A Week in Almaty Kazakhstan – Perfect Day-wise Itinerary

Imagine a city with parks, beautiful cafes, and surrounded by mountains. Seems to be a dream city? Well, this is Almaty, Kazakhstan. A popular destination among travellers looking for offbeat places. The city is surrounded by the Ili Alatau Mountain ranges. Lakes and treks with beautiful landscapes on the outskirts, perfect for day trips.

It offers 14–day visa-free entry for Indian citizens and a 3-hour journey with direct flights from major Indian cities. Moreover, it is a budget-friendly country with ample Indian restaurants. It is easy to commute around the city in cabs at an affordable price.

You will easily find Luxury Apartments and Hotels to stay in the city. People in Almaty are friendly and always happy to help. Although, many of them do not speak English, they try to help you. Shop from the Local Bazaars. Also, you will find luxury malls with local and international brands. Friendly locals, luxury apartments, beautiful landscapes, and local bazaars for shopping. This makes it a perfect place to plan your next trip.

I have jotted down all the important tips and a perfect 7-day Almaty, Kazakhstan day-wise itinerary from India, as well as a 10-day Kazakhstan itinerary, in the blog post.

The best Time to visit Almaty, Kazakhstan, is from April to June during spring and September to October during autumn. The weather is good during these months. Summers are from June to August, when the weather is warm. Winters are from November to March. Although the weather during these months is cold, it is perfect for skiing.

Almaty is a big city. A few attractions, the Panfilov Park and Arbat Street, are lively. The best place to stay in Almaty city is near these areas. You will find several dining options nearby. There are several good cafes around.

CLICK HERE to find the best deals on accommodations at the above locations in Almaty Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan provides a 14-day visa–free entry for Indian citizens. You can easily plan your trip within 14 days. I recommend visiting the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan. It is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains.

Almaty, Kazakhstan, is a 3-hour flight from India. You will get direct flights from the two major cities, Mumbai and Delhi. I had an amazing experience flying with Air Astana, a comfortable flight with entertainment, meals and surprise goodies. There are a few other flight options, too.

The Local Currency of Kazakhstan is the Tenge. Well, it is difficult to find Tenge in India. I recommend carrying US Dollars, which can be easily exchanged. There are several currency exchange centres in the city. You may find it difficult to use a debit or credit card in Almaty. It is advised to carry enough dollars for a hassle-free travel. You may need cash to pay for cabs and in a few restaurants. Almaty, Kazakhstan, has a payment app mostly used by locals. So, you may need to pay in cash in some places and shop from local Bazaars.

Commuting in Almaty Kazakhstan, is easy and convenient. You can download the Yandex Go App. This is one of the best apps for booking cabs in Almaty. I recommend booking the cabs through the Yandex Go App rather than taking a local taxi. It is good to book Yandex Go Cabs to avoid the taxi scams. You will have to pay the amount mentioned on the app. This makes hassle–free travel.

The Yandex Go app is also useful for directions. Google Maps is not very useful for navigating around the city. Download the Yandex Go App before visiting Almaty, as you may need to book a cab from the airport. Click Here to download the app.

CLICK HERE to download the YandexGo App

The countryside of Almaty is filled with beautiful lakes, waterfalls, and mountain ranges. There are several day trip options from Almaty city. You can visit famous lakes and canyons near the city. You will need to book such day tours in advance. You will find several options to book the tours. CLICK HERE to book such tours.

Almaty has good food options, especially Indian food. It is easy to find an Indian restaurant in Almaty. We visited different Indian Restaurants during our stay. There are good Pizza Places. You will also find vegetarian Pizzas at these places. There are ample good cafes in the city with a beautiful ambience serving the best coffee. Below is the list of places we visited

Spice Mantra (My Favourite)

Chef and Sweets (serves the best chaat and Chhole Bhature)

Namo Indian Restaurants (Serves Dosa)

Tandoor (North Indian Food)

Dodo Pizza

Papa Johns

Also Read, 12 Things To Know Before You Visit Almaty

I have curated a perfect itinerary for Almaty, Kazakhstan. It includes the popular attractions to explore the city, day trips, and shopping. A perfect 1-week plan which covers all the major places you should visit in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

We took a direct flight from Mumbai to Almaty. A comfortable 3-hour flight to Almaty, Kazakhstan. We flew with Air Astana. Had an amazing flight experience. The facilities were top-notch: entertainment, comfortable seats, meals, and a helpful crew. They gave us goodies, which was a surprise for us. The hospitality was great. I would recommend flying through Air Astana to Almaty.

On Day 1, we reached late in the evening. Once we reached Almaty International Airport, after the immigration process, we proceeded towards the exit. The Immigration was easy and fast. We first bought a SIM card at the Airport. Several stores are selling SIM cards at the airport. We bought one from Beeline, which worked well in the city and also on the outskirts. I recommend buying a local SIM, as you may need a local number to book cabs, order food, or contact local services. We needed a local number to contact the office of a particular attraction for some queries. We then booked a cab through the YandexGo App and headed to our apartment.

We arrived late at the Apartment. AS we were too tired to explore around on Day 1, we decided to rest and relax in the Apartment. Our apartment had amazing city views. It had everything to conveniently spend a week.

The next day, we planned to explore the city. We planned to explore the local area near the apartment. This helped us to understand the local culture and people. My first impressions of Almaty: it is surrounded by beautiful parks, huge pathways with trees, and beautiful cafes serving amazing coffee. The cafes in Almaty are aesthetically designed with perfect outdoor seating and a European vibe.

We visited a supermarket near our apartment to buy groceries. There are supermarkets with ample products. As we stayed in an apartment, we bought some groceries to cook. The locals helped us to find what we needed in the supermarket as the names of the products were written in the local language. We then decided to visit the main attractions in the city..

