Almaty.
Your next chapter?

Overview

Almaty is the largest city and the financial and cultural capital of Kazakhstan. Though short on grand sights, Almaty is relentlessly pleasant, with upmarket shops, bars, and cafes tucked among lush, tree-lined streets and esplanades, while the snow-capped Trans-Ili Alatau mountains to the south give the city a beautifully dramatic backdrop.

Understand

History Although the Silk Road touched the foothills upon which Almaty sits today, it left little of the grandeur found farther south in Central Asia’s great caravan cities. The few inhabitants were nomadic herdsmen, with no substantial towns until the Russians colonised and built a wooden fort in 1854. An industrial town, named Verny, grew around the fort, although it was twice flattened by earthquakes. The Soviets renamed it Alma-Ata ("Alma" may mean "apple" – modern apples originated in this region) and the city became the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. A railway and highway connected it to Russia. Trotsky lived in exile here for a year before fleeing to Turkey.

The city was laid out on a low-rise grid pattern, with broad boulevards and parks, and has never had an organic "old town". During World War II, Soviet industries relocated here beyond Nazi attack, along with hospitals, universities, cultural institutes and workers from elsewhere (especially Slavs, Uyghurs and Koreans) so the city became quite cosmopolitan. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the city became the capital of independent Kazakhstan and was renamed Almaty.

For a capital city, Almaty was rather off-centre: hard up against lofty Trans-Ili Alatau mountains, the Kyrgyzstan border lies just south. Hence, in 1997, the government shifted the capital north to Astana. Though the capital no more, Almaty remains the country's business centre, its cultural core, as well as its largest city. In 2024 it had a population of 2,250,000.

Almaty's climate is continental, influenced by the mountains. Winter daytime temperature is about -2 to -5 °C, while June-Aug is around 30 °C. The best times to visit are April-May (though these can be wet) and Sep-Oct.

Talk Most locals in Almaty speak Russian. Kazakh, a Turkic language related to Turkish, is the state language of Kazakhstan and is also used. Many people in tourist-facing businesses speak English.

Visitor information Visit Almaty is the online portal and gives details of its eight locations: the airport, Zenkov 24A, Panfilov 84, Dostyk 56/3, Timiryazev 40/2, Orbita 2, and Omarov 2 foot of the cable-car. The Kerey-Zhanibek Khandar location is next to Medeu ice rink in the mountain resort of Chimbulak.

Get in

Buses run from the airport 05:30 to 23:00, every 30 mins or better, and take 30 min to the centre. Every taxi tout will assure you that they're not running, which of course they are, otherwise they wouldn't be so insistent. Bus 92 is the only one from within the airport, the stop is just outside Arrivals. This zigzags through the northern Turksib district to Sayakhat junction, then west along Raiymbek Batyr (for Almaty-2 railway station and city metro), along Nauryzbai (southbound) or Zheltoksan (returning northbound) to Abai Bvd, then out to the western suburbs. Occasionally this bus can't enter the airport precinct because of construction works, in which case join it at Mailin St. Other buses all run from Mailin Street, the boulevard just outside the airport. From Arrivals follow the traffic flow through the barriers onto the street, keeping right for traffic heading into town. You cross Zakarpatskaya the side-street that your bus will emerge from, pass the Favorit Hotel and a small supermarket, to find the bus stop where folk as cheapskate as yourself are waiting. Say 400 m, 10 mins walk. Bus 79 runs to Nazarbayev Ave (formerly Furmanov), and Bus 86 also runs downtown. Bus 106 bypasses downtown and runs to Sayran inter-city bus station, say 50 min.

Taxis can be ordered at the booth in the arrivals hall, or arranged via your accommodation, or booked via Yandex. It's a common scam that at the end of your journey the driver claims that 1500 tenge was per kilometre, so you owe 35,000 tenge. It's difficult to argue as they soon turn aggressive, and as with all lucrative scams the police may be in on it.

Get around

The city is laid out on a modern grid-pattern, and "up" usually means south, towards the mountains. However it's a gentle gradient, and in places the gradient east is also upward sloping.

