# Things to do in Almaty: top sights and where to go

> Almaty keeps its old centre compact: Panfilov Park with the wooden Ascension Cathedral, the Green Bazaar and the pedestrian Arbat are a short walk apart, with Republic Square and the Kok-Tobe cable car a little to the south. Half an hour up the gorge are the Medeu rink, the Shymbulak resort and turquoise Big Almaty Lake. Give the first day to the centre and sunset on Kok-Tobe, the second to the mountains, and a third, if you have it, to Charyn Canyon.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty

## Ready itineraries

- [One day in Almaty: an itinerary in the best order](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/in-1-day.md): The pedestrian Arbat, Green Bazaar, the wooden Ascension Cathedral, Republic Square and the cable car up Kok-Tobe for a view over the city and the mountains.

## All 10 places with the YesGo score

- [Ascension Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-ascension-cathedral.md): YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free. Ascension Cathedral — better known as Zenkov Cathedral — is a working wooden Orthodox church built in 1904–1907 in Panfilov Park, right in…
- [Green Bazaar](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-green-bazaar.md): YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free entry. The Green Bazaar (Kök Bazaar in Kazakh) is Almaty's big covered food market at 53 Zhibek Zholy Avenue, a 10-minute walk north of Panfilov…
- [Almaty Arbat](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-arbat.md): YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free, open 24/7. Arbat Street is the pedestrian stretch of Zhibek Zholy Avenue in central Almaty, between Abylai Khan and Nazarbayev avenues. It is **free…
- [Republic Square](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-republic-square.md): YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free, open 24/7. Republic Square is Almaty’s main square, and at its centre stands the **Independence Monument** — a column about 28 m tall topped by the…
- [Medeu](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/medeu.md): YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free; rink closed for reconstruction. Medeu is Almaty’s famous high-altitude skating rink, 1,691 m up a mountain gorge. Key point: **the rink is closed for reconstruction**…
- [Kok-Tobe](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/kok-tobe.md): YesGo score 32/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Cable car 10,000 KZT return. Kok-Tobe is a 1,100 m hill on Almaty’s south-eastern edge with the TV tower on its slope and a park on top: viewing terraces, a Beatles…
- [Shymbulak](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/shymbulak.md): YesGo score 21/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · 12,000 KZT return, kids 4,000 KZT. Shymbulak is Kazakhstan’s main ski resort, about 25 km south of central Almaty: the base sits at 2,260 m and the top at Talgar Pass, 3,200…
- [Big Almaty Lake](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/big-almaty-lake.md): YesGo score 21/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Park fee ≈ 865 KZT, under-18s free. Big Almaty Lake is a turquoise mountain reservoir at about 2,510 m in Ile-Alatau National Park, south of Almaty. It holds the city’s…
- [Lake Issyk](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/lake-issyk.md): YesGo score 21/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · 648 KZT park fee, car 1,297 KZT. Lake Issyk is a mountain lake at about 1,700 m in a gorge of the Trans-Ili Alatau above the town of Esik, roughly 70 km by road east of…
- [Charyn Canyon](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/charyn-canyon.md): YesGo score 20/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Entry 865 KZT, car extra. Charyn Canyon is a red rock gorge on the Charyn River, about 200 km east of Almaty in Charyn National Park. The part everyone visits is…

## Almaty travel guide

Before you go: the centre and Kok-Tobe, Medeu and Shymbulak, Big Almaty Lake and Charyn Canyon, weather by month.

## Trip essentials

- How many days: 3–4 days: the city, the mountains, Charyn
- When to go: May–June and September; winter for Shymbulak skiing
- Visa: Visa-free for many passports, often 30 days
- Currency: Kazakhstani tenge (KZT); cards widely accepted
- Airport: Almaty (ALA) ≈ 15 km — 30 min by taxi
- Time zone: UTC+5

## Key facts

- **≈ 1,690 m** — altitude of the Medeu ice rink, one of the highest in the world (source: Wikipedia, “Medeu”)
- **1907** — the wooden Ascension Cathedral was built in Panfilov Park (source: Wikipedia, “Ascension Cathedral, Almaty”)
- **≈ 2,500 m** — altitude of Big Almaty Lake in the Trans-Ili Alatau (source: Wikipedia, “Big Almaty Lake”)
- **≈ 154 km** — length of Charyn Canyon, often compared with the Grand Canyon (source: Wikipedia, “Charyn Canyon”)

