Almaty is Kazakhstan’s largest city but not its capital, which is Astana, about 1,200 km to the north. The most useful way to plan here is by weather and time of day, because the best activities are either high above the city or inside its flat central grid. Money is the Kazakh tenge (KZT), at around 470 to 490 per US dollar this year. Cards and Kaspi QR work almost everywhere, though cash is still handy at the bazaar, park gates and village stops.

The best day trips from Almaty depend on how many hours you can spare. Some outings need only a bus ticket, while others eat a whole day on the road. Fees are in Kazakh tenge (KZT), which trades at about 470 to 490 per US dollar this year, and gates generally prefer cash. At a glance Trip Where and how long Entry fee Medeu and Shymbulak About 15 km, bus 12 in 35 to 50 minutes 120 KZT bus fare, lifts extra Turgen Gorge About 70 km east 506 KZT in a 2025 listing Tamgaly petroglyphs About 170 km north-west, about 3 hours each way Ask your operator Charyn Canyon About 200 km east, 3 to 3.

Almaty works for families because the biggest draws have cheap child tickets and several age bands that cost nothing. This page is organised by age rather than by sight, so you can see what a given child will pay and do. Prices are in Kazakh tenge (KZT); roughly 470 to 490 KZT buy one US dollar this year, and a few small notes help at park gates. Under 5 and under 6: free rides Children under 5 ride the Kok-Tobe cable car free, and under 6s ride the Shymbulak ropeways free.

Almaty has three overnight options that are too far to squeeze into a single day: the Kolsai and Kaindy lakes, a longer loop that adds Charyn Canyon, and Altyn-Emel National Park. All of them involve long roads, patchy mobile coverage and mountain terrain, so a licensed operator or a local driver is the sensible choice. Amounts are in Kazakh tenge (KZT), about 470 to 490 per US dollar this year.

Central Almaty is built on a flat grid with wide boulevards, tree-lined pavements and narrow aryk channels running beside the kerbs. For orientation, remember that the mountains are to the south, so walking uphill means walking south. The route below links six stops in a sensible order, and you can do all of them or pick a few. Everything stays inside the city: Medeu is about 15 km away in a gorge and deserves its own outing.

The main sights of Almaty sit on flat ground, so a two-day route covers most of them without a car. One thing to remember on the map is that the mountains lie to the south, which means uphill is always south. Almaty is Kazakhstan’s biggest city but not its capital, which has been Astana since 1997. Fees below are in Kazakh tenge (KZT), at roughly 470 to 490 per US dollar this year.

Almaty is a modest romantic destination, and it helps to say so at the start. The city offers a short list of good evenings rather than a full honeymoon programme: a sunset from a hill, a night in the mountains, a private bath suite and a slow walk on a car-free street. Plan around those four and you will not be disappointed. Prices are in Kazakh tenge (KZT), at about 470 to 490 per US dollar this year.

Almaty’s paid attractions are easiest to plan by what they cost and how long they take. The cheapest are small museums in the lower city, the mid-range sits on the hills above town, and the most expensive is the full ropeway to Shymbulak. Amounts below are in Kazakh tenge (KZT); expect roughly 470 to 490 KZT per US dollar this year. Children usually pay far less, and foreign adults pay more than local residents at the state museums.