If you’re planning a trip to Kazakhstan, there’s one age old question almost everyone asks: Almaty or Astana – which city is better to visit?
On paper, the choice seems simple. One is the former capital, close to the mountains and known for its cafés and culture. The other is the current capital, famous for its futuristic architecture and modern attractions. However, in reality, the decision is more nuanced and with 1,200 kilometres separating the two cities, becomes an important decision to make. The answer will thus depend entirely on how you like to travel.
For us we were surprised to find that we preferred the modernity of Astana over Almaty.
The quick answer
Choose Almaty if you love nightlife, a young vibe and quick day trips.
Choose Astana if you’re curious by unique architecture, modern history, and open spaces.
Of course, if you have more than 7-10 days in Kazakhstan try to visit both. This is what we did, sharing a cabin with two locals on a 17 hour sleeper train between Almaty and Astana. We recommend booking the lower bunks so you have more power regarding cabin bed time and operation of lights!
First impressions: how the cities feel
Almaty
Almaty is a lively city with a young crowd. On each street you’ll be sure to find either a coffee shop, café, bar or restaurant, and perhaps the odd colourful apple sculpture – symbolising Almaty being the birthplace of modern apples.
Visiting in autumn, the streets will be lined with colourful leaves and whilst the city may feel cramped and busy, the every day bustle and surrounding scenery of snowcapped mountains may bring a sense of creative energy.
Across Kazakhstan you’ll find locals refer to Almaty as the ‘soul’ of the country and for many tourists this may ring true if you haven’t seen other parts.
What we didn’t expect, however, was the smog. At street level it didn’t feel particularly noticeable, which may be why it’s rarely mentioned. But from higher viewpoints, the haze became much more apparent, obscuring the city and dulling the views.
Astana
Astana is home to exceptionally wide streets, open spaces and a unique mix of buildings. The city feels more business focussed, and with work now synonymous with coffee, there is not shortfall in coffee shops – or sports centres, museums and educational spaces.
The architectural differences between buildings are a wonder in themselves too, giving the city a futuristic character. Walking from street to street, you’ll be dazzled by the imagination and the engineering feats.
Situated in the north of Kazakhstan, temperatures in Astana are far lower than the southerly Almaty. For our visit, the mercury hit -10°C and the city was dumped in snow. Despite the obvious temperature challenges, the city felt magical, though it pays to be prepared for the cold!
Things to do and day trips
Almaty
The city itself is very walkable and has a great bus transport system. That said, as a tourist, paying for the bus is difficult. We found that buses did not accept cash or contactless cards and the flashy app-based QR code payment system (ONAY) requires a local number to set up an account. Oh and forget trying to buy an ONAY travel card from metro stations – they don’t know what that is (at least at Abay station they didn’t).
There is an array of things to do right on the doorstep of Almaty:
- The amusement park found on Kok Tobe Hill
- A visit to Arasan Wellness & Spa – an Soviet-style bathhouse
- Ice-skating in Medeu
- A day trip to Shymbulak for skiing or hiking
- A day trip to the surrounding mountains
If you have a car, you would be able to visit the beautiful Charyn canyon too. If you don’t have a car, you’ll be paying a pretty penny to get there via a tour or taxi.
Be warned: the Arasan Wellness & Spa will separate males and females within the spa, so do not turn up thinking couples can stick together. Also, if booking a massage, make sure the masseuse knows what you have booked. Connor’s lost-in-translation back massage ended up being a full body beating.
An additional warning: currently the ice rink is under construction in Medeu for the next two years. Be sure to check before you travel there. We took an hour bus and found it to be shut.
Astana
Being a very open and spacious city, the walking distances are vast and therefore whilst walking is fun, a 3-hour trek to a landmark may not be. Fortunately, the bus transport system is very easy and well connected. Like Almaty, as a tourist, bus payments can be tricky, but locals are happy to help get you a QR code ticket if you pay them the due fare.
There are many places to visit and see. To name a few:
- Go up the Baiterek for a 360° view of the city
- Enter the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation
- Explore the Hazrat Sultan Mosque and Nur Astana Mosque
- Discover the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Walk through Lovers Park
- A trip to Burabay and its national park
Many more cool buildings exist to either walk past or explore too, such as: Khan Shatyr, Kazakh Eli Monument, Kazakhstan Central Concert Hall, Nur Alem Museum of Future Energy and the Botanical Garden.
If you are after a nature escape, visiting Burabay and its national park is an absolute must to experience the natural beauty of the region. Whilst it is possible to do a day trip, the train takes about 3 hours one-way, so a stay over may be more preferable. We visited in November, and the lake was starting to freeze over. If we arrived a couple months later, we would have been able to iceskate or fish on it.
Food, Cafés & Sweet Treats
Almaty
The choice of restaurants, cafés and sweet treats felt much more varied in Almaty. Having a younger feel to the city, dietary requirements are much more catered to as well. I found no problem sourcing alternative milk in coffee shops.
In terms of food, prices would range vastly – as expected from a hip city. We found a pricier Georgian restaurant called ‘Darejani‘ and the more affordable canteen style meal, both equally as delicious.
Given we are a dessert blog, we felt Kazakhstan lacked typically Kazakh desserts. Whilst we saw an array of cakes and bakery items, nothing was that unique to what we’ve had in Europe.
Astana
Being a more spaceous city, eateries are far more spaced out and many restaurants are chains; unlike the numerous independents you would find in Almaty. We found food much better priced in Astana, despite its status as capital city.
In terms of desserts (as well as alternative milk), these options, however, felt even more sparse. We actually didn’t have any sweet treats in Astana, but we did find some delicious, unique cakes in Burabay, a ‘nearby’ town to Astana.
In Burabay we found seabuckthorn layer cake and some unusual flavoured mochi.
Nightlife
Almaty
The city is vibrant at night. Plenty of bars, pubs and karaoke places can be found either by walking a few streets or a quick google search.
We particularly loved ‘American Pie’ a pool place with Chinese and Russian pool tables, as well as ‘The Kryshka Bar‘ for its honey beer.
Astana
Despite the commercial nature of the city, Astana seemed to be all work and no play. We found very little nightlife here and streets tended to be quiet at night time.
So… Almaty or Astana?
Each city offers something different to each visitor, therefore, neither city is ‘better’ than the other.
Whilst Almaty would be more for you if you seek out nightlife, a young vibe and quick day trips for adventurous activities. Astana is perfect for a more peaceful, spacious, sightseeing excursion with the possibility to take in nature through a short trip to
We personally preferred Astana, because we felt it gave us the variety we were after. We found Almaty disappointing due to the fact many of the activities that we were told we could do were in fact shut. This left a bitter taste in our mouths. Despite this, I do feel that if we were able to ice skate and ski in Shymbulak, Almaty would have ranked highly for us.
