Almaty

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Soviet monument

Almaty is the former capital of Kazakhstan.

[edit] Understand

Almaty is the former capital of Kazakhstan, and is still its largest city. Most countries with diplomatic representation in Kazakhstan have moved their embassies to Astana, the new capital, in the past year or two. Some maintain consulates in Almaty.

Almaty is the financial, economic, and cultural center of Central Asia. The city boasts a large tourist, student, and expat community, and includes a diverse citizen base of Kazakhs, Russians, Uzbeks, Germans, Poles, Chinese, and many more.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By air

For people from most countries, the easiest way to get to Kazakhstan is by air. Several airlines have regular flights into Almaty. Lufthansa, KLM, British Airways and Turkish Airlines, to name a few. It's roughly a 7-8 hour flight from Europe. Kazakhstan Airlines is no longer operational, leaving Air Astana the national carrier of the country and operator of most domestic routes. (Air Astana, with a fairly modern fleet of Airbuses and Boeings, also has direct flights from several major European cities, and is a comfortable and reasonably priced alternative to the European airlines.) Visas must be obtained in advance of arrival, as they are no longer available on arrival at the airport, (unless you are arriving from a country that has no consulate, and that type of plane-side visa usually need to be coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at least one week in advance).

[edit] By train

From Russia:

There are many rail connections between Russia and Kazakhstan. Train 8 goes from Moscow to Almaty, and departs from Kazanski Station. The trip takes about 82 hours, with stops in Saratov, Aktobe, Turkistan, and Shymkent on the way.

From Urumqi, China:

The N955 train leaves every Saturday and Monday night (11.58 Beijing time) direct to Almaty. To buy the ticket in Urumqi the office is in a hotel to the right of the main station. Tickets need to purchased a few days in advance and cost just over 500 yuan (about USD62.50). The trip takes 32 hours, six of which are spent clearing Chinese and Kazakh immigration. Taking the bus, or flying, are better options.

[edit] By bus

Buses leave from Urumqi and take 14 hours to get to the border at Korgas, and from the border it's another 12 hours into Almaty. They cost Y106 (about USD13.25).

[edit] Get around

Remember that the mountains outside of town are critical to direction. When someone tells you to head "up," they are telling you to head towards the mountains. When someone tells you to head "down," they are telling you to head away from the mountains.

• Public buses and trolleys can take you around much of the city for affordable prices.
• Marshrutki (Russian: Маршрутки) are small privately owned vans which serve much the same purpose as buses, but at a higher price. But you can stop it as a taxi in any place.
• Taxis come in two types, those with "Taxi" painted on the side, and every other privately owned vehicle. If you want to go somewhere, stand on the curb and stick your arm out. Pretty soon someone will stop. Tell him where you want to go and negotiate a price (somewhere between 200 and 400 tenge (1,5 - 3 US Dollars) is a normal price for a foreigner taking a short trip).

[edit] See

• Alpine park. Outside town, on the road to Chimbulak. Medeu skating rink is on this road too.
• Presidential Palace. You will not be allowed to go inside. Nonetheless, the scenery and architecture is breathtaking. If the guards are out front, it means the President is there.
• National Museum. Opposite to Presidential Palace. Blue-roofed. Features displays on Kazakh history, from prehistoric times through the Mongol periods to the present. 45-minute guided tours available (in Russian only).
• The 28 Panfilov Heroes Memorial Park. Honours the men from Kazakhstan who died on the battlefields of the 2nd World War against Nazi fascism. There is an 'eternal flame' by the war memorial where schoolchildren put flowers on the last day of school, and newlyweds also come to have their photos taken there. In the park is an Orthodox church built in 1870 without a single nail, painted in dollhouse colors with a metallic steeple. You can often hear the beautiful singing coming from inside.
• Old orchards. The orchards give Almaty its name. Ironically, most have been destroyed in recent, ill-thought out building developments, but a few remain.
• Republic Square/New Square. Former administrative center. Since the capital was moved to Astana, this square has been renovated. TV stations occupy some buildings. There are flower gardens. There is also a Kazakh memorial, consisting of a tall statue of the golden boy, an early Kazakh figure, whose name is Altyn Adam, and circled by metal bas relief panels recounting the history of Kazakhstan, from the time of the fierce Amazon-like queen, to independence 10 years ago.
• Arbat. Almaty’s artist row on a tree-lined pedestrian street. "Arbat" - is a nickname of the street. The real is Zhybek-Zholy (Silk road). On the same street you can visit the big mall - TsUM (in Russian - ЦУМ - Центральный Универсальный Магазин)
• Chocolate factory. Tours possible.
• Medeu. The highest olympic sized ice stadium. More than 180 world records were made on this ice. Fun to visit in winter. Tipsy teenagers teeter across the ice, coloured lights and loud pop create a slightly surreal but fun ambiance. There is also a large mountain-water swimming pool just below the ice rink, open in summer. The water is extremely invigorating, about 15 degrees celsius!
• Chimbulak. Ski-resort. Opened from November till April-May. A base for some great hikes. You can hike up to the top to get a great view of the city. Or you can bypass Chimbulak and carry along the road, past the hotel and walk up to the dam and then the glacier. A tough but beautiful walk. Hiking is definitely a highlight here.
• Charyn Canyon. The second largest canyon in the world. Located 200km to the east of Almaty. Recommended for tours more than one day.

