Almaty Things to Do

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Located in Panfilov Park at the northern end of Dostyk Av this is in my opinion one of the most attractive buildings in Almaty. The outside is just beautiful especially on a snowy morning.
The inside is no less impressive, really go inside you just have to.

This Russian Orthodox cathedral is built entirely of wood, no nails either. Just amazing. Also one of the few Tzarist buildings to survive the big earthquake of 1911.

Go and visit.....

Almaty's main square is the largest and most picturesque in the city,with magnificent ensemble of modern architectire.The square will always be associated with the memory of those who died in tragic events of december 1986-the protest by Kazakh students.

To the south-east are the President's Southern Residence,the former government building(now the Akimat or city hall) and the national television centre.The Central State Museum is situated east of the square,and the Regent Ankara Hotel is on the western side.The architectural ensemble is completed by two high rise residential blocks and the adjacent buildings with Eastern-style stained glass windows.

Fountains cascade down Baiseitova st. all the way to Old Square.On the clear day they make a stunning picture with Republic Square and Alatau mountains in the background.
There is a platform above the square from which state officials used to watch processions,parades and ceremonies now there is an art gallery under it..

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This is a hill on one of the Alatau ridges,site of Almaty's television broad-casting tower.
Kok-tyube(green peak),so called because it is covered with grass and bushes,is 1070 meters high.On a clear day you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of Almaty from the viewing platform on top of the hill.
There are several ways of getting there you can either take the cable which links Kok-Tyube with Abai Square on Dostyk Avenue(open every day),or you can drive up:head south along Dostyk,then turn east just south of the hotel Alatau.
You can also walk up the hill along one of the little streets east of Luganskovo.
There are several pleasant restaurant and cafes at the top.

The television tower is a useful landmark for tourist since it can be seen from any point in the city.Reaching 1000 meters above sea level,the tower itself is 327 meters tall and has viewing platform at a height of 146 meters.

Atmaty's central bath-house is situated in a large,impressive dome-shaped building opposite Panfilov Park.
Three types of bath are available at the Arasan:Russian,Finnish and Turkish.The Russian and Finnish barths share the same plunge pool and you can try both one ticket.The Finnish bath is dry while the Russian version is a sea of steam.
The Turkish bath consist of stone platforms heated to three different temperatures and a plunge pool.Various kinds of massage are on offer.

This architectural landmark is one of just eight unique wooden structures in the world.The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Ascension has a striking beauty and splendour.It was built in 1904-1907,designed by the architect A.Zenkov with wall paintings by Nikolai Khludov.The cathedral is about 50 meters high yet,interestingly,it withstood the very severe earthquake of 1910.
Used as a museum during the Soviet peroid,the cathedral reopened for church services in 1997.There is small souvenir stand inside where Orthodox devotional items can be purchased.

The central market,otherwise known as the Green Bazaar,brings to life the finest traditions of the Asian Bazaar.
This is not a market,but a meeting place of various Asian cultures in miniature.You can sample the wealth of produce grown throughout Central Asia as many of the farmers have come from neighbouring countries.
In the bazaar's open courtyard there are numerous shashlyk stands,a flea market,flower stalls and a restaurant serving local dishes.
The fruit and vegetables at the Green Bazaar are extremely good value in summer.

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Almaty's second largest square was designed in 1957 by central planners in Moscow and is therefore completely different in style from Republic Square.
Here stands the former Parliament Building,where until the capital was moved to Astana fateful decisions were made;it was here that first Parliment in Kazakhstan's history adopted the first Constitution as a sovereign state.The building now houses the Kazakh-British Technical University.
The former parliament is surrounded on all sides by pretty public gardens with flower beds and fountains.

From the southern side of the city, it's possible to take a pleasant cble car ride to the top of one of the nearby mountains. There are no Alpine vistas here; that's further to the South, but the view fof the city from the top is nice, and the view to the other, uninhabited side is scenic. Better still, there' are several pleasant places at the top to enjoy a beer, a snack, or a meal. No english spoken at the ticket offices, but the waiter at the restaurant where I ate had a few words of English, and there was an English version of the menu.