Berzengi district
Ashgabat & Darvaza Gas Crater, Turkmenistan
The most popular area for tourists to stay, near the foothills of the Kopet Dag mountains, home to a cluster of high-rise hotels along Archabil Avenue.
Places in Berzengi district
- Berzengi Persian restaurants Popular Persian dining among Ashgabat's luxury hotel cluster.
- Ashgabat Western-style cafés Western-style cafés serving sandwiches, salads, and gourmet coffee.
- Berzengi high-rise hotel bars Bars within the cluster of high-rise hotels along Archabil Avenue.
Practical notes for Ashgabat & Darvaza Gas Crater
- Best time to visit
- April to June and September to November, avoiding the extreme summer heat of the Karakum Desert for the Darvaza excursion.
- Getting around
- The Berzengi district, home to a cluster of high-rise hotels along Archabil Avenue including the Oguzkent Hotel, anchors Ashgabat's accommodation scene; the Darvaza Gas Crater requires a roughly 3.5-hour drive north into the Karakum Desert, with the final 8km off-road best done in a 4x4.
- Currency
- Turkmenistani Manat (m)
- Language
- Turkmen; Russian is widely understood. English is limited.
- Timezone
- TMT (UTC+5)
- Current trends
- Ashgabat's Guinness World Record status for the highest concentration of white marble buildings continues to define the capital's identity as a garden city of grand, state-run luxury hotels, while the Darvaza Gas Crater's status as Turkmenistan's number one tourist attraction keeps driving overnight yurt-camping excursions into the Karakum Desert, with most Ashgabat hotels now arranging SUV transport for the 3.5-hour drive to the flaming 'Gates of Hell.'
Other neighborhoods in Ashgabat & Darvaza Gas Crater
- Presidential Palace area — Home to the Oguzkent Hotel, located right next to the Presidential Palace.
- Darvaza Gas Crater district — Located in the Kara Kum Desert approximately 270-300 km north of Ashgabat, home to the flaming crater and nearby yurt camps.
Read the full Ashgabat & Darvaza Gas Crater guide