Travel guide

48 hours in Almaty

Almaty packs mountains, a Soviet-era metro, a huge green bazaar and some of the cheapest good food in Central Asia into one walkable city. Here is the 48-hour plan we use.

Day 1 — city centre

Start at Panfilov Park and Zenkov Cathedral, walk to Green Bazaar for dried fruit and kazy, then ride the metro (each station is decorated differently) to Republic Square. Sunset at Kok-Tobe — take the cable car up, walk down.

Day 2 — mountains

Medeu ice rink and the Shymbulak cable car are 25 minutes from the centre. Go early: queues build by 11:00. Bring a windproof layer — it is 10–15 °C colder than in the city.

Where to eat

Lunch at a chaikhana (lagman, plov, samsa): $5–8. Coffee in the Golden Quarter: $3–4. Dinner at a local grill house: $12–18 for two.

Budget

Hostel bed: $12–18. 3-star hotel: $45–70. Metro ride: $0.35. Cable car: $4. Airport bus: $1.5.

Cheap flights from Almaty →

Ad · affiliate link. Prices and availability change.

More guides: Europe for under $300 · Bali on a budget · 48 hours in Rome · Travel eSIM · Car rental without surprises · Airport transfer guide · Luggage storage guide · Skip-the-line tickets · Minsk weekend guide

Our Telegram channels: Crypto & Blockchain · AI News · US Sports · IA en español · Cripto en español · Deporte.