[edit] Do

Medeu Ice-skating

• Medeo Ice-skating stadium. Outside town, on the road to Chimbulak. Skate rentals are available.
• Ski or snowboard at Chimbulak ski resort.
• Hike in the mountains, at least when weather is permitting.
• Go to Barakholka, a large vendor-style market, to find name brands (knock-offs) for cheap.
• Panfilov Park, a beautiful park in the center of the city, featuring Soviet-era architecture and Cobor Cathedral, built without a single nail.
• Walk down the hill one block from the main entrance to Panfilov Park and visit the Green Market, an indoor/outdoor labrynth of stalls selling everything from homemade goat cheese or Korean salads to hand-knit woolen mittens and socks and pirated DVDs and CDs. (Wallet in your front pocket, lest the pickpockets relieve you of your hard-earned money.)
• Ride the cable car up to Koktobe for wonderful views of the mountains, vineyards, and Almaty. The cable car leaves from Satpaeva and Dostyk (still sometimes referred to as Lenin street) and costs 600KZT (about $5) one way. Buy souvenirs and have a cup of hot chocolate at a table under the shadow of the now unused TV tower.
• Any number of the city's nightclubs of cafes if you're in the mood for dancing.
• Pack a picnic and drive 2 hours out to the Tamgaly petroglyphs (about 30 kilometers past Copa off the road to Bishkek). The famous "sunman" is worth the drive.
• Drive 3 hours to the famous Charyn canyon and see the gorgeous red and orange sandstone layers.
• The "Singing Dunes" are also not too far - a day trip.

[edit] Buy

• On the Arbat street you will find 'Tsum' (stands for 'Centralniy Universalniy Magasin'). Every post-Soviet town has this department store. It's filled with hundreds of identical little counters selling electronic goods on the first floor, and souvenirs and clothes can be found on the second. There is a good selection of souvenirs.

• The green market, or 'Zelyoni Bazaar' in Russian, has fresh vegetables, dairy products, and meat, as well as a number of non-food household items. Fruit and vegetables are on the lower level. On the upper level you will find dried fruits, nuts, spices, honey and plants, as well as cheese and meat. The meat section includes horse sausages and is a bit challenging to the nose, so vegetarians beware.

• Handmade carpets.

• Felt goods. Handmade dolls, rugs, and slippers made with boiled lambswool and natural dyes.

• Handcrafted metal jewelry, including a "tumar", which is a pendant that opens like a locket.

• One Saturday a month, there is an 'ad hoc' market on Ablai Khan across from the Tsum. Craftsmen from all over Kazakhstan come and sell their wares. It's worth checking out.

• In Almaty there is also a market place called Barakholka, which is 4km long and 10 rows wide and can be seen easily it is a very busy place. You can find virtually anything there, and if the price isn't right, you can easily haggle with the merchants. Want to find a $300 winter coat for about $45? It's possible.

