At the end of a recent trip to Bishkek for training, I decided to hop across the border to Almaty, Kazakhstan, to explore the city, do some sightseeing, and of course, eat me some Burger King.
Almaty was the capital of the Kazakh SSR and of Kazakhstan until 1997, and is still more than double the size of the next largest city. With air connections to most of Europe and Asia on a variety of major airlines, it’s a great first stop for most on their Central Asian adventures.
Almaty is located in the very southeast corner of Kazakhstan, just a short drive from Bishkek. It’s built on a slope against some amazing mountains, so all the roads slope down as you go north and as you go west, which will make running the Almaty Marathon VERY interesting in April!
I arrived on Friday and left on Sunday. My first stop was Thai, which is the only Thai restaurant in Central Asia. My meal of Pad Thai and a beer cost 4,500 KZT (about 1000 KGS – which is BRUTALLY expensive by our standards), and wasn’t all that great. Then again, I was also just really happy to get to eat Thai food again after 9 months without it. But this is a good thing to remember – Almaty has “America Prices” as we call them. In fact, Almaty is said to be one of the 50 most expensive cities in the world for expats.
To save money, I only ate at local canteens for the rest of my trip (500-1500 KZT per person per meal), save for my final dinner, where I treated myself to a “Krispichicken Kombo” at Burger King (940 KZT). It was all chemicals and it was SO good.
That all being said, if you want to eat fancy or international, you can! There’s fantastic Italian options, as well as Chinese and many other cuisines, but again, “America Prices” are the rule of thumb.
After food, I took a long walk to see the former government buildings of Kazakhstan, which now are offices and museums. They take up a beautiful area in the central part of Almaty. I didn’t feel up to going into the museums, but you can still feel this city’s history as a major capital through the majestic exteriors of these buildings.
Saturday, I wanted to focus on being a tourist. Almaty isn’t really a big tourist destination – you can comfortably see all the sights in a single day – but there’s still some great sights to see. My first stop was a walk through some of the parks, eventually ending up at Tsum, the “Central Universal Market.” Every major city in the former Soviet Union has one, but it’s interesting to compare the one in Dushanbe, which had stalls for electronics, strollers, and some old office furniture, with the one in Osh which is abandoned, with the one in Bishkek which has a real Samsung store, to the one in Almaty which is now primarily occupied by a Zara and a Gap.
From Tsum, I walked one of the main shopping streets to get to the park where Ascension Cathedral is located. This cathedral was built in 1907, survived a massive earthquake in 1911, and today is one of the only wooden cathedrals in the world (another is located in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan). The dazzling colors are reminiscent of Saint Basil’s in Moscow, albeit more focused on yellow rather than red.
My main tourist activity, and by far the highlight of my trip, was the Medeo. The Medeo is an outdoor stadium that was built way up in the mountains above Almaty (near the Shymbulak Ski Resort, which is worth spending a day at if you have the time and the money). It has a long-track speed skating oval, with the middle filled in with ice. It is used for speed skating (including major international competitions), as well as a sport called Bandy, which is like hockey played on a soccer field-sized ice sheet. It’s MASSIVE, and its setting is equally awesome. When it’s not hosting events, I swear half of Almaty shows up every day to go ice skating. All over Almaty, there are signs for skate rental (probably because it costs 1800 KGT at the Medeo itself), hinting at the popularity. It was slated to be a venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics if Almaty were selected.
Well, it’s really too bad Almaty didn’t get the 2022 Olympics, because Almaty truly feels like a Winter Olympics host city. It’s a difficult quality to describe, but I’m really looking forward to visiting again during the 2017 Winter University Games that will be there a year from now.
Anyway, I took my skates along with me and climbed the Medeo Dam to take a few photos (the staircase is long, and my legs were sore for DAYS after, but it was worth it), then I hit the ice. If you’re used to an Olympic size ice rink (200 feet by 100 feet), then you will have no idea how to handle a rink this big. It’s literally the size of a 400m track, with a football field in the middle. You can skate and skate and skate and skate and never come close to a wall.
It’s HUGE. It’s cold. And it’s so much fun.
I skated, then did some tricks, then grabbed my phone to have a bit more fun, doing silly things like taking photos while I was in the middle of spins and such.
Almaty is a fun place, the classic feel of a Central Asian city combined with some of the comforts of the US like Starbucks, KFC, and Burger King. And, if you happen to be on your way in or out of Central Asia, a layover there could be a fun way to start or end your trip!
Getting There
Kazakhstan does not require a visa for American tourists (yay!), so getting there is as easy as flying to the airport (British, Lufthansa, and many other respected airlines fly to Almaty, and you can also fly Kazakhstan’s national carrier Air Astana, which has an excellent safety record and flawless customer service) and taking a taxi into town (just remember to always agree on a price before you get in – I’ve heard stories of people being ripped off by hundreds of dollars with the Almaty airport).
From Bishkek, marshrutkas leave every hour, and you can also find taxis, all for the standard price of 400 KGS or about 1300 KZT.
When entering Kazakhstan, you will be required to fill out a migration card, which you MUST NOT LOSE! Be sure to double check the requirements for registration before you arrive, as many foreigners must register with local authorities when they arrive (your hotel may be able to assist you with this) – this is standard in most of the former USSR.
Getting Around
Word of warning: Almaty is YOOOOGE (picture that in a Donald Trump voice). Seriously, this city sprawls like LA. The main bus station is in the heart of the city… and is STILL a full 10km from the tourist sites and many hotels. A rental car could be extremely useful here, but if you wish to take public transportation, it is very easy to use. Download an app called 2GIS, download the Almaty city map, and you can look up all kinds of businesses, and which buses to take between each of them. Buses cost 80 KZT and you pay the driver as you board when paying with cash (use exact change!). Buses run from 6am until 11pm. Be sure to leave flex time for traffic! Also note that the bus #12 to the Medeo is 120 KZT, not 80 KZT.
I don’t recommend taxis, as they are all “negotiate before you get in” and none are marked on the outside, so it’s very difficult to use them unless you’re comfortable in local language and know what you’re doing.
Where To Stay
Almaty is EX-PEN-SIVE. There’s lots of good hotels and hostels that you can find through reputable websites. While I didn’t stay there, I was very impressed by the Hotel Kazakhstan, but there are outposts of most major hotel groups as well as smaller local places and many hostels. Many of my friends have had awesome experiences with AirBNB in Almaty as well.
Language and Culture
Kazakhstan uses both Russian and Kazakh language, but in Almaty, Russian is very often a must. English is being spoken more and more as an international language and with tourists, but you’ll find that when it comes to taxis and in many establishments that Russian is very useful. Luckily, many establishments have English signs now.