Almaty

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Almaty skyline viewed from the park at golden hour with mountains behind.

Almaty is Kazakhstan's biggest city, set against the mountains with a lively café life, green parks and a more European feel than most of the country.

The place

Almaty is a city of about 2.2 million people at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains in southern Kazakhstan, close to the Kyrgyz border. It sits at roughly 900 metres, so the air feels crisper than on the flat steppe to the north. Two rivers, the Big Almaty and the Small Almaty, come down from the hills and shape the streets, which tend to be wide and lined with trees.

The city was founded in 1854 and served as the national capital in the Soviet years and for a short period after independence. The government then moved to Astana, but Almaty kept its place as the commercial and cultural centre. Its character today owes a lot to outdoor cafés, pedestrian streets and public green space, which gives it a softer, more continental mood than the capital in the north.

Music and theatre run deep here. The city holds the UNESCO Creative City of Music title, and it has hosted major winter sporting events. It was also a serious candidate for the Winter Olympics before losing to Beijing. Expect a busy, traffic-heavy centre, a few crowded markets and plenty of space to walk in the parks at the edge of town.

Its story

The first farming and cattle-raising communities settled in this part of the Ili valley during the Bronze Age, and the surrounding land later passed to the Saka and Wusun tribes. Their legacy survives mainly in burial mounds, some of them very large, built for chiefs and their households. Archaeologists have recovered gold and bronze objects from these sites, most famously the Golden Man from the Issyk kurgan, a richly decorated burial that now draws visitors to the national museum.

The Saka and Wusun period also left traces of early learning in the area, and the region became a place where ideas moved along the trade routes that crossed the Tian Shan. Over the centuries the valley changed hands repeatedly. In the twelfth century it fell under the Qara Khitai, who were in turn overrun by the Mongol Empire in the early thirteenth century, and the old settlements were reshaped by that upheaval.

The modern city grew from a Russian fortress and trading settlement founded in the nineteenth century. Its streets, parks and churches reflect that imperial and then Soviet layering. Under the Soviet Union, Almaty became capital of the republic and gained universities, theatres and research institutes. After independence it kept its cultural pull even after the capital moved, and today its history is best read through its museums, cathedrals and burial sites.

What to see

Culture

Almaty is often described as the country's cultural capital, and it earned that reputation through its theatres, galleries and music. The Abai Kazakh State Opera and Ballet Theatre has anchored the city's stage life for generations, and the Kasteyev State Museum of Arts holds a major collection of Kazakh painting, both classic and contemporary. The city also has a strong intellectual tradition, shaped by its Silk Road past and by the many writers and scholars who were sent here during the Soviet years.

Daily life is relaxed and outward-looking. Cafés spill onto the pavements, families walk in the parks in the evenings, and younger residents mix Russian and Kazakh freely in conversation. Russian is widely spoken, and Kazakh is used more in public signs and official settings, so a few words of either language are welcome. Tipping is not expected in cafés, though rounding up in a sit-down restaurant is common. Public spaces are generally quiet in the early morning, and the city is busiest on weekend evenings in the centre.

In religious buildings, cover your shoulders and knees, and remove your hat before entering any cathedral or mosque.

What to wear

Traditional Kazakh dress came from a nomadic and pastoral life, so it was built for riding and for cold steppe winters. The most recognisable garment is the chapan, a long, loose robe often made of thick cloth and worn over other layers. Men and women wore felt hats, and the tymak is the fur-edged hat worn in winter. Felt, known as kiiz, was used for carpets and for the yurt walls, and embroidery in bright geometric patterns decorated clothing, saddles and household textiles. Festive dress, especially at weddings and national holidays, still draws on these materials and motifs.

Day to day, people in Almaty dress much like Europeans in a mid-sized capital. Dark coats and boots dominate in winter, with smart jackets and dresses for the office and the theatre. Young people wear sportswear and trainers, and the mountain climate means many carry a light fleece or a windproof jacket. Traditional clothing appears at cultural events and some family occasions, rather than on the street.

For a visit, dress in layers. Spring and autumn can swing between warm afternoons and cold evenings, and the hills are windier and cooler than the centre. Wear shoes with decent grip for steep pavements and gravel paths, and dress modestly for religious sites, with covered shoulders and knees and a scarf for women visiting a mosque.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. April and May bring blossom, but they are the wettest months, with frequent rain and snow that can linger into late May, while September and October give clear skies and autumn colour. Summers are warm and sunny, with cooler evenings in the hills, and winters are cold and snowy, which suits skiing but makes the city feel hard going on foot.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Almaty International Airport is the main arrival point. A bus stops just outside the terminal and takes about half an hour into the centre, running through much of the day. Taxis are available, but touts will insist the buses are not running, so check the timetable first. For trains and current schedules, check the official site at almaty.kz.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources