Almaty is a major city in Kazakhstan, popular among tourists. It is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains with interesting things to do and attractions. From nature lovers to those who love to explore cities, perfect place for everyone. You will find cafes and dining restaurants. These places often have an outdoor dining space with a European vibe. You will also find many shopping places in Almaty. The city is a blend of local and traditional culture. There are local bazaars and luxury malls for shopping. In this blog post, we will discuss the three best places to shop in the city. Let’s go shopping in Almaty and explore the best things to buy in Kazakhstan.
You will also get to know whether Kazakhstan is good for shopping. We will explore places for clothes shopping in Almaty, luxury shopping in Almaty, street shopping in Almaty, cheap shopping in Almaty, and local shopping in Almaty.
Green Bazaar – Must-Visit Place for Shopping in Almaty
This is one of the popular local Bazaars in Almaty. You cannot miss visiting the Green Bazaar when you visit Almaty. It is divided into various sections with stalls selling products like dry fruits, clothes, souvenirs, and local products. From the Dry Fruit Market to the clothes market, you will find a huge variety of products here. You will find all the products under one roof at Green Bazaar.
Kazakhstan is popular for its dry fruits. Some of the dry fruits are flavoured with chocolate. The chocolate walnuts in the bazaar are very good. This is one thing you can surely bring from Kazakhstan to India. The vendors at the stalls are very friendly and helpful. They showed me a variety of dry fruits. I got to taste some, too. I liked the chocolate walnuts. They were fresh and tasty as well.
After the dry fruit section, I visited the souvenir stalls on the street outside the Green Bazaar. You will find several stalls on the street selling toys and souvenirs. I visited the clothing section, which mainly had clothes for kids and women. The clothes were reasonably priced. You will find many stalls for women’s clothing. I was fascinated to see a wide variety of denim at some of these stalls. You will easily find clothes for bigger sizes too.
Some stores were selling local products of Kazakhstan. You can always shop for these products as a souvenir. These products depict the local culture and art of the place. It is good to carry local products back home.
Tips to Explore Green Bazaar like a Pro
- Brush up on your bargaining skills before visiting the Green Bazaar. If you are good at it, you can buy some products at the best prices.
- You will at least take 3 to 4 hours to explore the Bazaar. So, plan your visit accordingly.
- Visit the Bazaar early in the morning, as it may be closed by evening.
- Don’t miss visiting the Lotte Chocolate Factory next to Green Bazaar.
Lotte Chocolates – Best Chocolate Store in Almaty
Lotte Chocolates are very popular in India. So, we were excited to visit the factory and buy some fresh chocolates from their store. Lotte Chocolate Factory is located next to Green Bazaar. It is a 5-minute walk from Green Bazaar.
We visited the store located outside the factory to buy some chocolates. There were toffees too, which you could buy. The store is a chocolate heaven loaded with a variety of chocolates. We bought the popular Lotte Chocolate Pie. It is like a soft brownie stuffed with chocolate cream. They had a few other flavours too for these chocolates.
The Lotte Chocolate Pie is soft and relishing in taste. It is a small store. You will not take much time to buy the chocolates.
Tips To Explore the Lotte Chocolate Store
- Plan your visit when you visit the Green Bazaar, as this place is a 5-minute walk from the Bazaar.
- Buy their popular Chocolate Pie available in different flavours.
- Lotte Chocolates are amazing gifts to bring from Kazakhstan to India for your friends.
- You will need Google Translate to communicate with the locals to buy the chocolates.
Mega Alma-Ata – Best Mall for Shopping in Almaty
This is one of the best malls in Almaty city. You will find luxury stores to shop in this mall. There are stores with international and local brands. You will mostly find clothing stores in the mall. There are popular brands like Zara and H&M. The prices of these products are the same as in India.
We visited a store named SportsMaster. Although it is a store for sports products, you will find other products like clothes, caps, and bags here. These products are reasonably priced.
Another interesting store I visited is LC Waikiki. This is one of my favourite stores in the mall. I found a great selection of clothes at this store. I shopped for brand products at a reasonable price. There is a good collection of women’s tops and pants.
You will find several dining options and cafes in the mall. We had a coffee at one of the cafes in the mall. Almaty is known for its coffee shops. I recommend trying coffee at the cafes in the city. Also, the exterior of the mall is too huge. It is a spacious mall.
Tips to Explore Mega Alma-Ata
- You will at least take 4 to 5 hours to shop around in the mall. Plan your visit accordingly,
- There are popular brand stores like Zara and H&M, but do have a look at the local brand stores too. They also have a unique collection of products.
- There are stores like Sports Master and LC Waikiki for reasonably priced products.
- I recommend visiting the LC Waikiki Store, which has a good collection of women’s clothing.
Also Read Best 5 Places To Visit In Almaty
Recommendations for Shopping in Almaty
I would recommend keeping 2 Days for Shopping in Almaty
- On Day 1, you can go to Green Bazaar and Lotte Chocolates, and on the second day, visit the Mega Mall
- Brush up on your bargaining skills before visiting the Green Bazaar
- Buy the famous Chocolate Pie from the Lotte Chocolate Store
- Visit SportsMaster and LC Waikiki for reasonably priced products
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Have a look at a detailed video below to explore shopping in Almaty