Although I absolutely love Kyrgyzstan, I have to admit: Almaty is cooler than Bishkek. Almaty is what Bishkek could have become, but didn’t. Greed, commercial development and the mayor’s office’s almost manic hatred of greenery have ruined Bishkek. But this article is not about me mourning the Bishkek we lost. It’s about how to spend a few days in Almaty, seeing the mountains, contemporary art, restaurants and panoramic views. Let’s get started.

Where to Stay

The best place to stay is in the Golden Square, Almaty’s prestigious historic and cultural centre, because most of the city’s main attractions are right there.

Look for hotels within the area roughly bordered by Zheltoksan, Abai, Kunaev and Kabanbay Batyr streets, or somewhere nearby.

 

Transport

Almaty traffic jams are the stuff of legends. Since you’ll most likely be staying in the Golden Square, walking is a very convenient option. Almaty also has one — yes, one and only one — metro line, which is also very easy to use. You can buy tickets at the metro ticket office, pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay, and even use a Visa bank card. Although this one depends on your bank: one of our cards worked, while another one didn’t.

The city also has a convenient bus and trolleybus network — you can even take a bus into the mountains! Public transport runs very frequently, so apart from rush hour, there is usually no crushing crowd. And there is air conditioning everywhere.

But there is a catch…

Paying for public transport can be surprisingly difficult. You’ll need the Avtobys app, which will send you a verification code either via Telegram or to your phone number. So, if you don’t have Telegram, you are already in Almaty, and your home SIM card can’t receive SMS, congratulations — you’ll have to travel like a fare dodger. Or you can try downloading the ONAY app, which is even more complicated.

And cash? Nope. Cash is not accepted on public transport at all.

Of course, there are taxis. But honestly, what’s the difference — sitting in a traffic jam in a car or sitting in a traffic jam on a bus?

What to See in Almaty

City Centre and Summer Terraces

I really like the city centre. You can basically just walk around it as if it were one giant attraction. Don’t forget to visit Panfilov pedestrian street, the local Arbat, where you’ll find plenty of installations, live performances and street musicians.

And of course, don’t forget the famous Almaty summer café terraces, or letniki.

Kok-Tobe

Watch the sunset from Kok-Tobe Mountain. There is absolutely no need to suffer and climb up there yourself — the cable cars will take you to the top. You can even buy tickets in advance so you don’t have to queue. And riding the cable car above the city is already an attraction in itself. The mountain is fully equipped for entertainment and is always packed with people.

You can get back down from Kok-Tobe not only by cable car but also by alpine coaster, following these winding illuminated tracks. I have no idea how safe it is, but judging by the screams coming from people riding it, it is definitely exciting.

Museum of Contemporary Art

The museum was built on some very expensive land right in the city centre by a philanthropist. It is worth visiting at least to see what was apparently important enough to justify taking over such a prime piece of real estate.

Just like at the contemporary art museums in Bishkek (read about them here), I once again understood absolutely nothing — but found everything very interesting.

The museum also hosts exhibitions and video installations by famous (in certain circles) international and local artists.

Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden of Almaty is perfect for a slow, peaceful walk. It broke my heart a little because it showed me what the botanical garden in Bishkek could have looked like if they hadn’t chopped everything down for football fields and strawberry plantations. I am writing this and still can’t believe it.

There is also an Asian-style garden there.

Harry Potter Cafés

For my fellow nerds and simply Harry Potter fans, there are a couple of themed cafés that I obviously could not miss. “Beyond Hogwarts”, dedicated to Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, is located underground near Mukhtar Auezov metro station.

Naturally, it is decorated in the style of the two houses, with a themed dessert menu, background music from the films, and Harry Potter films playing non-stop on the TV. And of course, you can put on wizarding robes and take photos.

But that’s not all. There is a separate café called “Beyond Slytherin”, which has its own two-storey premises. Let me get this straight: Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are squeezed together underground, Ravenclaw doesn’t exist at all, and Slytherin gets its own two-storey building? I know what you are!

