Almaty is Kazakhstan’s biggest city but not its capital, which is Astana, some 1,200 km away. The city’s main sights are spread over a handful of flat districts, with a museum or two in outlying neighbourhoods. Budget about two days for the core. Prices are in tenge (KZT), at about 470 to 490 per US dollar in 2026. Ten sights, in rough order of priority Zenkov Cathedral (Ascension Cathedral). A single timber church, 56 m high, completed between 1904 and 1907 to Andrei Zenkov’s plans and restored in 2017 to 2020.

Almaty is a walker’s city in its central grid: boulevards are wide, trees give shade and narrow aryk channels carry water along the kerbs. When you lose your bearings, remember that the mountains lie to the south, so uphill is south. This page gives five walking stops and a few tips for each season. Money is in tenge (KZT), about 470 to 490 per US dollar in 2026. Five walking stops Arbat, the pedestrian Zhibek Zholy Car-free and lined with cafes, the Arbat is where street musicians perform and portrait artists draw visitors.

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.

Travelling to Almaty with children works best when you pair one big outing a day with a calm stop nearby. Kids’ tickets are cheap and the youngest ride free in most places. All prices are in tenge (KZT), about 470 to 490 per US dollar in 2026. Day plan ideas Hill-top fun at Kok-Tobe. Take the cableway, a ride of roughly 6 minutes, from Dostyk Avenue 104B or Omarova Street 41 (official site ).

Almaty is a modest romantic destination, and its pleasures are simple: a view at dusk, a warm bathhouse, an overnight in the mountains and a stroll on a car-free street. Plan it as a short list of good evenings. Prices are in tenge (KZT), about 470 to 490 per US dollar in 2026. Four ideas that work 1. Watch the sunset from Kok-Tobe Ride the 1,620 m cableway up from Dostyk Avenue 104B or Omarova Street 41 (koktobe.

Almaty sits where the Tian Shan foothills meet the steppe, so one-day outings run in two directions: up into the gorges to the south and east, or out across open country to canyons and rock art. Below, the options are ordered from nearest to farthest. Costs are in tenge (KZT), about 470 to 490 per US dollar in 2026, and cash is the safest way to pay at gates. Nearest: Medeu and Shymbulak Bus 12 from the Almaty-2 railway station runs along Dostyk Avenue to the Medeu dam and the lower cable-car station.