Some guides might say that Almaty is as expensive as many European capitals. This might be true if you eat in foreign restaurants, but most attractions are not too expensive and are accessible through public transit.
If you are interested in using public transit to get around Almaty we suggest downloading the app 2GIS. This map app allows you to search for destinations and plan journeys offline, and it will suggest minibuses and buses to get you where you are going.
Central State Museum of Kazakhstan
450 Tenge entry fee, 9:30-17:30, closed on Tuesday. This museum provides a history of Kazakhstan inside an impressive building. It is easily accessible by bus. The interior is quite disorganized, even if the artefacts being presented are interesting. Limited English signs, so you can consider this a super cheap self-guided tour.
The arrangement is roughly chronological, starting with natural history and moving into stone age and bronze age tools. The limited signs tell the story of a transition from hunter-gatherer lifestyles towards agriculture and the changing control of the means of production. There are many rocks with petroglyphs on them. The second floor contains Kazakh goods from the 19th and 20th centuries. The 4th floor is the propaganda floor touting the achievements of Kazakhstan and the President, an interesting exploration of nationalism if you are able to have a critical and not too serious eye. Overall you can expect to spend about 2 hours here.
Almaty Zoo
700 Tenge entry fee. Almaty zoo is one of the oldest zoos in Central Asia. While the conditions are not ideal, they are better than many developing world zoos. The animal selection is diverse and interesting. The reptile and bird collections are especially extensive.
Food and drink are sold on the site as well, and although there is a bit of a markup, snacks are still not too expensive. If you are very keen you could spend about 3 hours here.
Zenkov’s Cathedral (Ascension Cathedral) and Park
Free. Ascension Cathedral is a bright and colourful cathedral in the middle of a nice park. It is entirely made entirely of wood with no nails, and at 56m tall it claims to be the second tallest completely wooden building in the world.
Although the cathedral is only open for services, not for tourists, it is very photogenic and the park has shaded benches. Nearby, the Park of the 28 Panfilov Guardsmen (Panfilov Park) has a large war memorial. You could easily have a picnic lunch on one of the benches, or just walk around and see the sights for an hour or two.
Bonus: Getting Around
The Almaty metro faced many delays in construction and was only opened in 2018, making it only the second metro in Central Asia as well as the most recent – so it’s worth a trip if you’re interested in transportation.
One ride costs 80 Tenge for a token, which you insert in the turnstile to enter. The stations are very deep, with very long escalators, so it can take a little while to get down to the train itself. The station architecture and art is new and very elaborate. It is not the most convenient way to get around, but very new and clean.
Bonus: Eating Out
Barbecue Yard (Kabanbai Batyr St 40, Almaty 050000) is a local shashlik restaurant located near Central Park. While this might be stretching the definition of “cheap” a little, two people can have an amazing meal here for 4000 Tenge. There is a large variety of Shashlik (skewers), and the outdoor seating provides a view of the chefs cooking them on open flame. Cold draft beers are 700 Tenge.
Service is super friendly even though the staff speak very limited English. There is an English menu provided if you ask, but you can also go directly to the refrigerated counter and point out the skewers you want. The bread on grill is a nice cheap side. This is a great place to have a few skewers, bread, and drinks at the end of a long day of sightseeing.