Anyway, this café is also decorated in the Harry Potter style. Moaning Myrtle is sitting in the toilet, and when you walk in, you can actually hear her voice! But the real good stuff, girls, is waiting downstairs. There is an entire room dedicated to the Death Eaters — Voldemort and the Malfoy family.

At the entrance, Voldemort himself greeted us, who had apparently… undergone a gender transition? I have no idea what was going through the creators’ heads, but I am grateful to them. And don’t forget to try the chocolate magic wands and Golden Snitches!

By the way, you can also read my guide to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, my guide to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, where you can also see film sets, and even my piece about the themed Harry Potter shop on Broadway.

Church

Like any self-respecting atheist, I love churches. Almaty’s Ascension Cathedral (1907) really is beautiful. It is also one of the tallest wooden churches in the world and has successfully survived numerous earthquakes. The inside is beautiful too. If you are a woman, you will have to cover your head with a scarf and cover your knees. You can borrow both at the church. Men, by the way, are also not supposed to enter in shorts. But the security guards don’t seem particularly bothered by them — all the complaints are directed at women. Are you surprised? I’m not.

Bars and Restaurants

After spiritually enriching yourself at a Harry Potter café and a church, it is time for some alcoholic enrichment. Near the church, we were recommended a restaurant called “Maryina Roshcha”, styled as a pre-revolutionary Russian merchant estate. Beautiful and ridiculously luxurious.

In the evening, you can do a little bar crawl along Furmanov Street, where all the local young people gather at weekends — and where the police also tend to hang around (not without reason).

Walk around a little and look for a drag queen show — they take place daily. I’m not going to give away the location, but they’re not difficult to find.

Shymbulak

The easiest possible mountain trip. Kazakhstan has almost no mountains. For that, come to Kyrgyzstan. Everything that Kazakhstan does have is conveniently located near Almaty. The Shymbulak (Chimbulak) ski resort operates year-round. It is located next to Medeu skating rink, once the largest high-altitude skating rink in the world. Buses to Shymbulak run directly from the city centre, which is very convenient.

Once you reach the cable car station, you can buy one-way or return tickets, and choose between an enclosed cabin or an open one. The cable cars stop at several stations, and each one has restaurants, little shops and toilets.

You can even rent an alpine cabin and spend some time in the mountains. But — if you’re visiting outside winter, don’t ski, or simply don’t enjoy suffering your way through kilometres of hiking, there isn’t actually that much space for walking around. It’s better suited to lazy relaxation on a terrace with a panoramic view. For proper walks and nature, go to Ala-Archa outside Bishkek.

Kolsai

Yes, as I said above, Kazakhstan has almost no mountains. For mountains, come over to us in Kyrgyzstan. But if you really want to, you can take a day trip from Almaty to Kolsai Lake. First, they will take you to admire this “black” canyon. What exactly there is to admire, I have no idea. Then you’ll arrive at Kolsai, a mountain lake in the Tian Shan mountains. If you cross those mountains, you can eventually get to Karakol, Kyrgyzstan (wrote about it here). Don’t do this. It’s difficult, unsafe and illegal.

Kolsai looks very similar to Sary-Chelek, only much more developed for visitors — there are walking paths, boats, a panoramic restaurant and so on. In my opinion, Sary-Chelek in Kyrgyzstan is much more beautiful, but it is also wilder and considerably harder to reach.

From Kolsai, you can walk to Kaindy, a sunken birch and spruce forest. The lake was formed after an earthquake caused a landslide that blocked the valley and flooded the forest. The water essentially “preserved” the tree trunks, and they are still standing there, motionless. The walk to Kaindy takes about an hour uphill. But if that sounds too exhausting, you can rent a horse there.

So, that’s how you can spend 2–3 days in Almaty. And I haven’t even mentioned the zoo, the Mir Fantaziy amusement park, or the many other museums and attractions.

You can also read my guides to Kyrgyzstan and Bishkek: