a day in late December to 14 h 15 min in late June (computed for 31.61° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Kandahār is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport (KDH), 18 km (11 mi) from the centre, whose 10,532-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft.
Flights to Kandahār: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Kandahār · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Quetta, 201 km (Pakistan)
- Ghazni, 333 km — buses · car rental
- Chaman, 105 km (Pakistan)
- Gardez, 396 km — buses · car rental
Twin towns and sister cities: Nogales, Council Bluffs, Herat.
Common questions
Which airport serves Kandahār?
Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport (KDH), 18 km (11 mi) from the centre.
How big is Kandahār?
About 523,300 people live in Kandahār, across 800 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Kandahār in?
Asia/Kabul, currently UTC+4:30.
What currency is used in Kandahār?
The Afghani (AFN). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Kandahār?
Quetta (201 km), Ghazni (333 km), Chaman (105 km), Gardez (396 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.