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Best Things to Do
Top 10 Best Things to Do in Almaty [2025]
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Big Almaty Lake
4.4
/5
27 reviews
5.6
22.8 km from downtown
Phone +7-747-0942305
Address: Ili-Alatau National Park, Almaty 050065, Kazakhstan
Recommended sightseeing time: 2-3 hours
Highlights:
Emerald-like & ever-changing lake
Almaty's iconic natural lake
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The Big Almaty Lake gives us different feelings in different seasons. In autumn, the Big Almaty Lake has more water, and in summer, it has less water because a lot of it is discharged to the city for water supply. In autumn, the melting of ice and snow fills the Big Almaty Lake again.
Big Almaty Lake is a lake located in Almaty, a city in southern Kazakhstan. It is known as the "Pearl of Almaty". It is 15 kilometers away from Almaty and has an altitude of 2,511 meters.
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Shymbulak
5.0
/5
4 reviews
5.5
19.6 km from downtown
Phone +7 727 331 7777
Address: Kerey and Zhanibek Khans St 558/1, Almaty 050020, Kazakhstan
Recommended sightseeing time: 0.5-1 day
No.1 of Ski Resorts in Almaty
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I went to Almaty this summer. The plane had to fly over the Tianshan Mountains. In fact, the Tianshan Mountains have been extending throughout Kazakhstan. When traveling in Almaty, Qiongbulak is a magnificent attraction that must be visited! Otherwise, it is a waste of time! Qiongbulak area is extremely magnificent! You can experience four seasons in one day, and the weather is different every ten miles! You can always encounter the strange phenomenon of sunrise in the east and rain in the west... You can take the aerial cable car directly to the foot of the glacier at an altitude of nearly 3,000 meters.
Qiongbulak Ski Resort is definitely an ideal ski resort with good climatic conditions, an average temperature of 20℃ in summer and 7℃ in winter, a snow depth of up to 150 cm, and more than 300 days of sunny days a year. It provides a variety of services and facilities, including cable car services, hotel accommodation and many restaurants and cafes.
In summer, you can also take a cable car tour, hike, and challenge paragliding, etc. Therefore, to explore the natural wonders of Almaty, Kazakhstan, Qiongbulak Snow Mountain Cable Car is definitely an adventure you cannot miss!
The highest peak in Kazakhstan, Qiongbulak, is 3,500 meters above sea level. Due to the climate, Qiongbulak is covered with snow, and the top of the mountain is covered with snow, which is simply a pure and clean world. It was once the venue for the 2011 Asian Winter Olympics. It is a famous ski resort. If you are tired, you can do whatever you want and enjoy the delicious food here!
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Zenkov's Cathedral
4.6
/5
43 reviews
5.4
Based on 933 reviews
3.3 km from downtown
Phone +7 727 351 4031
Address: Gogol St 40в, Almaty 050000, Kazakhstan
Recommended sightseeing time: 1-2 hours
No.1 of Family-Friendly Attractions in Almaty
Highlights:
WWII monument & eternal flame
Explore local religious history
53% positive reviews
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Almaty [Ascension Cathedral]
Voznesensk Kashendraliy Shrirkevyi
An Orthodox cathedral in Almaty. Standing 56 meters tall, it is the second tallest wooden cathedral in the world, and not a single nail was used in the entire building.
The cathedral's cornerstone was laid on September 26, 1903, and it opened in 1907. During the Soviet era, it served as a museum, and its bell tower was used as a radio transmission tower. In 1911, a magnitude 8.4 earthquake struck Almaty, destroying most of the city's buildings. However, the Ascension Cathedral has remained virtually intact to this day.
Restoration work was carried out in 1973. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, religious services were resumed after a 69-year hiatus. It was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in May 1995 and reopened in 1997. In 2004, it received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Outstanding Project for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage.
