Almaty Cable Cars, Museums and Mountain Lifts

Paid attractions in Almaty come in two flavours: lifts that take you up toward the Tian Shan and museums down in the city. This page lists each one with the numbers you need at the ticket window. All prices are in Kazakh tenge (KZT), about 470 to 490 per US dollar in 2026.

Lifts and hilltops

Shymbulak ropeways

  • Route: Medeu base, then the gondola, Combi-1 and Combi-2, up to about 3,200 m.
  • Full “Shymbulak Ticket”, adult: 12,000 KZT return, 7,000 KZT one way.
  • Child aged 6 to 14: 4,000 KZT return. Under 6: free.
  • Buying only Combi-1 plus Combi-2 at the Shymbulak station: 7,000 KZT adult, 3,000 KZT child, return.
  • The KKD-4 chairlift costs 6,000 KZT on top, or 15,000 KZT for the extended ticket.
  • Peak tariff runs 25 December to 11 January. Low season is roughly 30 percent cheaper.
  • Closures: lifts stop for maintenance in April and again from mid-October to about 1 November, and the access road into the Shymbulak gorge closes from 24 July to 30 November 2026. The resort page at shymbulak.com shows current status.

Kok-Tobe cable car

  • Length: 1,620 m, with 17 new cabins. Lower stations: Dostyk Avenue 104B and Omarova Street 41 (koktobe.com ).
  • Adult return about 10,000 KZT, one way about 6,000 KZT. Child aged 6 to 12 about 5,000 KZT return. The park itself charges no entry.
  • A Fast Coaster costs about 7,000 KZT for an adult and the Ferris wheel about 4,000 KZT.
  • The TV tower is shut to the public, so there is no deck to climb.

Museums

Central State Museum of Kazakhstan

  • Where: Samal-1 microdistrict, building 44. Hours 09:00 to 18:00, last tickets 17:30. Tuesday is the day off.
  • Foreign visitors: 5,000 KZT for every hall alone, or 10,000 KZT with an overview tour in English, Kazakh or Russian.
  • Adult rate for halls 1 to 4: 1,500 KZT. The Gold Collection hall (Saka gold and the Golden Man story) is 1,500 KZT with a guided tour, and the Golden Horde hall is 2,000 KZT.
  • Published tariffs are at csmrk.kz .

Kasteyev State Museum of Arts

  • Where: Koktem-3 microdistrict, 22/1. Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, tills close at 17:30.
  • Shut on Mondays and on the last day of every month.
  • Adults about 2,000 KZT, foreign adults about 5,000 KZT, students and pensioners about 1,000 KZT, schoolchildren about 500 KZT. Reopened after reconstruction, so confirm before travelling.

Ykylas Museum of Folk Musical Instruments

  • Where: Zenkov Street 24a, open Tuesday to Sunday. Adults about 1,000 KZT, students 500 KZT, pensioners 300 KZT, children free. Hours differ by listing, so check them.

Ayusai gorge

The Ayusai visitor centre is a separate stop inside the Ile-Alatau park, roughly 30 minutes from the centre on the way to the Big Almaty Gorge. A 2025 listing gave the eco-post fee as 506 KZT. A walk to three waterfalls is around 8 to 10 km return, or 2 to 3 hours. It is not the checkpoint for Big Almaty Lake.

Tips

  • Foreign tariffs at state museums are higher than local ones, so budget for that.
  • Mountain lifts are weather and maintenance dependent: check status the day before.
  • Keep to marked trails and carry your original passport on mountain days, as avalanche and rockfall risk is real.

Read more: city landmarks are covered in sightseeing in Almaty , and children’s prices in family days out . Tickets and guided visits are listed on GetYourGuide .