• As the city continues to modernize, stores and brands such as Levi's, Mango, Diesel, and Adidas continue to establish stores in the city.

[edit] Eat

• Korean restaurants. Almaty has a huge diaspora of ethnic Koreans. The ladies sell their salads at the market places around town, and there are several quite good restaurants. One of the more Korean popular restaurants is in the square in front of the entrance to the Exhibition on Temirazova (a few blocks away from the Intercontinental and the new Holiday Inn). You'll often see business men from Samsung and LG here lunching with people from the Korean embassy. Another popular Korean restaurant is a block north of (down from) Aiteki Bi/two blocks east of Park Panfilova in the ground floor of an apartment building. Strange location, but very popular and very clean.
• Georgian restaurants. Feature khachapuri, cheese filled bread, eggplant stuffed with nuts, spinach with nuts, and various savory kababs. Try Tbilisi on Zheltoksan or Pirosmani on Ablai Khan (two blocks down from TsUM). Georgian restaurants are a great place for vegetarians to dine.
• Indian restaurants. One of the more popular Indian restaurants is Namaste, on the corner of Kosmonaft and Satpaeva (about mid-way between the Intercontinental and the Hyatt). Service is very slow, but if you have time the food is pretty good. Govindas is a wonderful Indian restaurant that is entirely vegetarian. The food is really quite good and the atmosphere is, for Almaty, remarkable: it is a NON-SMOKING restaurant!!!
• Pizza restaurants.

- Restaurant chain il Patio / Planet Sushi. Predictably passable pizza and decent sushi in a clean and efficient atmosphere at decent prices. Almost all the sites have non-smoking sections, which is unusual in this town.
- Mama Mia's. On Gogol between Ablai Khan and Panfilova (across from Dastarkhan grocery store). Another pizza restaurant, but with a large assortment of fresh salads (a good place to go when you tire of carrots and potatoes in the winter time). A small, separate non-smoking section. For a change, stop in and order your dishes to go, then walk across the street to Dastarkhan to buy some sodas and pastries for dessert; then walk two blocks east on Gogol and eat in Park Panfilova.
- Venezia. On Dostyk (Lenin) between Satpaeva and Abai. Four pages of choices. The pizza has very good thin crust. The restaurant has two rooms that are designated non-smoking.

• Individual restaurants.
• Tinkoff is a fun restaurant with its own microbrewery on site. It is one of a restaurant chain based in Russia. The Almaty restaurant is on Satpaeva between Kosmonaft and Seifulin, and has an excellent array of beer, even if it's a little costly.
• Turandot is a very cheap and very tasty Chinese eatery with two locations: one on Satpaeva in the theater building (within walking distance of the Hyatt/circus/amusement park) and the other on Ablai Khan just below Makataeva. The one at the theater has an outside cafe during the summer months. Servings are huge, so don't go overboard! There are plenty of vegetarian dishes to choose from, including tofu dishes.
• Tau Dastarkhan. This restaurant is located halfway up to the mountains in a large area made up of "islands" with Kazakh, Russian, Georgian, and Uzbek kitchens. Not to be missed in the summertime. It's as fun to walk around and see the various settings as it is to eat.

AVOID:

• Princess is Chinese restaurant, near the Baths. AVOID this one. Awful service, bad food, eg, two members of my recent five person (Kazakh) party suffered food poisening. A previous evening, food took over an hour to arrive at table and then was not very good.
• Soho. Well, avoid it in the evenings if you would prefer not to eat extremely mediocre food and run into expat men trolling for local young local women in a smoky atmosphere. Lunch isn't bad - a buffet with a nice assortment of breads, soups, salads, and main dishes called a "business lunch" at a reasonable fixed price.
• Mad Murphy's on Tole Bi, unless you're desperate for an Irish pub. The food is predictably mediocre and the bar is thick with smoke and English-speaking expats. Prices are a little steep and you might not get what you think you're going to get. I ordered the tortilla chips, and got two tortillas cut into quarters and deep fried (8 chips) for a bargain price of about $7.