Address: Gogol St 40, Almaty
Hours: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Admission: Free
The Panfilov 28 Heroes Park is located in Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan. It is an Orthodox church, very beautiful. It is the second tallest wooden building in the world and one of the eight churches with special structures in the world. There is a beautiful pigeon square next to it. The attraction is free.
No.
4
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Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan
4.3
/5
52 reviews
5.3
Based on 327 reviews
3.8 km from downtown
Phone +7 7272 64 26 80
Address: Samal-1, 44, Almaty 050059, Kazakhstan
Recommended sightseeing time: 1-2 hours
Highlights:
Interactive exhibit explores Kazakh culture
Giant blue tent-like palace
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Almaty [Central State Museum of Kazakhstan]
The Central State Museum of Kazakhstan is the largest museum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and one of the largest museums in Central Asia. The museum was established on July 2, 2014. It offers 14,000 square meters of exhibition space across seven halls, with a total floor area of 74,000 square meters.
In 2015, an exhibition of Chinese shadow puppetry was held in Almaty, co-organized by the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan and the Tang West Market Museum in Xi'an. The exhibition, themed "History of the Silk Road," featured 19 large-scale shadow puppetry works and ran for two months from the end of October to the end of December.
Address: Samal-1, 44, Almaty
Hours: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Closed Tuesdays
Admission: 500 Tenge (7 RMB)
Mobile phones are permitted; professional cameras such as DSLRs are not permitted.
The Almaty State Museum is the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan. It is located in Almaty and is one of the largest museums in Central Asia. The museum was founded in 1931. It houses models of major historical buildings in Kazakhstan, a number of historical relics from the Genghis Khan period, weapons, costumes and musical instruments, etc. It is an important display window for the history, culture and politics of Kazakhstan. The museum's collections were originally stored in Orenburg in the 1830s, when the Orenburg Museum established the Neplyev Military Academy and collected a large number of Kazakh historical relics. After the construction of the museum was completed in 1935, the collections were transferred to the museum. Today, the museum has collected more than 3,000 relics and exhibits, which can be said to be a culmination of various exhibition halls.
The museum is divided into three floors with multiple exhibition halls, including paleontology exhibition halls and archaeology exhibition halls. In addition, the museum has 7 major exhibition areas and 11 exhibition halls, covering ancient centuries, the Middle Ages, national traditions and customs, history and culture, and the history of the founding of Kazakhstan. Visitors can learn more about the history and cultural development of Kazakhstan here.
The Almaty National Museum is open from 9:00 to 18:00 from Monday to Sunday throughout the year. The ticket price is 500 tenge (about 8 yuan). The museum also has barrier-free service facilities, including barrier-free parking, barrier-free entrance and barrier-free toilets, etc., to provide convenience for tourists.
No.
5
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28 Panfilov Guardsmen Park
4.6
/5
34 reviews
5.0
Based on 681 reviews
3.4 km from downtown
Phone +7-700-9737704
Address: 7X53+GMJ, р. Малая Алматинка, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Recommended sightseeing time: 1-2 hours
Highlights:
Park honoring 28 brave warriors
18-acre lush forest for relaxation
89% positive reviews
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The 28 Panfilov Heroes Memorial Park is a city park in Kazakhstan, located in central Almaty. The eternal flame in memory of the fallen soldiers of World War II burns in front of a huge black monument to soldiers from all 15 Soviet republics. The Ascension Cathedral of Almaty is also located in Panfilov Park.
This is the only wooden Orthodox church in the early 20th century and one of the cultural buildings in Kazakhstan. The bright yellow exterior of the church is particularly eye-catching and vivid among the green trees. The church consists of two parts: the altar and the sacristy. The church was later restructured, so it survived the 11-magnitude earthquake in 1911. Even the glass was intact, and only the iron cross on the bell tower was bent 180 degrees.
No.
