Almaty is the former capital of Kazakhstan with a very interesting history. This area is located on the Silk Road and thus reached its heyday in the 10th to 14th centuries. Because of its position, it had been destroyed by frequent earthquakes, so there is no historical monument. Still, Almaty is a specific city that has something to offer.
Almaty became the capital of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Kazakhstan in the 20th century and the city industry was focused on war production. The town began to grow rapidly during the Soviet era and after the fall of communism in 1991, it remained the capital for only a few years. Astana became the new capital in 1997 and is currently experiencing a construction boom.
National Museum Building
The main reason for this change was its unsuitable position. Almaty was too close to the border with unstable Kyrgyzstan. Nevertheless, Almaty still holds the first place in its size and is known as a cultural and scientific center of Kazakhstan. Currently, the city struggles with overpopulation. The president hasn’t allowed expanding the city with new buildings yet because Almaty is located near the national park with a large number of protected species of plants and animals.
One of the largest wooden churches in the world
The first thing you notice in Almaty is a nice local atmosphere. You often have no idea if you are in a European or Asian city. Residents are quite multicultural even when they aren’t used to tourists. Yet they are very warm and friendly. Most of the population speaks both Kazakh and Russian and among the residents, you will find as many Asians as well as a lot of Russians.
Inside the building of the Academy of Sciences – the entrance hall has incredible acoustics
Another thing that you notice when you arrive in town, they are the tip of the highest peaks, which creates a truly amazing panorama of the whole city. There are various shops and cafés at every corner. As for the food, Almaty offers a varied cuisine. We tasted lots of local goodies, despite popular restaurants, where they make the best “shashlik” after the horse steaks. We must admit that we really enjoyed food in Almaty.
Excellent horse steak with french fries in the Aurora restaurant
Excellent local cafeteria Kaganat, which we enjoyed very much
Get around the city with a local guide
As a local guide always provides the best tour of the city, we decided to use Smart Tourism Center company which provides guided tours of the city and the surrounding area with qualified guides. The company offers many services ranging from guided trips around the town or up to the mountains. It also offers a tour of the city that can be completely free. You can download the app to your mobile phone (iOS or Android), which will take you to interesting places and you can listen/read the commentary.
With our friendly guide
We decided to go through the city with a guide and we were excited. With our own tour guide, we immediately felt as if we were walking around the city with our old friend. We learned a lot about the city’s history, but also about the life of Kazakhs.
Tom, wish something, maybe it will happened one day
Ski resort Shymbulak
If you come to Almaty, do not miss a visit to the local mountains. We had in April still a lot of snow, so the most interesting places for us was inaccessible. Even so, we decided to go to the ski resort of Shymbulak, where is also the famous Medeu high-speed stadium. You can reach the ski area directly by public transport and it is fun to watch local Kazakhs as they board a bus with ski equipment. We reached the top by two cable cars. Even in April, there was really a lot of snow and in the sun 15°C. For lovers of skiing a perfect idyll.
Ski resort Shymbulak
Tom enjoys local beer
If you decide to visit Almaty, we recommend that you stay at the D’Rami Hotel, which is right in the city center. The small hotel offers beautiful and clean rooms at unbeatable prices. We were very satisfied. Our review of Hotel D’Rami
Mobile apps that can be useful
In Almaty or in other post-Soviet republics, you’ll certainly find some helpful mobile apps that work on both iOS and Android. It can help you with orientation and transportation around the city. Here is their list:
- izi. TRAVEL – The application allows you to download an offline city guide. The guides are always prepared by local travel agencies. We used this app in both Almaty and Astana. Android app store iOS app store
- Yandex Taxi – Uber competition, simply select the destination on the map and then you’ll see the price. You pay cash directly to the driver and the final price may vary by max. 10 KZT. The application will obviously need to have an Internet connection, but just use the free WiFi at the airport and you won’t need to haggle with the local taxi drivers. Android app store iOS app store
- 2GIS – Offline maps that specialize in post-Communist countries, and there are lots of points of interest in maps, making it even easier to navigate around the city. The best is offline navigation using public transport, including transfers. This has saved us a lot of money and nerves in Almaty and also in Astana. Android app store iOS app store
Thanks to Center Smart Tourism for supporting us during our visit in Almaty. All our opinions are based on our own experience.
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Beautiful city, beautiful photos! I once was in Alma-Ata, I really liked it.
Thank you!