As the former capital and Kazakhstan’s largest city, there are plenty of things to do in Almaty. With a rich cultural offering spanning opera, ballet and art to its flourishing food scene and numerous museums, Almaty makes a compelling case as a weekend break destination. It’s a green city with leafy streets, a frenetic bazaar, shady parks and squares, and a vibrant terrace bar and café scene. Look up in Almaty and you can always see the nearby snowy mountains, which are within easy reach for some active recreation such as hiking, skiing and skating. Here are our picks of the best things to do in Almaty.
1. The Golden Man
Almaty’s Republic Square is a great place to start your exploration of the city. It is home to the monument to Kazakhstan’s independence, a 28-metre high column topped with a statue of an ancient warrior standing atop a winged snow leopard. The warrior is known as the Golden Man, a prince from 2,500 years ago whose remains were discovered in a burial mound near Almaty some 50 years ago. The Saka prince was buried in full ceremonial costume along with around 4,000 gold items. The Golden Man, along with the snow leopard, an endangered big cat that lives in the mountains outside Almaty, were adopted as symbols of Kazakhstan and Almaty after it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The column is surrounded by four statues depicting a mother-figure and a father-figure and two young children on horseback. A metal frieze depicting key moments from Kazakhstan’s past surrounds the monument.
2. A journey through history
To learn more about the Golden Man and Kazakhstan’s history, the best place to go is Almaty’s Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The museum is housed in a distinctive blue-domed building, and its permanent collection takes you on a memorable journey from the stone age to the space age. An interesting section is dedicated to the nomadic roots of the Kazakhs and features a yurt, the conical felt tent used by the herders as they moved with their livestock as the seasons changed. Souvenir shops in the museum sell items made from felt, such as carpets, slippers and scarves, alongside woven carpets. The museum also hosts occasional craft fairs which attract sellers from all over Central Asia. Their elaborate silver jewellery and multi-coloured bowls make for great gifts.
3. A colourful cathedral
One of Almaty’s most famous landmarks, the multi-hued Ascension Cathedral, is situated in Panfilov Park, a popular park for a stroll in the city centre. The landmark building, also known as the Zenkov Cathedral after the person who oversaw its construction, was completed in 1907. Its bell tower and five towers, topped by golden onion domes that glint in the sunlight, are decorated in a rainbow of colours, and it is one of the world’s tallest wooden buildings. It was built entirely from wood, including the nails, a fact which may have helped it survive the devastating earthquake which destroyed most of the city in 1911. East of the cathedral is a grandiose World War Two memorial which commemorates 28 soldiers from Central Asia who died defending Moscow in 1941, although this story was later shown to be war-time propaganda.
4. The Green Bazaar
This sprawling market is a little world of its own within the city. Apart from fresh produce, you’ll find everything under the sun here. While many parts of Almaty feel quite European, the Green Bazaar transports you to Central Asia, with the aromas of grilling meat, exotic spices and fresh produce in the air to a backdrop of traders touting their wares. The meat section is not for the squeamish given the various animal parts on display. There are rows of stalls selling only kazy, a smoked horsemeat sausage. Kazakhs love horsemeat – historically, horses played a key role in Kazakhstan as both a means of transport and a source of sustenance. The bazaar is also a great place to buy dried fruits and nuts. Look for the stalls piled high with enticing pyramids of raisins, apricots, walnuts and almonds. Don’t forget to haggle to get the best price.
5. The Golden Quarter
The historic centre of Almaty is known as the Golden Quarter. This is an area of mainly low-rise buildings from pre-Soviet and Soviet times. The pastel-coloured, neo-classical buildings were home to the elite of Soviet-Kazakh society, the writers, composers and politicians. Many buildings have a commemorative plaque to show who once resided there. The house’s green courtyards and the quarter’s tree-lined streets offer welcome shade in summer. Strolling around the Golden Quarter, which is roughly the area between Abay, Zheltoksan, Kunayev and Bogenbai Batyr streets, you’ll come across leafy squares with fountains, trendy terrace bars, cafes and restaurants, designer shops and many of the city’s most notable buildings including the Abay Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Academy of Sciences and the Kazakh-British Technical University – housed in the former parliament building. It’s difficult to get lost, Almaty is built on a grid system and the mountains can always be seen to the south.
6. Almaty through the ages
To find out more about the history of this city from ancient times to the present day, head to the Almaty City Museum. The museum tells the long story of Almaty, whose name means place of apples - the foothills around the city are where the antecedents of the apples we eat today originated from. The museum shows that there were settlements here for many centuries before the Russian colonial outpost of Fort Verny was founded in 1854. The museum’s home is itself an historical monument. This large, one-storey building, constructed from wooden logs, originally opened in 1892 as an orphanage. It later became a government building, then a hospital, and later housed the city’s medical school until 2016, before becoming the main museum for Almaty.
7. The square of Kazakhstan’s national poet
Kazakhstan’s national poet, Abay Kunanbayev, lends his name to the central square that is bordered on the left of his statue by the iconic Kazakhstan Hotel, a 26-storey building topped with a golden crown built in the modernist style of Soviet Brutalism. This landmark hotel is a good mid-level option. To the right is the Arman Cinema with its exterior decorated with bas-reliefs featuring soldiers, cosmonauts and women gathering the harvest. The back of the square is dominated by the Republic Palace, a renovated Soviet-era concert hall and cultural centre. In the summer months, Abay Square hosts frequent cultural events, food festivals and concerts. To the right of the Republic Palace you’ll find the cable car station for Kok Tobe, or Green Hill, a popular recreational spot with some great views over the city and its striking mountain backdrop.