The Metro has a single line. The northern terminus is on Raiymbek Batyr east of Almaty-2 railway station. The line runs south to Abay, then turns west along Abay to Bauyrjan Momyshuly.

The Metro is open from 06:00-00:00, and is safe and guarded by police at all times. You need to put your bags through a scanner upon entering the station before ticketing. The tickets are paper with a QR code, buy them at booths ("kassa") within the stations. Contactless payment at the gates is also possible by Mastercard, Visa or Union Pay. There are no day tickets or similar deals for visitors, but for frequent travellers there are rechargeable multi-trip smart cards.

Raiymbek batyr. North terminus, for Almaty-2 railway station & buses around Sayakhat.

Zhibek Zholy-Dostyk. For Ascension Cathedral, Panfilov Park, Green Bazaar, Museum of Kazakh Musical Instruments and Kazakh-British Technical University.

Almaly. For Hotel Almaty, Opera & Ballet House, Kunayev Museum and Republican Book Museum.

Abay. For Central State Museum, Kazakh National Agrarian University, State Academic Russian Drama Theatre, and Kok-Tobe cable-car.

Here the line turns west and runs beneath Abay Avenue to:

Baikonur. For Sport Palace and Central Stadium.

Auezov Theater. For Auezov Theatre, Circus, Rahat Palace Hotel & Kusteyev Fine Arts Museum.

Sayran. This is a 2.5-km walk to Sayran bus station, as the lake lies between.

Moskva. This station is nearer to Sayran bus station, though it's still a 1.5-km hike north up Utegen Batyr.

Bauyrjan Momyshuly. Opened in 2022, this is beneath the intersection with Abay.

Qalqaman further west is the next extension, due to open in 2027.

The city has some 170 bus routes and 9 trolleybus routes. Use Yandex Maps for network details and journey planner. You don't need exact change but you'll be unpopular if you offer a large note. Younger conductors speak a bit of English and will point out your stop.

Some conductors will not accept money and will ask you to pay with the Onay app or the Onay card. As of 2026 the app does not accept foreign bank cards for payment, and thus is largely useless for foreigners outside of checking bus times. (Even adding a physical card to the app requires a Kazakh ID card number.) There is one workaround: you can top up a virtual card on the app if you have a local use their bank card (there is an option to not save the bank card information) and you give them cash.

More useful for foreigners, the Onay card is available for 800 tenge at newsstands called караван (Caravan in English) which are distributed throughout the city (to find the nearest one, search for караван on Yandex Maps). A new card includes 120 tenge, enough for one trip. To top-up the card, you need to find a Qiwi payment terminal (search for "Qiwi" in Yandex Maps). The terminal is only in Russian or Kazakh, but it is straightforward to use:

With the Russian language selected (the default), tap the ОПЛАТА УСЛУГ button. On the bottom right, tap the button with the magnifying glass to search. Type ОНАИ in the search box and then tap the button labeled "Onay!" when it appears. Enter the last 15 digits of your card number (the first four will already be entered for you) found on the back of your card and then tap the ВПЕРЕД button. You should now see your card balance in tenge. To add money, tap the ВПЕРЕД button. Tap ВЫХОД to exit. If you chose to add money, it will display a screen saying "После совершения платежа, распечатать чек или вывести на экран?". It is asking whether you want to print your receipt or simply display it on the screen after you add money. Tap РАСПЕЧАТАТЬ to print your receipt or ВЫВЕСТИ HA ЭКРАН to display it. The next screen is where you add your money. You can top-up with cash only (coins or notes). Insert it into the machine. When you are done, tap ОПЛАТИТЬ. You should now see your receipt on the screen (and it will print if you chose the print option). Tap ВЫХОД to exit.

These instructions are up-to-date as of 2026. To use the Onay card, simply tap it at the card reader at the front of the bus (there may be one towards the rear as well). There is no need to tap again upon exiting the bus.

By taxi Yandex Go is available and works the same way as Uber. Ensure you have mobile data (see the Connect section) and order taxis this way in Almaty.

Outside of Yandex Go, there are both official and informal taxis. Unofficial taxis may be up to three times cheaper than official taxis. Just raise your hand and a car will eventually stop. Beware you are now subject to typical taxi driver scams. As a foreigner, use Yandex Go.