## Things to do in Almaty

Almaty’s highlights are the Ascension Cathedral, the Green Bazaar, the Arbat and Republic Square in the centre, and Kok-Tobe with its cable car. In the mountains are the Medeu rink and the Shymbulak resort, Big Almaty Lake and, further out, Charyn Canyon. Every place with its YesGo score is in the list above; the “Map” button shows them on a map.

| Where | What to see | Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Centre** | [Ascension Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-ascension-cathedral), [Green Bazaar](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-green-bazaar), [Arbat](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-arbat) | ½ day |
| **The square** | [Republic Square](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-republic-square) | 1 h |
| **Above the city** | [Kok-Tobe](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/kok-tobe) | 2 h |
| **Mountains** | [Medeu](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/medeu), [Shymbulak](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/shymbulak) | ½ day |
| **Lakes** | [Big Almaty Lake](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/big-almaty-lake), [Issyk](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/lake-issyk) | ½ day |
| **Canyon** | [Charyn](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/charyn-canyon) | 1 day |

Rather not plan it yourself? The list above has ready itineraries, with places in a sensible order.

## Almaty weather by month

The best time to visit Almaty is May–June and September — warm, with green mountains. Summer reaches 30 °C; October is about 16 °C. Winter is frosty but sunny — ski season at Shymbulak.

- **January in Almaty**: day ≈ 0°C, night ≈ -9°C, rainy days: 7. Frost; skiing at Shymbulak.
- **February in Almaty**: day ≈ 2°C, night ≈ -8°C, rainy days: 8. Cold, skiing.
- **March in Almaty**: day ≈ 9°C, night ≈ -1°C, rainy days: 11. Spring, Nauryz.
- **April in Almaty**: day ≈ 18°C, night ≈ 6°C, rainy days: 12. Warm, apple trees in bloom.
- **May in Almaty** (best time): day ≈ 23°C, night ≈ 11°C, rainy days: 13. Warm — one of the best months.
- **June in Almaty** (best time): day ≈ 28°C, night ≈ 15°C, rainy days: 10. Warm, the mountains open.
- **July in Almaty**: day ≈ 31°C, night ≈ 18°C, rainy days: 8. Hot in the city — head for the hills.
- **August in Almaty**: day ≈ 30°C, night ≈ 17°C, rainy days: 6. Hot.
- **September in Almaty** (best time): day ≈ 25°C, night ≈ 11°C, rainy days: 5. Warm — a great month.
- **October in Almaty**: day ≈ 16°C, night ≈ 4°C, rainy days: 8. About 16°, golden autumn.
- **November in Almaty**: day ≈ 7°C, night ≈ -3°C, rainy days: 8. Cool.
- **December in Almaty**: day ≈ 2°C, night ≈ -7°C, rainy days: 8. Frost and snow.

The mountains are 5–10° cooler than the city.

## Almaty ticket prices

The centre, the cathedral and the bazaar are free. You pay for the Kok-Tobe and Shymbulak cable cars, Medeu and national park entry.

- [Ascension Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-ascension-cathedral) — Free
- [Green Bazaar](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-green-bazaar) — Free entry
- [Almaty Arbat](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-arbat) — Free, open 24/7
- [Republic Square](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/almaty-republic-square) — Free, open 24/7
- [Medeu](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/medeu) — Free; rink closed for reconstruction
- [Kok-Tobe](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/kok-tobe) — Cable car 10,000 KZT return
- [Shymbulak](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/shymbulak) — 12,000 KZT return, kids 4,000 KZT
- [Big Almaty Lake](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/big-almaty-lake) — Park fee ≈ 865 KZT, under-18s free
- [Lake Issyk](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/lake-issyk) — 648 KZT park fee, car 1,297 KZT
- [Charyn Canyon](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/almaty/charyn-canyon) — Entry 865 KZT, car extra

## Tips

- Charyn Canyon is about 3.5 hours each way — leave early.
- Medeu and Shymbulak are linked by cable car.

## Questions

### Is Almaty worth visiting?

Yes, for a green city at the foot of snowy mountains: easy day trips to alpine lakes, Medeu and Shymbulak, and the dramatic Charyn Canyon.

### Do I need a visa for Kazakhstan?

Citizens of many countries, including the EU, UK and US, can visit visa-free, often for up to 30 days. Check the rule for your passport.

## Sources

- Wikipedia, “Almaty”; “Medeu”; “Big Almaty Lake”; “Charyn Canyon”

Facts checked: 09.11.2026

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