In the evening, we visited the first attraction, the Panfilov Park. This is one of the popular parks in Almaty. It is home to two popular attractions, the Ascension Cathedral and the Statue of 24 Guardsmen. Panfilov Park is a spacious park There are benches to sit around and have a good time in the evening.

We visited the Ascension Cathedral inside the Park. The Cathedral has beautiful architecture. We clicked some pictures near the cathedral. The next place we visited inside the park is The Statue of 24 Guardsmen. The Statue is built in memory of the 24 Guardsmen who played an important Role in World War 2.

We then headed towards the Arbat Street, a popular street in Almaty, which comes alive in the evening. The street is dazzling, full of lights, with local artists performing. You will find amazing dancers and singers on the street performing live. There are ample dining options and cafes to spend a good evening.

We planned to explore the outskirts of the city on the third day. Almaty is surrounded by the beautiful Ili Alatau Mountain Ranges. It has a beautiful countryside. We visited the Shymbulak Ski Resort.

This is one of the beautiful places to visit in Almaty. It is a Ski Resort. The Resort has cable cars to go to the top of the mountains, from where you can see beautiful scenic views. The resort has three different levels on the mountain ranges.

Each level has restaurants and cafes with beautiful scenic views. Buy the cable-car tickets from the base station. The view of the mountains filled with pine trees is incredible. We clicked many pictures along the way from the cable car.

I recommend visiting the last level of the mountain top. Have a look at some incredible views from here. Also, the café at the top has a beautiful ambience with the scenic views. We visited the resort in the month of May and were lucky to see some snow. I recommend visiting the resort early in the morning, as you may take at least 4 – 5 hours to explore. Also, it closes early in the evening. The Resort also provides accommodation. You can book a stay at this resort for a unique experience. Click Here to get the best deals to book a stay at Shymbulak Ski Resort.

We spent the whole day at the Resort and then the rest of the time relaxing in our apartment.

We began our day late in the afternoon. We visited Central Park late afternoon. Almaty city has beautiful and spacious parks. I was amazed by huge parks with green trees and walkways. Every city should have such spaces to unwind with a breath of fresh air.

Central Park also has amusement rides for kids. There are many activities to do at the park. There are beautiful vintage horse carts, toy trains, toy buses, and many more fun activities for kids. A perfect place to spend an evening in Almaty. You can enjoy some ice cream from the stalls inside the park.

Later in the evening, we visited Kok Tobe, another interesting place in Almaty. This place is on a hilltop right in the city centre. It is a beautiful place on a hilltop with fun activities, cafes, and restaurants. You can reach the hilltop by cable car. There is a fee for the cable car. We enjoyed watching the beautiful city views from the cable car.

The best time to visit Kok Tobe is in the evenings. You can see the sunsets and sip on a coffee. Click pictures of the breathtaking city views. Enjoy adventure and fun activities. You can easily spend 4 -5 hours at this place.

Also Read, 5 Places You Must Visit in Almaty

We headed to visit one of the beautiful lakes in Kazakhstan. Issyk Lake is a 3-hour drive from Almaty city. You can opt for a day tour to the Issyk Lake and Bear Waterfall. We booked a private tour to visit these places.

Kazakhstan is known for its beautiful Lakes. Issyk Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. A green coloured lake surrounded by beautiful pine trees in the mountains. The place looks like a painting.

The next place is Bear Waterfall, an hour away from Issyk Lake. You need to trek to visit the Waterfall. The trek towards the waterfall is beautiful. It takes one hour to get to the waterfall. The trek is filled with small streams, wooden bridges, and greenery. The journey is more interesting than the destination. It was a wonderful experience visiting the waterfall.

You can easily visit these two places in a day. In the evening, we returned to the city and relaxed in the apartment.

Also Read, A Day Trip To Issyk Lake and Bear Waterfall

Luxury Malls to Local Bazaars, shop from these amazing places in the city. Buy local products and souvenirs from the Local Bazaars and the luxury brand products from the malls. These are the places you should shop from in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

This is one of the popular places to shop in Almaty. You must visit Green Bazaar. It is a huge and spacious market with local products, souvenirs, bags, and clothes. You will find a variety of dry fruits to take back home. The dry fruits are fresh and good. I tried the chocolate walnut, which is a must-buy.

You will also find a separate section for clothing. You will mainly find products for women, like clothes, bags, shoes. You can also buy souvenirs to take back home. The Bazaar has all the products under one roof. You can easily spend 3–4 hours in the market, so do plan your trip accordingly.

Another interesting place you can visit is one of my favourites, the Lotte Chocolate factory. The chocolate factory is located near the Green Bazaar. The chocolate pie is one of my favourites. Although you cannot visit the factory, you can buy fresh chocolates from a shop located outside the factory. We bought the chocolate pie. They also have a variety of candies. You can buy these chocolates to take back home for your friends and family.

Do not miss visiting this mall in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Mega Mall is one of the biggest malls in the city. It is home to several luxury brand stores and local brand stores. You will find stores like H&M and Zara. We visited a sports store with good track pants and backpacks. LC Waikiki is one of my favourite stores in the mall. I shopped for some good, trendy clothes at a reasonable price at this store. You will find several dining options and cafes in the mall. You can dine in at these places after shopping.

Also Read, A Guide To Shopping Places in Almaty

There are a few more places worth visiting near Almaty. You can visit the canyons and the beautiful Kandy and Kolsai Lakes. You can opt for a day trip to these places. There are options for a 2-day trip. You can add these two days to the above 1-week itinerary for a 10-day trip.

This will be your ultimate Itinerary to plan a Perfect Trip to Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Refer the below detailed video Tour for a Perfect week long Trip to Almaty