Almaty

Worth seeing in and around Almaty

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Almaty Central Stadium

   Almaty Central Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Almaty, Kazakhstan and the largest sports complex in the country. It is currently used mostly for football matches.

   2.2 km · stadium in Almaty, Kazakhstan · Wikipedia
2. 02
   National Library of Kazakhstan

   The National of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the national book depository of Kazakhstan, located in the city of Almaty.

   1 km · national library · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Ascension Cathedral

   The Ascension Cathedral, also known as Zenkov Cathedral, is a Russian Orthodox cathedral located in Panfilov Park in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Completed in 1907, the cathedral is made out of wood but without nails.

   2.8 km · church in Almaty, Kazakhstan · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Central State Museum of Kazakhstan

   The Central State Museum of Kazakhstan is the largest museum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and one of the largest museums in Central Asia. When first established in 1931, the museum was located in the Almaty Cathedral.

   300 m · museum in Almaty, Kazakhstan · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Kazakh National Pedagogical University

   Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, romanized: Abai atyndağy Qazaq ūlttyq pedagogikalyq universitetı ) is one of the leading institutes in Central Asia. It is situated in the heart of Almaty City, Kazakhstan.

   2.6 km · university in Kazakhstan · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Satbayev University

   Satbayev University is a technical university located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The university is the oldest technical university in Kazakhstan, comprising 10 institutions and 27 departments.

   1.5 km · university · Wikipedia
7. 07
   Abay Opera House

   The Abai Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre is an opera house located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Founded as a music studio in 1933, it evolved into a full-fledged theater by 1934.

   1.8 km · opera house in Almaty (Alma-Ata), Kazakhstan · Wikipedia
8. 08
   Kok Tobe

   Köktöbe or Koktyube is a hill in Kazakhstan's largest city and former capital, Almaty. At 1,100 meters above sea level, it is regarded as emblematic of the city and one of its main landmarks.

   2.1 km · mountain in Kazakhstan · Wikipedia
9. 09
   Hotel Kazakhstan

   Hotel Kazakhstan is the third-tallest building in the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is 102 m tall, with 26 floors.

   1.4 km · skyscraper in Almaty, Kazakhstan · Wikipedia
10. 10
    Kazakhstan National Museum of Instruments

    The Ykhlas Museum of Folk Musical Instruments is a musical instrument museum located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Located in Panfilov Park, the wooden building was erected in 1908, simultaneously with Ascension Cathedral.

    3 km · museum in Almaty, Kazakhstan · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

1. 01
   Ascension Cathedral
2. 02
   St Nicholas Cathedral

   It was used as stables for Soviet cavalry horses but reopened as a church in 1980.

3. 03
   Central Mosque

   Grand mosque with marble walls and spacious decorated interior.

4. 04
   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.

5. 05
   Holy Kazan Cathedral
6. 06
   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".

From Wikivoyage: Almaty, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to 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.

1. 01
   Kok-Tobe Park

   Small Soviet-esque fun fair perched on a hilltop, where the highlight is getting there on the cable car.

2. 02
   Tau Spa

   Year-round mountain spa with pools and cabin accommodation.

3. 03
   Medeu Ice Rink: see Chimbulak

   Ski & snowboard at Chimbulak, Ak-Bulak and Tabagan ski resorts, open Nov-April, lifts closed Tuesday.

From Wikivoyage: Almaty, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to 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, Ostpanova 20,. Daily 12:00-00:00. Uzbeki restaurant.

1. 01
   MiMi

   Little canteen where local people go for lunch.

From Wikivoyage: Almaty, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Almaty

Airports

Almaty (ALA), 15 km · Issyk-Kul (IKU), 75 km · Manas (BSZ), 201 km

Stations

Raiymbek batyr, 4.1 km · Zhibek Zholy, 3.2 km · Abay, 1 km · Auezov Theater, 2.8 km · Almaly, 2.1 km

• Taraz → Almaty

  451 km · quickest by air, 4h 35m · $170–250
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• Shymkent → Almaty

  606 km · quickest by air, 5h 2m · $190–280
  GuideToday
• Tamchy → Almaty

  79 km · quickest by road, 7h 10m · $34–46
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• From anywhere

  The planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Almaty

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Almaty. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Almaty – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.