Almaty Top 12

As we were ending our 9 week stay in Almaty, several blog friends with future plans to be in Almaty asked for a list of our favourite places. In spite of best intentions, life with Zoe quickly pushed the creation of that list to the bottom of our growing to-do list. A couple of those bloggers are now in other parts of Kazakhstan bonding with their Kazakh cuties. Their final week in Almaty is quickly approaching. Several other families (all Canadians!) are preparing to travel later this month and will be adopting from Almaty. A recent gentle reminder from one of the above families helped move the Almaty list to the top of our still-lengthy to-do list.

Here are our Almaty Top Dozen – in no particular order:

1) Kok Tobe – The cable car ride to the top (500 tenge each way) is only part of the fun. The top is a great place to stroll away from the hustle of the city. The views of the city and the mountains range from good to great depending on the smog level. There are some nice souvenir stands that rival the TsUM store (in variety, not quantity). Lastly, there are two nice eating options. One is a very nice establishment, the inside of which is decorated like a colourful yurt. It is in the round building just beyond The Beatles. The other is a more casual restaurant at the very far end past the little zoo. It has a lovely outdoor patio with great views. We ate at and enjoyed both restaurants.

2) Panfilov Park – The highlights for us were the beautiful war memorials in the east end of the park and the striking Zenkov Cathedral. In addition, there is a nice playground, pony and horse rides for the kids, horse drawn cart rides and various stands selling balloons, bubbles and similar things for kids. If you are seeking a more tranquil experience, there is plenty or space to get away from the attractions which are mostly near the cathedral.

3) Gorky Park (a.k.a. Central Park) – This is Almaty’s largest park by far. You can easily spend an entire day here and still not see or do everything. Among the attractions are a zoo, horse rides, carnival style rides (mostly for kids), a couple water slides or water themed attractions (they were closed when we were there), lots of game booths, a theatre, restaurants, tons of walking paths, and more.

4) Almaty’s other parks – Almaty has a lot of parks and green spaces in addition to Gorky Park and Panfilov Park. One of our favourite ways to pass time was to just go hang out on a park bench and watch the people go by. After the weather warmed up we would sometimes grab some food and a beverage (drinking is allowed in public spaces) and make a picnic of it. The parks in front of and behind the Kazakh-British Technical University (at Tole Bi and Abylay Khan) were especially nice. The park in front of the university is where the statue dedicated to the female snipers is located.

5) Yubileyny – The little stand where you get the awesome kebab topped with French fries, peas, onions, mayo, carrots and red sauce and wrapped in a tortilla. Yum! All for 300 or 350 tenge (if I remember correctly). The stand is located just outside a supermarket on Gogol at Abylay Khan. Beverages of all types are available at an adjacent stand. Note: it is only a block away from the inviting park benches near the Kazakh-British Technical Univ.

6) Kishlak – a nice Uzbek/Kazakh restaurant beautifully decorated inside with great food and a nice outdoor patio. Nice restaurant but not overpriced.

7) Kafe Keruen – Casual restaurant in the pedestrian walkway part of Zhibek Zholy. We enjoyed the outdoor patio on warm weekends. Our favourites were the sturgeon shashlyk and the Georgian cheese bread.

8) TsUM – The third floor of this department store/mall is where all of the souvenir stalls are located. It’s on the corner of Abylay Khan and Zhibek Zholy and at the beginning of the pedestrian walkway.

9) Green Bazaar (a.k.a. Green Market) – A wonderful and exotic experience in and of itself.

10) Various food stands usually located right outside supermarkets – These were favourite places to get excellent plov, pastries and often other food. This is the Kazakh version of fast food. Sometimes there is outdoor seating available. A great “local” eating experience and a great way to eat out for very little money!

11) Guiness Pub – Though overpriced, we have some great memories of many evenings spent at Guiness Pub with our friend, Chris. It’s a good place to go for familiar (somewhat) food and menus in English and is conveniently located across from Hotel Kazakhstan.

12) Last but definitely not least are Almaty’s museums. Our favourite by far was the Museum of Arts (we are not necessarily art enthusiasts). There was something there for everyone, from portraits to sculpture to landscapes to textiles and it was all beautifully exhibited. The Central State Museum (Natural and Kazakh History) and the Museum of Kazakh Musical Instruments were also interesting, though a translator would have come in handy.

Keep in mind that we were there primarily in winter. There are probably a plethora of outdoor cafes and eateries that appear in the summer months. One restaurant we wanted to try but never made it to was Namaste. Aaron and Julie highly recommended it for good vegetarian options but it was in the opposite direction from most of our outings. We will put it at the top of our list next time we happen to be in town.

And now a couple photos from one of our favourite Toronto parks.