Things to do in Almaty

Nature · Medeu gorge, ~20 km south

The world's highest-altitude Olympic-size speed-skating rink at 1,691 m, with a gondola continuing up to the Shymbulak ski area above it.

Local tip: Take bus 12 from Dostyk Avenue rather than a taxi at weekends — the gorge road jams solid. Skating at Medeu is cheap and open to the public; the gondola runs year-round for the summer hiking.

Food · Zhibek Zholy

The city's central market — horse sausage, Korean salads from the deported Koryo-saram community, dried fruit walls and the best cheap lunch in Almaty.

Local tip: The Korean salad row on the ground floor is the genuinely distinctive bit and exists nowhere in Western Europe. Bring cash or Kaspi QR; haggle politely on dried fruit and nuts.

Landmark · South-east ridge

The hill above the city with the TV tower, reached by cable car from Dostyk Avenue — the standard first-evening orientation view.

Local tip: Go up at dusk on a clear winter day AFTER a snowfall: that is when the inversion clears and you can actually see the Alatau range behind the city.

Culture · Central

A wooden Russian Orthodox cathedral from 1907 built without nails, standing in the city's central park alongside the Soviet war memorial.

Local tip: It survived the 1911 earthquake that levelled much of the city — which is why local architects still cite it in seismic-design arguments.

Neighborhood · Central

The pedestrianised spine of the old centre — buskers, book stalls, cafés and the informal meeting point of downtown Almaty.

Local tip: The side streets between Panfilov and Furmanov hold the specialty coffee scene where remote workers actually sit. Most have fast Wi-Fi and no time limit.

Nature · 28 km and 200 km out

A turquoise glacial reservoir an hour above the city, and the red sandstone canyon of the Charyn river three hours east.

Local tip: Big Almaty Lake sits in a border-zone water-protection area — permits and access rules change, so check before driving up rather than being turned back at the checkpoint.