What to eat / what to drink:

• Local food:

"Five fingers", a traditional Kazakh food. "Beshbarmak", a stew with leaves of noodles and pieces of lamb. "Baurzaki", heavy, spongy bread dough cooked in deep fat (similar to a donut, but not sweet). "Plov", a rice dish with meat and carrots or other vegetables. "Shashlik" (Russian: Шашлык) is the most tasty Kazakh food. It is a kebab that is made out of chicken or lamb. Shashlik is not fried, but is grilled over charcoal. Shashlik is popular throughout this part of Central Asia. You can also easily find "donor kabob" at any number of stands through the city. Just be sure to use the stands with the most customers - it is often the best food, and it is freshly prepared.

• beer:

Tien Shan, local brew brewed in a modern factory by German brewmasters - pretty good.
Russian Baltica, numbered from 0 to 9. There's no alcohol in Baltica 0, a lot of it in Baltica 9. Numbers 3 and 5 are quite good and close to what most people are used to.
Be sure to sample Alma-Ata beer, brewed in Almaty.
Two other Kazakhstani beers worth trying are Karaganda and Shymkent. There was a time that Shymkent beer (Zhigulovskaya variety) was one of the best in the Soviet Union. It has a unique flavour, brewed in a factory built by Czechs. Quality may have declined in recent years, however.

• wine:

Try the local variety, a good one can be had for less than $ 4.00 a bottle. (Bebigul is perhaps the most consistently good wine, and it comes in a semidry red or semidry white.) Foreign wines, even Georgian ones, are very costly. Do not drink wine in restaurants, its usually sickly sweet and very expensive. Also, many expensive, imported "wines" sold in stores (even reputable stores) are actually well-made counterfit labels pasted on bottles of red-tinted water, so beware!

• vodka:

Very good vodka at 4-5 $ per bottle - an alcoholic's paradise. In restaurants that do not usually cater to foreigners you get 200(!) cl if you order a vodka, smaller servings not available.
Buy a bottle of Kazakhstan Vodka to take back. It is in a pretty bottle with a picture of Kazakh hunting with a falcon seen through a "window". Try Edil vodka, which is made with the pantacrene of local deer antlers.

• tea:

Tea is widely available, mostly very good and often quite strong. If you are on a budget this is the thing to order with your food. Tea is culturally important in Kazakhstan - "chai" time is one of the most important things a visitor can engage in to learn about the culture.

• coffee:

Don't! Unless you like Nescafe. Exception: Modern coffee houses and western style cafés are appearing in Almaty. They serve good coffee at western prices. Coffee Delia (Kalinina/Furmanova) is very popular with expats and does ok coffee.

• water:

The municipal water is more or less drinkable, with no real nasties, but try to boil it if possible. Bottled water is cheap and easily available. When at restaurants, ask specifically for "Tassay" or "Saragash", very good local bottled waters that are a fifth the price you'll pay for your Perrier or Vita if you simply asked for bottled water.

• supermarkets:

Almaty has many modern supermarkets, offering everything from a bakery section to toiletries to vodka. Any food you could possibly want to find is readily available.

There is a chain called "Gros" (really) that has convenient locations around town and a good selection of drinks and snacks. Ramstore also has at least three locations, but is a bit pricier as it caters to expats willing to spend a lot of money on imported food. The favorite stores among locals are Stolichni (super helpful staff and decent fruits/vegetables year 'round, on corner of Ablai Khan and Kabenbai Batyr), Dasterkhan (excellent baked goods, especially cakes and cookies!!! on Gogol between Ablai Khan and Furmanova), and Silkway City (a few locations).

Of course, if you really want to save money and enjoy an adventure, go to the Green Market and bargain with the old ladies selling Korean salads, apples, eggplants, cheese, honey, and even arucola and rosemary sprigs!

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• Travel agents can help you find an apartment for a single night for about 4000 tenge. Apartments are located downtown, making them ideal for the tourists wanting to see the city. Apartments also come fully furnished with bedding, a kitchen, television, and a fully operational bathroom.
• Hotel Transit, Zheltoksan 12 (just outside the Almaty II train station), +7 3272 330438. USD 7 for 3 hours.
• Gostinitsa, at the international hall of Almaty II train station, +7 3237 604213. It's no Hilton, but the price is right: just USD 2 for a dorm bed with shared bathroom.
• Ulytau, Furmanov 176, +7 3272 619697. Quite a run-down place. USD10 with shared bath, USD 30 with private bathroom.
• Miras, 65 A Baitursynov at Kabanbai batyr, +7 3272 927077. Singles 2900 tenge, doubles 4800 tenge.

