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I just spent almost a month in Almaty, and I fell in love with this beautiful, safe, pleasant and green city.
At first, I thought I had too much time in Almaty. I had allocated myself 3 months for Central Asia and booked my exit flight from Almaty. My trip around Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan took slightly less time than I expected, and then I HAD to leave Kyrgyzstan because my 30-day visa-free stay was up.
So when I arrived in Almaty, I had almost a month until my exit flight. Was it too long? Would I get bored?
The answer was no! I ended up taking a side quest to Aktau and Mangystau, but feeling excited to return to Almaty. As a remote worker, I got into my routines and felt quite at home there.
I did a few day trips and one overnight trip, but I didn’t take any other major trips, such as to the capital, Astana. Perhaps I should have but Kazakhstan is just SO big, requiring either flights or long train rides. After 2 months of moving every few days, I valued staying put and getting to know Almaty.
Reasons why I think Almaty is great!
After several weeks exploring this city of 1.7 million, here are my highlights and why I think you should visit…
It’s super safe
As a solo female traveller, one thing I loved about Almaty is how safe it feels. It’s no illusion: crime rates are incredibly low. I didn’t hear of any travellers experiencing theft or petty crime.
I walked around the city and never ran into dodgy neighbourhoods (as can often happen with a wrong turn or two just about anywhere in the Americas). I also walked at night without problems. The city centre is lively and bustling after dark with live music and street markets, especially at weekends. Quieter residential areas also feel tranquil.
As a woman, I didn’t encounter catcalling or harassment like in many other destinations I’ve been, or the pressure to buy things.
Beyond Almaty, I found other cities in Kazakhstan and Central Asia equally safe.
Related reading: my solo female travel guides to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Fantastic cafe culture
Around Central Asia, I was impressed with the coffee culture. In cities and larger towns such as Tashkent, Bishkek, Osh and Karakol, I found fantastic coffee shops.
What impressed me was the menus and range of drinks they offer. In the UK, you can barely find my favourite cold coffee drink, an espresso tonic, but in Central Asia you can get a melon almond coffee tonic!
Where there’s speciality coffee, there’s also brunch. Sometimes I am embarrassed about how much I love a basic B brunch like avocado toast. But, hey, it’s healthy, which is more than you can say for much of the food in Central Asia.
I digress. Some of my favourite cafes in Almaty are:
- Quiet and cosy: Munch and Jel are both great places to relax or read with characterful interiors
- Fun and hipster: you can’t beat Coffee Roots for a lively atmosphere
- Best baked goods: Fika and Six are unrivalled! The crème brûlée croissant at Six must be studied.
- For brunch: for food AND coffee, Nedelka, Jump-in-Goat and Vanilla на Кунаева are quality options.
Easy day trips into nature
Almaty is surrounded by beautiful nature that can be easily accessed.
My favourite day trip was to Big Almaty Lake. When I visited, it was a beautiful milky blue colour, but it shifts to bright turquoise depending on the season and volume of rock particles deposited by nearby glaciers. Hiking there is straightforward because you follow a huge water pipe the whole way. You can’t get lost!
Buses access this region but, since it’s a long uphill hike from the bus stop, I recommend taking a Yandex to Edelweiss Cafe, where the pipeline trail begins. The taxi costs around $12 (I split this with a friend) and that was our only cost for the day, as we took a bus back to the city following a quick hitchhike. You can call a taxi instead by walking down until you get phone signal.
Another excellent excursion is to Shymbulak Mountain Resort at 2260m above sea level. From Almaty, take bus number 12 to the base of Medeu Cable Car Station and ride to the top. From here, you can take a short hike to the mountain top and reward yourself with food and coffee at one of the cafes.
Diversity of natural landscales nearby
Linking to my last point, it wasn’t just the access to nature that impressed me when visiting Almaty; it was the sheer contrast between the wild landscapes. I took an overnight excursion to Kolsay Lake, Kaindy Lake and Charyn Canyon; all strikingly different.
On the second day of the tour, we visited Kaindy Lake in the morning and Charyn Canyon in the afternoon. I couldn’t believe how we’d gone from an alpine lake to an arid canyon in just a few hours of driving. I need a geologist to explain it to me!
This is the tour I took. The yurt accommodation is comfy, the meals were hearty, and the guide was friendly and helpful. You can do day trips but this would be so rushed so I don’t recommend it (and I believe Kaindy Lake isn’t included).
Great restaurants for typical dishes in upmarket surroundings
In some countries I’ve visited, eating the local food means rubbing shoulders with the locals and perching on a red stool to devour street food. Honestly, this is my main hobby in life (apart from eating brunch, of course), but I know it’s not for everyone.
Kazakhstan has a developing middle class, and they want you to know it. There’s no shortage of fancy malls and upscale restaurants. Navat has a few restaurants across the city, each with unique decor influenced by Kazakhstan’s nomadic traditions and handicrafts.
You’ll find every Kazakh dish on the menu, including their famed horse meat. This won’t be for everyone (it’s not for me!), but some travellers will want to try it. Although vegetarians will have fewer options, there are a few, such as fried aubergine with sweet chilli sauce (I love this!), salads and soups.
Read next: where to eat and drink coffee in Almaty
The Soviet spa
This is such a unique place and a real ‘experience’ to visit. I went several times during my month in Almaty.
Arasan Wellness & Spa in central Almaty has been open since 1982. The decadent decor is typical of Soviet architecture (for public spaces, at least) and a true sight to behold. Inside, you have Nordic and Eastern-style baths comprising saunas and steam rooms, plus a pool and massage areas.