8. The art of Kazakhstan
For a complete overview of the arts scene in Almaty over the last 100 years or so, there’s no better place than the Kasteyev Museum of Arts. The museum was named after Abilkhan Kasteyev, a 20th-century Kazakh painter who was famous for his Socialist Realist paintings depicting scenes such as dams under construction and for his studies of famous Kazakh cultural figures. One section of the museum is dedicated to his work while the rest of the gallery showcases Kazakh art from the 1920s to 1990s and art produced after independence in 1991. The museum also has an extensive collection of decorative and applied art featuring Kazakh carpets, both woven and made from felt, jewellery, embroidery and woodwork.
9. The sound of the Steppe
Kazakhstan has a strong folk music tradition in tune with its nomadic roots. Historically, Kazakhs moved with their flocks as the seasons changed. They had a mainly oral culture and music was a key way of preserving stories and memories. Instruments include the two-stringed dombra, which produces a sound like horses speeding across the vast, grassy steppe, while the kobyz produces more haunting, ethereal melodies. The Musical Instruments Museum, housed in a beautiful wooden building in Panfilov Park and built at the same time as the Zenkov Cathedral, has a splendid collection of traditional Kazakh instruments, including the aforementioned dombra and kobyz alongside selections of wind and percussion instruments. Atmospheric music plays in the background as you tour the exhibits. The museum sometimes organises concerts of traditional music.
10. Eating Almaty
Almaty has a lively food and drink scene, with many of the world’s myriad cuisines represented. To savour the authentic taste of Kazakhstan, Sandyk restaurant (Abylai Khan Avenue) is a must-visit. It serves typical Kazakh fare such as beshbarmak, which translates as “five fingers”, so-called because it’s often eaten by hand. This dish consists of horsemeat sausage, flat strips of pasta and potato cooked in a meat broth. Also try baursak, fried dough balls, kurt, wind-dried yogurt and kumis, fermented mare’s milk. It also serves less well-known Kazakh dishes that you will not find on the menu anywhere else. Kazakhstan is a nation of meat lovers, but most places now offer something for vegetarians and vegans. Georgian cuisine has a number of good options for herbivores, check out Daredzhani, and there’s also a vegan café, Plants Kitchen and Bar.
11. A night at the Opera
As the former capital, Almaty has a number of theatres, the most famous of which is the Abay Opera and Ballet Theatre. This year is the 90th season for this grand opera house, which is beautifully decorated both inside and out. Alongside international favourites such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Aida, Madam Butterfly and Carmen, it also includes a number of operas and ballets by Kazakh composers in its extensive repertoire. The ballet Legend of the Great Steppe and the opera based on the life of Abay, the national poet, are spectacles to look out for, as is Kyz Zhibek, a Kazakh Romeo and Juliet. It’s great value, with ticket prices starting as low as $2. The season runs from September to June.
12. High-end Almaty
For some retail therapy, head to Esentai Mall, a swish shopping experience that features Saks Fifth Avenue and international designer boutiques. The No Mad Gift Studio on the second floor has great, locally-designed clothes and souvenirs. Next door to the mall is Almaty’s tallest building, Esentai Tower, where you’ll find the city’s smartest hotel, the Ritz-Carlton, Almaty. Vista restaurant, on the 30th floor, has stunning views of the city and the snow-capped peaks of the Alatau mountain range. Lunch is the best time to savour some Kazakh cuisine as in the evening, the culinary focus changes to Mediterranean cooking. On the same floor is the Sky Lounge and Bar with its sophisticated array of classic cocktails and a local twist.
13. Fly like an eagle
Hunting with birds of prey has a long history in Kazakhstan. There’s even a golden eagle depicted on Kazakhstan’s flag, testament to the reverence in which these predators are held. Just outside Almaty, on the road to Big Almaty Lake, is the Sunkar Falcon Sanctuary which has a captivating daily show featuring eagles, falcons and vultures in full flight. In the wild it is almost impossible to see these birds of prey, so this is a great opportunity to see them up close. The sanctuary was established to protect endangered raptors, whose numbers plummeted in the 1990s due to poaching and loss of habitat. Sunkar is now home to more than 400 rescue birds. The daily shows support the sanctuary’s vital programmes to breed eagles and falcons to re-introduce into the wild.
14. Head to the hills
No visit to Almaty is complete without a trip to the nearby mountains, they’re around 30-minutes-drive away from the city centre. First stop is Medeu, featuring the world’s highest ice-skating rink. In the winter months, it’s a favourite haunt of Almatinians, who come here to skate and enjoy the dramatic mountain landscape. Skate hire is available. Medeu is also the starting point for the cable car to the ski resort of Shymbulak. All the gear you need can be hired here to test your downhill skills on the slopes. From Shymbulak, a chair lift travels higher into the mountains. In the winter, it takes you to some more testing ski runs and in the summer it gets you into some great hiking country.
15. Taking the waters
After all that exploring, it’s time to unwind in the Arasan bath house complex, an Almaty institution. A recent makeover has seen it reborn as a spruced up Wellness and Spa centre, but you can still enjoy traditional treats such as lying on heated marble slabs in the Turkish hammam and enjoying a vigorous massage, letting off steam in the Russian banya - a beating with a venik made from birch twigs is optional - or visiting the Finnish sauna. Afterwards take a dip in the communal swimming pool to cool off. There are separate areas for men and women. Private sauna rooms with your own plunge pool are also available.