[edit] Mid-range

• Hotel Almaty, 85 Kabanbai Batur str, +7 3272 720070. Doubles from USD 55.

• Hotel Kazakhstan, Dostyk ave 52, +7 3272 582270. Almaty's tallest building, a Soviet-style hotel from 1977. Singles from 11600 tenge, doubles from 19800 tenge. Breakfast included.

• Kazzhol[1] Gogol 127/1 (between Nauryzbat Batyr and Seyfullin), +7 3272 508941. Modest hotel that caters to the business traveler and tourists. Customer service is very good and English is spoken. Singles from 7900 tenge, doubles from 9900.

• Grand Aicer [2], 1 Pozharskogo str, +7 3272 503350. Good-looking hotel. Relatively new and "fresh" (opened in 2003). Singles from 15000 tenge. Doubles around 19000.

[edit] Splurge

• Hotel Dostyk[3], 162 Furmanov Street, +7 3272 582270, email:reservation@dostyk.kz. Big old and well maintained hotel in the center of the city - a classy if not cheap location. Double rooms 27300 tenge, including an excellent breakfast.

• Hyatt Regency Almaty [4], Akademik Satpaev Avenue 29/6, +7 327 2501234, email: almaty.regency@hyattintl.com. Top end hotel with a very good health club. Slightly isolated though, you will need a taxi to go downtown. Singles/doubles from 46000 tenge.

• InterContinental Almaty[5], 181 Zheltoksan Street, +7 3272 505000. Formerly known as the Regent Almaty, this is a fancy hotel located just west of the Republic Square. It offers most of what you'd expect from a luxury hotel, including free pick-up at the airport for international visitors. Singles/doubles from 46000 tenge.

[edit] Get out

Nearby Chimbulak is a skiing village. There are a number of ski resorts in the area.

There are the gorgeous Tian-Shan mountains and lakes around Almaty, the most famous of which is the beautiful Big Almaty Lake.

There is a nearby desert park with a giant canyon (Charyn Canyon), although it does not approach the Grand Canyon in size. It also has petroglyphs and waterfalls.

If travelers have several days to spend (and are craving a beach experience), Lake Balkhash, the largest lake in the nation, can be reached by bus within 12 hours or private car within 8 hours. Lake Balkhash is half fresh (the eastern half where the river enters from China) and half salt (the western half). There are a couple of 2-star hotels in the village of Balkhash, which is the half-way point between Almaty and Astana if you want to drive 800 km instead of flying or taking the train.

The Tamgaly petroglyphs, a UNESCO site, are about 2-1/2 hours away by car (on the road to Bishkek). The petroglyphs range from ancient (3,000 years) to "modern" (75 years), and feature pictures of the Sunman and hunting nomad tribes. There are also several grave sites. Not to be missed in the spring, summer, or fall, but watch out for snakes when it's hot!

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, is a 3-1/2 hour drive away on the best highway in Kazakhstan (pot holes are rare and you can keep a 100km pace easily after leaving the Almaty oblast, but watch out for crazy oncoming passers). It is definitely worth the drive if you have a day or so to spend. You'll wind along the foot of the Tien Shan range through incredible landscape created by young volcanoes. Most of the "local" felt goods and rugs sold in Almaty come from tribes in Kyrgyzstan, and can be bought for a quarter of the cost in Kyrgyzstan. Make it into a two-day excursion and stop at Tamgaly petroglyphs on the way from or the return trip to Almaty.

[edit] Money

As of 1 March 2007, $1 equals about 125 tenge and 1 Euro is about 163 tenge. As a comparison: a Snickers bar is 60 tenge; a can of Coke is 55 tenge; a cheese pizza at il Patio is about 800 tenge; a cinema ticket for a movie is about 850 tenge; a small trip about 10 minutes in length in a taxi - 300-400 tenge.

WikiPedia:Almaty

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