By air
Almaty (ALA), ~15 km from the centre
East Asia · Kazakhstan
Almaty, Kazakhstan
A leafy city under the Tian Shan
Getting there
Best time to visit
April to June and September to October; winter for skiing at Shymbulak
Don't miss
Zenkov Cathedral
Panfilov Park
Green Bazaar
Kok Tobe
Medeu
Shymbulak
Big Almaty Lake
Central State Museum
Things to do
The cable car to Kok Tobe
Skating at Medeu
The Green Bazaar
Zenkov Cathedral
A day in the Big Almaty Lake valley
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Stomac · CC BY 3.0
What to pack
Layers for mountain weather, walking shoes, sunglasses, cash for the bazaar
A quieter corner
The Arasan Baths, a Soviet-era bathhouse complex still in daily use near Panfilov Park
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Almaty?
April to June and September to October; winter for skiing at Shymbulak. What to pack: Layers for mountain weather, walking shoes, sunglasses, cash for the bazaar.
How do I get to Almaty?
Fly into Almaty (ALA), ~15 km from the centre.
What is there to do in Almaty?
The cable car to Kok Tobe, skating at Medeu, the Green Bazaar, Zenkov Cathedral, a day in the Big Almaty Lake valley. A quieter find: The Arasan Baths, a Soviet-era bathhouse complex still in daily use near Panfilov Park.
What should I eat in Almaty?
Beshbarmak, plov, shashlik, laghman noodles, baursak bread, kumis and shubat.
About Almaty
- Mountains
Where it is
Almaty is the largest city of Kazakhstan, in the far southeast of the country at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau range of the Tian Shan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan.
History
A Russian fort founded in the mid-nineteenth century on the site of older Silk Road settlements, Almaty served as the capital of Soviet and then independent Kazakhstan until the government moved to Astana in the 1990s. It remains the country's cultural and commercial heart, famous for its apples, its tree-lined streets and the mountains that rise straight from its southern suburbs.
People
Kazakh and Russian are both everyday languages in a cosmopolitan city of Kazakhs, Russians, Uyghurs, Koreans and many others; hospitality is generous and tea with every meal is the rule.
Known for
- Mountains at the city's edge
- Zenkov Cathedral
- The Green Bazaar
- Medeu ice rink
Did you know?
The city's old name, Alma-Ata, is often read as father of apples, and wild apple forests still grow in the hills nearby.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.