6
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Kok Tobe
4.8
/5
25 reviews
4.6
Based on 131 reviews
13.9 km from downtown
Phone +7 727 272 7777
Address: Almaty, Kazakhstan
Recommended sightseeing time: 0.5-1 hour
No.1 of Night Attractions in Almaty
Highlights:
Almaty sunset views
Cable car to mountain top
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Almaty [Cable Car 🚡]
Kok Tobe Hill Gondola Cableway
Opened February 17, 2025. Length: 1,620 meters, takes 7 minutes, but prices are high.
Address: Luganskiy St 2, Almaty
Transportation: Yandex Go taxi (over 10 yuan)
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 10:00 AM - 8:45 PM
Tuesday 1:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 10:00 AM - 9:45 PM
Admission: One-way 3,500 RMB (53 yuan), round-trip 6,000 RMB (90 yuan)
Cards accepted (chip-based credit cards)
You can also take a minibus to the summit:
Weekdays: One-way 1,500 RMB; round-trip 2,000 RMB
Saturday and Sunday: One-way 2,000 RMB; round-trip 3,000 RMB
If you want to overlook the entire city of Almaty, then KokTobe Park is the place to go. The park is located on the top of KokTobe Mountain, 1,100 meters above sea level. Get in the cable car, accompanied by beautiful dombra music, as the altitude continues to rise, the whole city begins to slowly appear at your feet. The top of the mountain is not only a great place to overlook Almaty, but also a magnificent panoramic view of the foothills of Zailiysky Alatau, which is more beautiful than any other angle in the city.
No.
7
Independence Monument
4.1
/5
16 reviews
4.0
3.2 km from downtown
Address: 6WQW+95W, Satpaev St, Almaty 050000, Kazakhstan
Recommended sightseeing time: 15-30 minutes
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[Scenery] Quite spectacular
[Fun] The Independence Monument in Almaty, Kazakhstan, is located in the center of Independence Square in the city center. The monument was initiated and supported by Kazakh President Nazarbayev and built in 1999. The monument is 28 meters high, with a 6-meter-high golden warrior standing on a winged snow leopard on top, symbolizing the strong national regime on Kazakh land. There are four statues around the foot of the monument, namely "the wise man in the sky", "the mother of the earth" and two children, representing the history and bright future of the republic. The family they form together is the foundation of the country's existence and human reproduction. The reliefs around the monument reflect major events in various historical periods of Kazakhstan.
Almaty [Independence Monument]
The Monument to the Golden Warriors (also known as the Golden Man, the Golden Warrior Statue, and the Independence Monument) stands on Republic Square in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan. The statues depict a Saka warrior and a Baris, standing on a 91-foot (28-meter) column. At the end of the stele is the "Golden Man" (6 meters high), the ruler, controlling a winged leopard, symbolizing the firmness of state power in Kazakhstan.
Inscribed at the bottom of the stele are the words "December 25, 1990, Kazakhstan proclaimed its national sovereignty." and "December 16, 1991, the state of Kazakhstan proclaimed its independence."
The monument's design is inspired by Kazakh folklore and the 1969 archaeological discovery of an 18-year-old Saka or Scythian noble from the second or third century BC, who wore golden armor and was buried with a large amount of gold, earning him the nickname "Golden Man."
A pedestal at the base of the stele features a sculptured group consisting of allegorical figures: the "Sky God," the "Earth Mother," and two children riding ponies. These figures are placed on the four sides of the world, representing the life-giving waters that make the earth fruitful. The children riding ponies symbolize youth and the Republic's great future. Meanwhile, the father, mother, and child form the family, the foundation of the nation. These figures, carved in a square, represent stability and strength.
Artistic castings surround the pillar, depicting historical events in Kazakhstan. Ten bas-reliefs, arranged in a circle around the stele in the shape of a horseshoe, reveal Kazakhstan's history from ancient times to the present day. The number 10 is no accident: according to Pythagoras, it is the number of prosperity, happiness, strength, and power. Of course, this is not a chronological sequence of events, but rather an artistic and plastic expression of its various striking stages.
Address: 6WQW+95W, Satpaev St, Almaty
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