What To See And Do In Almaty, Kazakhstan

Almaty is the largest city and former capital of Kazakhstan. Located in the south east of the country, it is actually closer to China than Astana, the actual capital.

My first thoughts on Almaty was that it is a modern city with an old soul that dates back to the Soviet times. The large statues, grand buildings and Soviet style homes in the suburbs contradict the modern buildings, leafy green streets and locals sipping coffee on streetside cafes.

Alamty isn’t a destination that many people know much about so finding out what to do in Almaty was tricky from just asking my travel friends. But after spending a bit of time in the city, I discovered that there is plenty to keep you busy!

The Best Sites to See in Almaty

Central State Museum

I love a national museum and this one in the heart of Almaty takes up a massive space in a huge building. It isn’t the most impressive national museum I’ve been to, but it is a must visit to get an overview of the country.

Not everything is in English, but the important stuff is. Some of the English translations are less than perfect which may give you a giggle as well. Some of it seems a bit erratic and could do with some bigger text and better lighting but it’s worth a visit.

And like every museum in the world, there is a collection of pots.

Kok Tobe (green hill)

Kok Tobe translates to Green Hill and overlooks Almaty from the south east corner of the city at a height of 1100m.

There are a few different ways of getting to the hill from driving up if you have your own car, taking a bus, walking, or taking the cable car for ₸8000 return which is what I did.

At the top you’ll find a bunch of amusements and fairground rides popular with locals on weekends and evenings as the sun sets over the city. Most of the rides cost between ₸1500 and ₸3000 extra and you can also indulge in all your touristy desires with photographers offering photos of you in traditional dress with an eagle.

As a solo traveller, I only spent just over an hour up there but this is one of the best family friendly things to do in Almaty if you want to let the kids run around with all the rides available.

Panfilov park

Panfilov Park is the only place in Almaty where I saw any other obvious tourists. The park is a place of tranquility in the city and you can spend a while just walking around avoiding the midday heat in summer.

There are also a number of things to see within the park including…..

Ascension Cathedral

This wooden cathedral, also called Zenkov Cathedral, was built in the early 1900’s and survived the 1911 earthquake that destroyed a lot else of the city. It is the main cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan and one of the most beautiful buildings to see in Almaty.

From the outside it has a lot of beautiful colours that you don’t find on European cathedrals. Surrounding the church is a main square filled with pigeons and locals selling bird food and Soviet artefacts which may or may not be legitimate.

If you want to see inside you’ll have to dress modestly with men in trousers and long sleeves and women covering their head. Unfortunately I couldn’t go inside as I had shorts on but if you were to be dressed well you can join their Eastern Orthodox services if you follow their rules.

World War 2 memorial

Close to the Ascension Cathedral is the world war memorial and the eternal flame. With heavy Soviet feel with stars and statues of soviet soldiers it honours the lives lost during the first and second world wars.

Kazakh museum of folk musical instruments

Located at the edge of the park close to the World War 2 memorial, this is the must see museum for music lovers. It features over 1000 different items from over 60 different instruments across the various ethnic groups of Kazakhstan.

Those with an interest in architecture will also admire the wooden building built in the Russian style in 1908.

Related Read: How To Get From Almaty to Bishkek

Respublika Alany (contains the Independence Monument and Presidential Residence)

This large square in the centre of Almaty is home to the Independence Monument with statues of horses, the national animal, surrounding it, and on the other side of the main road is the Presidents residence.

Green market

The green market or Көк базар in Kazakh, is a traditional market selling all kinds of foods from fruits and vegetables, to meat and fish. There is an entire section for horse meat which can be bought relatively affordably if eating it is on your Almaty bucket list.

They also offer a lot of local honey and if you go to some of the outer stalls, they have local clothing and toys for sale.

Zhibek Zholy

Zhibek Zholy is the name of “Silk Road” in the local Kazakh language. The metro station of the same name take you to an area of the city that feels very different to the rest of it.

Zhibek Zholy feels modern, has coffee shops with the names in Latin not Cyrillic. It is a place where the younger generation of Almaty come to hang out, drink expensive coffee, visit shopping malls and drink in bars in the evening.

I alway think it’s useful to go to the modern heart of a city to see what the countries future is like and this is the neighbourhood you’ll want to see.

Botanical garden

The botanical gardens are to the south of the city and unlike botanical gardens in south east Asia and Oceania (I’m looking at you Singapore, Sydney and Brisbane) this is more of a place for scientific study than strolling beautiful grounds.

Because of that, there is an entrance fee of ₸527 which seems a very unusual amount.

Almaty central mosque

Islam is still the predominant religion in Kazakhstan and the Central Mosque is the major place of worship in Almaty. The gold domed roof isn’t the most impressive mosque in the world but the entrance resembles that of other major mosques in Central Asia and makes for a good photo opportunity if you’re in the area. You can go inside if you’re suitably dressed (which I wasn’t).

Visit Lake Almaty

Lake Almaty is a stunning lake high in the mountains above Almaty. There are a number of options to get there from tours to taking public transport.

Unfortunately, it is one of the only things in Almaty that I didn’t have time to visit. I would have loved to, but I cannot see everything in a city so it is first thing on my list for next time I go!

If you want more details on how to visit Lake Almaty, I recommend this blog and this blog.

Take a cable car to Shymbulak and Ile-Alatau National Park

A bit further outside the city, but well worth a visit, it to Ile Alatau National Park and in particular, the Shymbulak ski resort.

In winter, this is a haven for skiers, but in summers, the cooler temperatures and stunning mountain backdrop provides a great place to go hiking, enjoy the views or even just to chill out with a tea, coffee, beer or hot meal.

Like the rest of Almaty, if you can avoid going on the weekends, it will be more peaceful but with many chair lifts and hiking trails, there is always a corner of quiet for you to find.

My advice would be to get there early and explore as much as you can. I got there a little later than planned and couldn’t go up to the final stair lifts as they would have closed by the time I got up there. The last runs are at 5pm in summer.

Summing up the best things to see in Almaty

Even though I didn’t know what to expect when I first landed to Almaty, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found and fell in love with the city. I cannot wait to go back!

With it’s modern, almost European vibe, Soviet architecture and stunning nature close by, Almaty really does have it all. My only regret is not spending long enough in the city!

Dan

Dan is an avid traveller from London. His first big adventure was in 2010 living in Malaysia for 3 months. He has been on the road almost constantly since 2015 travelling to destinations that aren’t on the mainstream tourist trail and working full time and travelling since 2021.