Most guests are nude within most areas of Arasan (though no one will stop you from wearing a costume if you feel more comfortable) so no photos are allowed. Areas are split by gender. In the (very grand) cafe, people wear their towels.
You’ll pay to hire towels and rubber shoes, so bring your own if you have. To swim, you must buy a cheap plastic cap at reception (around 50c). If you’re feeling adventurous, do what the locals do and buy a giant leaf (veniki) from stands outside and pummel yourself with it in the sauna. When in Rome!
I had a massage at Arasan, which was good but VERY firm. Overall, the whole place is an unusual and memorable experience, adding to the reasons why Almaty is well worth visiting!
Excellent museums and galleries
There are plenty of spaces to learn and feel inspired in Almaty. I visited a few galleries and museums; these were my favourites…
Musical Instruments Museum: I loved this unusual museum dedicated to folk music, a beloved element of ancient Kazakh culture. At this small museum beside Panfilov Park, you can see Kazakh instruments, many carved with animals such as camels and turtles. There are also instruments from other cultures; those from India and Pakistan were particularly stunning.
Abilkhan Kasteev State Art Museum: this huge gallery has two floors and a maze of rooms, packed with local art dating from the 16th century to the modern day. The collection of Soviet art and items is impressive. I spent a good two hours here. Entry for foreigners is 5,000 tenge (around $10)
Almaty Museum of Arts: this new modern art museum is the ultimate contrast to the State Art Museum. In a funky new building, it contains modern art by artists from around the world. Entry is just 2000 tenge (under $5).
Beautiful buildings
Kazakhstan’s history has seen various kingdoms and power struggles, as exhibited in its architecture. The most beautiful building is probably Ascension Cathedral, dating to the early 1900s, when Kazakhstan was under the Russian Empire (before the communist era).
Now it’s more of a tourist attraction than an active place of worship since Kazakhs are predominantly muslim. However, you may see foreign tourists praying in this Orthodox church.
Almaty also has some beautiful buildings dating back to Soviet rule. Although we often envision Soviet architecture as bleak (which may be true for residential buildings), the party used grand public buildings to build trust in the regime, especially in the early era.
Green spaces and walkability
There are plenty of green spaces and children’s play parks in Almaty, creating a relaxed atmosphere. Panfilov Park (home to Ascension Cathedral) is where to wander and people-watch.
In the southwest, the Botanical Gardens are another large green space.
As you can see in the photo above, there are usually flat, well-paved streets to walk on, blocked by the road by trees.
The only downside is that, while you technically CAN walk almost anywhere, Almaty is a large, spread-out city. Sometimes I’d want to go somewhere and see that walking would take an hour and a half!
Luckily, Yandex is affordable: around $3 for a 10-minute journey (more expensive than in Tashkent and Bishkek, but still reasonable), and solo travellers can opt for a shared taxi to keep the costs down. I took a few buses but you need an Onay transport card, unlike the metro where you can tap your bank card. On that note…
Some of the world’s most beautiful metro stations
Although not AS stunning as the metro stations in Tashkent, there are several stations in Almaty worth visiting whether or not you need to take the metro. Like in Tashkent, the designs are inspired by the Soviet era, mixing grand details with patriotic events such as the Space Race.
Auezov Theatre Station (pictured above) is the grandest, but there are several others worth visiting. Baikonur Station is designed to look like a spaceship; a nod to the first person in space being from the Soviet Union.
Despite the design, calling this metro ‘Soviet’ is not entirely accurate, as although construction started in the 1980s, the first station didn’t open until 2011.
As a transport system, I didn’t find the Almaty metro that effective. There’s only one line that doesn’t connect every location in the city, plus the trains don’t arrive super often. But occasionally, it saved me a long walk or paying for a taxi. Simply tap a contactless bank card (or your phone) on entry; rides cost around 120 tenge (25 cents).
Hidden gems – like coffee in an old Soviet printing house
I found that other capitals in Central Asia had a more upscale vibe, whereas Almaty had some cool, quirky corners, too. I loved discovering this old Soviet printing house home to a cafe and a few stores.
I found Hygge Speciality Bar by accidentally walking past, but now I’m sending everyone there. The coffee and matcha drinks are high quality. The store inside is also great, selling items supporting the local orphanage and dog shelter. Do a good deed while getting some cute souvenirs and great coffee!
Tips for visiting Almaty
- To move around the city easily, download the Yandex app (and use the ride-share feature to save money if you’re a solo traveller) and purchase an Onay card with some credit to use the buses, trams and metros (but you don’t strictly need it for the metro as you can use a contactless bank card).
- Check your hotel’s location as it’s a big city so you’ll spend time travelling if you’re far from the attractions you plan to visit. For a decent hostel, I liked the location of Q7 as it was in a quiet suburb but close to excellent cafes and restaurants, and just a 20-minute walk to the centre.
- Note that vegetarian options are limited within Kazakh cuisine but Almaty has some good meat-free restaurants like Green Station, Sacred Kitchen and Govinda’s Veg Cafe. Brunch restaurants will have plenty of egg dishes, and Indian restaurants will always have plenty of choice.
- Be prepared for the seasons as winters are cold with temperatures dropping to -10°C (not as bad as Astana in the north with -30°C lows!) and summers are hot with temperatures reaching 40°C. However, I was there all August and never found it unbearable. It’s a city built for it, unlike the UK, which is horrible when we get similar highs nowadays.
Thanks for reading!
I hope I’ve persuaded you to visit Almaty and given you some inspo regarding what to do here. There’s plenty of English spoken, and lots of foreigners living here, either working as English teachers or for themselves as digital nomads. I can see why: the quality of life is great!
Check out my other blog posts about Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