By bike There is a city bike scheme, with pick-up/drop-off stations dotted around. Almost every bike store rents bikes, thus just ask in your hotel for a bike store.

By scooter You can find a vast network of various scooters (samokats) spread around the town, which you can rent using their respective applications. If you know Bolt scooters in Europe - that's the same thing. The more popular ones are Yandex Go (yellow colored) and Whoosh (orange colored).

See

Ascension Cathedral. Completed in 1907 and renovated in the 2020s - new saints were painted in, though presumably they were known to the hagiographers. The iconostasis is spectacular. At 56 m this among the tallest wooden buildings in the world, which you wouldn't guess from the smoothly-painted exterior hues of custard, icing sugar and coloured marzipan - it's more like a trap for Hansel & Gretel.

St Nicholas Cathedral. Russian Orthodox church built in 1909. It was used as stables for Soviet cavalry horses but reopened as a church in 1980. Main entrance is west side from Baytursnov, but there's also a little gate from the park just south.

Central Mosque. Grand mosque with marble walls and spacious decorated interior.

Sophia Cathedral. Built 1893-95 after its predecessor was destroyed by an earthquake, the church became the centrepiece of a monastery, but the complex was crushed by the communists. Only in 2007 were both restored. The tranquil monastery compound has a few other chapels you can look in on.

Holy Kazan Cathedral. Small, brightly painted Russian Orthodox Church with a gorgeously ornate interior.

Museum House of Akhmet Baytursynov. Akhmet Baytursynov (1873-1937) was a Kazakh intellectual active in politics, poetry, linguistics and education, so inevitably he was shot during Stalin's "Great Purge".

Museum of Almaty. Small museum of the history of the city, mountaineering and the Republic, housed in a former orphanage. Audioguide available on your own mobile device.

Museum of Archeology. A small museum housing mammoths, dinosaurs and similar.

Kasteyev Art Museum. Huge collection spanning Oriental, Russian and Kazakh arts, the Stakhanovite scenes from Stalin's era are fascinating. Abilkhan Kasteev (1904-1973) was a prolific and highly decorated artist.

Central State Museum. Displays of Kazakh history, from prehistoric times through the Mongol periods to the present. Guided tours in English and other languages are available if you call ahead, and the Hall of Anthropology (1000 tenge extra) can only be seen this way.

Museum of Musical Instruments. Small museum with fine traditional wooden facade, exhibits have signage in Kazakh, Russian and English.

Military History Museum. Military history museum with an emphasis on Panfilov's division and Kazakhstan's involvement in the Great Patriotic War (WWII) and the Soviet War in Afghanistan. Signage is in Russian, but guided tours in English, French, Kazakh and Russian may be available. The entrance is unstaffed, turn right from lobby.

Central Museum of Railway Transport. Small museum about the railways in Kazakhstan.

D.A. Konaev House Museum. Dinmukhamed Kunaev (1912-1993) was First Secretary of the Kazakh Communist Party 1964-1983, then fell from grace after the death of Brezhnev. This is his apartment.

Memorial Museum of Nurgisa Tlendiev. Nurgisa Tlendiev (1925-1998) was a composer who lived here in his later years.

M Auezov Literature Memorial House. Mukhtar Auezov (1897-1961) was a distinguished Soviet-Kazakh playwright and novelist; he lived here for his last ten years. Atmospheric, but you'll need decent Russian to glean much. He's also commemorated further down the boulevard by the Auezov Theatre.

Heroes Memorial Park. Honors the men and women from Kazakhstan who died in World War II. There's an eternal flame by the war memorial.

is the large but unimpressive square outside City Hall. It lost much of its significance when the capital moved to Astana. The Presidential Palace also stood here but was wrecked by riots in 2022, and has since been demolished.

Do

Saunas or banyas are where folk relax and socialise during the miserable cold months. These have different styles eg Moroccan, Nordic or Russian (where half the fun is flagellating yourself with veniki leaves). A two hour session with various extras might be 5000 tenge in 2024. There's some 30 saunas across the city, not including private hotel facilities or seedy "gentlemen's clubs", and many are part of large leisure complexes. A good example is Arasan at Tulebaev 78 near Ascension Cathedral, open daily 07:00-22:30. Football: FC Kairat play soccer in the Premier League, Kazakhstan's top tier, which plays April-Nov. Their home ground is Central Stadium, capacity 24,000, on Abay Ave (Metro Baikonur / Stadion). International games are played in Astana.

Events Nauryz Myrami is the spring festival, on or about 21 March each year. Indie Film Festival is held in September. Almaty Marathon is run in September.

Theatre Artishock is an experimental theatre at Kunaev 9. La Boheme is a theatre at Valikhanov 43, Metro Zhibek Zholy. Abay Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is at Kabanbay Batyr 110, Metro Almaly. M Lermontov State Academic Russian Drama Theater is at Abay 43, Metro Abay. KELT is an English language theatre within KIMEP University, Metro Abay. Uyghur Theatre is at Nauryzbai Batyr 83. Almaty Theatre is on Halyk Square off Al-Farabi.

Kok-Tobe Park. Small Soviet-esque fun fair perched on a hilltop, where the highlight is getting there on the cable car. (The base station is at Luganskiy 2, east end of Abay.) Up top is a series of overpriced rides, games and attractions, and two restaurants; the wildest beasts in the "mini-zoo" are some hens and goats. The park is fenced in with no access to the nearby mountains, but you can walk to or from town via the service road.

Route P22 (Dulati Street, becomes Svezhest) runs south up the valley of River Bolshaya Almatinka. Along this route are Kok-Tobe (the hill not the funfair), Tau Spa, Alma-Arasan gorge and Big Almaty Lake.

Tau Spa. Year-round mountain spa with pools and cabin accommodation. Mixed reviews.

is a scenic lake at 2510 m altitude, surrounded by high mountains. It glistens like a mirror, changing colour with the season (a deep turquoise in autumn), and freezing in winter. Towering over it to the south east is Soviet Peak (4317 m), to the south Ozerniy (4110 m), and to the southwest Tourist Peak (3954 m). Great for hiking and climbing. Getting here and back is obviously simplest by car, otherwise: Bus 28 runs from the roundabout at Al-Farabi and Navoi up Dulati and ends at the last left turn before Alma-Arasan. Taxis here will take you to within 4 km of the lake for around 2000 tenge. Otherwise it's a 15 km hike and 1000 m rise of altitude: think about the weather and the coming back. Follow the road about 8 km until you reach a big water pipe, and then follow the steep trail next to the pipe. Or take a taxi all the way from Al-Farabi and Navoi.

Dostyk south becomes Gornaya which climbs the valley of River Pravy Esentai. Along this valley are Medeu Ice Rink, Ile-Alatau National Park and Chimbulak Ski resort. A bus runs up the valley from the corner of Satpaev and Baitursynuly daily at 08:00. see Chimbulak for this open-air rink. Ski & snowboard at Chimbulak, Ak-Bulak and Tabagan ski resorts, open Nov-April, lifts closed Tuesday. And hike anytime, beyond the resort up to the dam and then the glacier.

Buy

Payment technology: As of 2026, most businesses process payments using Kaspi Pay or Halyk Pay. Both companies have terminals that display a QR code, which can be scanned through their respective app, Halyk also has payment through biometrics. All Kaspi and Halyk machines have credit/debit card readers - unless you are visiting for an extended period, it is a waste of time to register an account with either. Transaction fees are the same as any western card reader (not including bank fees/conversion fees). Those at the airport are open 24 hours, and there's several on Rayimbek Batyr south of the main railway station. Local specialties: Handmade carpets, felted goods such as dolls, rugs, and slippers made with boiled lamb's wool and natural dyes, handcrafted metal jewelry, including a "tumar" (a pendant that opens like a locket) and leather chess sets.

Green Bazaar. A city institution, an extensive market in a lime-green concrete building. Fresh vegetables, dairy products, and meat, as well as clothing and other non-food household items. Seasonal prices, relatively expensive by Central Asia standards.

is a vast bazaar in ramshackle metal sheds, 5 km northwest of downtown on A350, trading Tu-Su 09:00-17:00. It's mostly daily necessities and not touristy, but locals likewise appreciate occasional luxuries.

Shopping malls is a shopping mall on Zhibek Zholy. "Arbat" is the nickname for the pedestrianised section of Zhybek Zholy, an artists' row. TsUM is the big department store a little further west, corner of Ablay Khan, open M-Sa 09:00-19:00, Su 09:00-15:00. Mega Park is a large mall at Makataev 127, corner with Seyfullin, open daily 10:00-22:00. Ramstore was the largest mall in the city when built in the 1990s but is now nothing unusual. It's at Furmanov 226, open daily 09:00-23:00. is a large mall at Rozybakiev 247A, open daily 10:00-22:00.

Eat

Kazakh cheap places are plentiful, selling shashlik, soup, salad and so on. Burgers are popular fast food, typically with sliced kebab meat on a hamburger bun with pickles and garlic sauce. Bahandi is a burger chain with 8 city locations, the most central is at Baytursynova 61, two blocks south of Tole Bi.

Alasha. Uzbeki restaurant. Brace yourself for being sung at, danced at, and horse meat.

Basilic. Sit-down canteen with an English menu. Low prices and offers local specialties such as horsemeat.

China Town. Inexpensive Chinese eatery, large servings. Plenty of vegetarian dishes such as tofu.

Crudo Steakhouse. Steakhouse, mixed reviews on food quality and value for money. Good if you would like to try horse.

Mamma Mia. Chain pizzeria with filling portions, veggies won't starve.

Restaurant Princess. Popular Chinese restaurant.

Tandoor. Good-value Indian and other Asian food.

Tarih. Great Kazakh food with an interesting modern touch.

Tyubeteika. Uzbek restaurant, good food with grumpy service. They also have outlets at Abylai Khan125 and Dostyk Ave.

Venezia. Good selection of meat, veggies may struggle,

Grand Zina. A cool restaurant with great mosaics.

MiMi. Little canteen where local people go for lunch. A selection of meals unfortunately all with meat; vegetarians will have salad, samsa and mashed potatoes available. Cheap for the city.

Namo. Decent South Indian food in an air-conditioned restaurant. Lots of vegetarian options, as well as meat.

Drink

Barmaglot Bar. For evening drinks, gets lively after 23:00. A bit stuffy: there are strict age requirements (21+ for women, 25+ for men) and a dress code.

Fuller's Pub Pheasant Feather. English pub

The Shakespeare Pub. Western beer and Indian food

Harvey's pub & grill. Kazakh sport bar & pub with a variety of international beers

Sleep

Apelsin Hostel. Very basic, only if you're stuck.

Tahar Hotel is simple but clean, better than the grubby exterior suggests. It's at Abylai Khan 27, 300 m south of the main railway station. No air conditioning, so probably not the best option in the sweltering Almaty summer.

Astra Hotel. Mid-range business hotel, clean, friendly and close to main railway station.

Hotel Almaty. Pleasant hotel facing the Opera House. Not to be confused with the place of the same name at Kuanyshbayev 38а, way out beyond Sayran bus station.

Hotel Ambassador. Creaky old place but clean, and good value for what you pay.

Hotel Berkana. Central but in a quiet area, good value for money.

Kazakhstan Hotel. In a 1977 Soviet block but smart and clean.

Hotel Kazzhol Almaty. Clean, comfy place with restaurant and pool.

Ibis. Great value central Accor hotel.

Mercure. Accor chain hotel, central, oasis of calm clean efficiency.

Holiday Inn Almaty. Smart hotel near the government sector.

Hotel Dostyk. Showing its age with crumbly fittings and indifferent service.

Intercontinental Almaty. Upmarket hotel with 4 restaurants and indoor pool.

Rahat Palace Hotel. Grand exterior, poor scores for comfort and service.

Rixos Hotel Almaty. Pleasant hotel near Dynamo stadium, pricey for what you get.

Ritz-Carlton. Plush hotel with 3 restaurants, spa and pool. The 30th-floor bar has a good view of the mountains. Service not always at the standard you expect for these prices.