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A hiker sits on a rock overlooking a turquoise alpine lake ringed by mountains near Almaty.
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AlmatyTravel Guide

Kazakhstan8 stories

Kazakhstan's leafy former capital at the foot of the Tian Shan mountains — alpine lakes and ski slopes within sight of bazaars and grand Soviet-era avenues.

Is Almaty right for you?

When to come

Spring and autumn, winter for skiing

Around 31°C by day in July, 1°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Mid-range. Comfortable without planning around money, expensive if you stop counting.

What we've planned, and who for

We publish a multi-day route for this one.

Almaty is inA proper winterSnow and mountains
When to go
January: around 1 degrees by day, -8 at night, 35 millimetres of rain, cold, some precipitation.
February: around 3 degrees by day, -6 at night, 43 millimetres of rain, cold, some precipitation.
March: around 10 degrees by day, 0 at night, 72 millimetres of rain, some rain.
April: around 18 degrees by day, 7 at night, 112 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
May: around 23 degrees by day, 12 at night, 99 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
June: around 28 degrees by day, 16 at night, 59 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
July: around 31 degrees by day, 19 at night, 43 millimetres of rain, some rain.
August: around 30 degrees by day, 17 at night, 34 millimetres of rain, some rain.
September: around 25 degrees by day, 12 at night, 28 millimetres of rain, dry. We recommend this month.
October: around 17 degrees by day, 5 at night, 50 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
November: around 8 degrees by day, -1 at night, 55 millimetres of rain, some rain.
December: around 2 degrees by day, -6 at night, 44 millimetres of rain, cold, some precipitation.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

Spring and autumn, winter for skiing

Average daily highs, recorded at Almaty, 1991-2020 normals.

Where this comes from

Pogoda.ru; NOAA (English Wikipedia, 'Almaty')

Budget level

Mid-range

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
Plan itWhere to stay in Almatyad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Almaty

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Almaty

Big Almaty Lake, Almaty
01
Itineraries

Almaty Is Two Cities Stacked on Top of Each Other

A four-day plan for a city that sits at 800 metres with a 3,000-metre range at the end of the street: which gorge goes where, how long the lifts really take, and why the long drive east costs more of your day than the map suggests.

Kazakhstan · 10 min
A mountain market at Almaty, stalls and umbrellas below the peaks of the Trans-Ili Alatau
02
Food

Almaty Eats at One O'Clock

Almaty's restaurants change faster than its food map. The horse row and Korean trays of the Green Bazaar, the Uighur noodle canteens out on Yassawi street and the yurt cafés above the ice rink stay put — here is how to eat across them in the right order.

Kazakhstan · 9 min
Almaty's Zenkov Cathedral, its painted timber facade and gold spires set in Panfilov Park
03
Stays

Almaty Runs Uphill, and Your Hotel Should Know It

Almaty is built on a tilted alluvial fan, and the neighbourhood you book decides which way you walk, which traffic you sit in and what you breathe in winter. Here is the arithmetic of the slope, and where it says to sleep.

Kazakhstan · 11 min
Almaty at dusk beneath the Trans-Ili Alatau, the city's towers and a blue-domed mosque dark among trees while ridge upon ridge of snow-covered mountains rises behind under a bronze sky
04
Destinations

Almaty Measured in Drive Times

The mountains start inside the city limits and the canyons are three hours out. Sorting Almaty's surroundings by drive time — half day, full day, sleep out there — is the difference between seeing the Tian Shan and photographing a windscreen.

Kazakhstan · 12 min
A timber chalet perched among firs on a deep-snow slope at Shymbulak above Almaty, with the jagged, snow-loaded peaks of the Trans-Ili Alatau rising behind it under a hard blue winter sky.
05
Destinations

Almaty for First-Timers: The Complete Guide to Kazakhstan's Mountain City

A wooden cathedral, a Green Bazaar, a turquoise alpine lake and a cable car to the peaks — how to plan a first trip to Almaty.

Kazakhstan · 2 min
Almaty's Kok Tobe TV tower and city skyline against the snow-dusted peaks of the Trans-Ili Alatau
06
Itineraries

Book Five Days in Almaty and Leave Three of Them Loose

Almaty rewards a loose plan: five days, two of them fixed in the city and three held back for the mountains and assigned the night before by the forecast.

Kazakhstan · 10 min
The wooden Ascension Cathedral in Almaty's Panfilov Park, its yellow facade, green porches and painted onion domes bright against a deep blue sky, with roses flowering in front
07
The List

Almaty for Culture Lovers: The Best of Its Art, Museums and History

A wooden cathedral that survived earthquakes, Soviet-era grandeur and the arts of the steppe: the cultural side of Kazakhstan's mountain metropolis, ranked.

Kazakhstan · 2 min
Big Almaty Lake in the mountains above Almaty, its milky turquoise water held between steep spruce-covered slopes with the first snow lying on the peaks above
08
Hidden Gems

Almaty Off-Season: The Secret Best Months in the Mountain City

Almaty's shoulder months are its finest — golden foliage, the apple harvest, wild tulips and empty trails — provided you know that the mountain cable cars are usually switched off in exactly those weeks.

Kazakhstan · 11 min
In pictures

Almaty, framed

Big Almaty Lake, Almaty
Photo: Alexander Liebstückel / Unsplash
The Kok-Tobe TV tower rises above green hills, with snow-capped Tian Shan peaks and Almaty's skyline in the distance.
Photo: K V / Unsplash
A near-full moon hangs over Almaty's lit skyline at dusk, with snow-dusted mountains behind the towers.
Photo: Bekarys Khozhanazar / Unsplash
An empty chairlift climbs a steep, ridged snow-covered mountainside above Almaty under a pale sky.
Photo: Anastasia Podgornykh / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Almaty

See and do

Eat and drink

Where to stay

Before you go

Practical essentials for Kazakhstan

Money

Kazakhstani tenge (KZT)

Language

Kazakh is the state language and Russian is used on an equal footing in government; English is limited outside Almaty's hotels.

Power

Type C/F, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

Almaty's metro and buses run on the ONAY! card sold at metro kiosks; contactless bank cards work at metro gates but only inconsistently on buses.

Tipping

Not expected but welcomed — about 10% in city restaurants, after checking whether a service charge is already on the bill.

Tap water

Almaty's tap water is filtered and chlorinated to local standards, but visitors are generally advised to drink bottled water.

Driving

Right-hand side; carry an International Driving Permit alongside your national licence.

Emergency

112 (unified); 102 police, 103 ambulance, 101 fire

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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