Astana, Kazakhstan is one of the weirdest places I have ever visited. If you even just Google “Astana”, you will find several other people using the word “weird” as a word to describe the city of just over a million people in the middle of the Kazakh steppe. Despite it having a rather extensive history, most people know the modern Astana and not the Soviet city of Tselinograd.
In 1992, the government of Kazakhstan renamed Tselinograd Akmola and in December of 1997, Akmola became the new capital of Kazakhstan (Almaty previously held the honors). In May of 1998, Akmola was renamed Astana, a word that literally means ‘the capital city’ in the Kazakh language.
Astana, a planned city just like Washington D.C., Canberra, or Brasilia, was more or less build from the ground up. The city sits on the Ishim River / Esil River and you can find remnants of the old city on the right bank of the river… but the left bank is the bank that has gained international recognition.
The left bank is where the Baiterek tower is and where all the modern architecture calls home. The city ignited my curiosity years ago when I was reading up on the country of Kazakhstan and decided to travel there one day (I eventually moved there, but that is another story). Since I have traveled to Astana, I get heaps and heaps of questions from other travelers wondering if they should travel to Astana, Kazakstan. I decided to candidly write my experiences and opinions on my time spent in the Kazakh capital and hope you take the time to do some thorough research before heading there or having any expectations.
This post will tell you about my experiences in Astana, how it made me appreciate Almaty (and later move there!), and things to do in Astana if you so happen to find yourself there.
In this post...
How I Ended Up in Astana
If you’re from Astana, Kazakhstan and don’t have tough skin, you may want to stop reading this post now.
My trip to Central Asia was supposed to be mainly to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan was always a very high place on my mental travel bucket list because I’m obsessed with the food and I have a friend from there. Tashkent had cheap flights from Oslo, but Bishkek’s were cheaper, and Americans do not need a visa for Kyrgyzstan, which made it a better base at the time. So I planned to head to both in the month of travel I had allotted. (Update 2017: Americans and many other nationalities don’t need visas to Kazakhstan anymore if staying under 30 days).
After realizing I’d be spending a little over a day in Moscow and needing to pay for an expensive transit visa (they are $160 for Americans) in order to get out of the airport, my plans to head to Uzbekistan kind of diminished. For Americans traveling to Uzbekistan, you are required to have a letter of invitation and another $160 visa. The LOI can wind up being expensive because if you book through a tour company, you often need to book hotels through them, as well. And with my financial situation, I am in no position to be staying at nice hotels… only hostels.
When I realized all of that, I also discovered that two of my friends had just moved to Kazakhstan for their jobs. They moved to two completely different areas of the country. I figured that this trip would be an opportune time to visit them both and see a little bit of Kazakhstan in the process. Kazakhstan visas are also $160, but no LOI is required and I could stay wherever I wanted throughout the duration of the trip. In conclusion, the circumstances took me to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
One of my friends was in Kostanay and the other was in Almaty. Kostanay is a very remote city of around 200,000 up in the northern part of the country near the Siberian part of Russia. The cheapest way to get to Kostanay was to fly to Astana from Bishkek and then to take a 13+ hour train to the city. This was the first reason I had to pass through Astana. The second was on my way back from Kostanay before I headed to Karaganda (a city around 3 hours from Astana) to catch a flight down to Almaty.
For those of you who do not know, Kazakhstan is huge. It is the 9th largest country in the world and has very little in its vastness. The north of Kazakhstan (which is where Astana is) is known to be brutally cold in winter, with wind chills of -40C / -40F regularly as the wind blows across the Kazakh steppe. The south of Kazakhstan (which is where Almaty is), is a bit warmer and surrounded by tall mountains.
So, my itinerary in Kazakhstan ended up being Kostanay, Astana, Karaganda, and finally finishing off the Kazakhstan part of my trip with a full week in Almaty. I left other places out due to time and knowing that I’d like to travel back one day to see things during warmer months.
Kostanay and Karaganda were charming and places I really enjoyed my time at. That brings me to Astana and Almaty…
The two cities are on completely different planets. Almaty’s planet being one I’d like to live on and Astana’s planet being one I’d like to see sucked into a black hole forever.
My Time in Astana (& Why it Made Me Love Almaty)
Astana is, hands down, the worst city I have ever visited in my life. I hated my time there.
The cold had nothing to do with it. Quite frankly, Almaty has been colder than Astana was when I was there. Astana was just fake, rude, and uninviting. I visited both the left bank (the newer, Dubai– like part of Astana) and the right bank (the old part of the city). Both were uninspiring and left a lot to be desired, in my opinion.
I’ll admit, my time spent there before heading to Kostanay was filled with entertainment in the train station as I had to wait around 12 hours to catch my night train out of the place. In this train station, I witnessed an old beggar lady being kicked hard on the ground by a female police officer for what looked like the lady eating a block of cheese (my Russian skills are obviously pretty poor).
I also witnessed a woman pull out a training potty for her son in the middle of the train station, have him pee in it, and then she dumped the pee back in his diaper, missing the diaper with the majority of it. I had someone careen over to me violently to stop me from dare charging my phone in a power outlet (if only I had brought a portable solar panel charger with me, ugh). Needless to say, she never cleaned it up off the floor. I also was pushed and beaten trying to buy the train ticket in the first place by vodka-smelling, sweaty men. I left Astana appalled.
I got back to the city about four days later with a completely open mind and was ready to enjoy the place.
And I still didn’t like it. I asked people for restaurant recommendations and was treated to some overpriced, horrific food in the process. I still believe that people were playing a joke on me. There were a couple of local girls in my hostel who were nice, but the rudest people I’ve ever met when it came to the living situation.
I often asked people what there was to do in Astana besides go shopping, and was often told that there was an indoor ‘beach’ on the roof of Khan Shatyr, a large shopping mall. When I told them that wasn’t my thing, it was often addressed with, “But the sand has been imported from Dubai”. I later found out that the sand is from the Maldives, just to update you.
The city also thought it would be charming to replicate famous buildings around the world like Moscow’s famous Seven Sisters buildings. Or the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation resembling a pyramid. Or the Presidential Palace resembling Washington D.C.’s White House. Or the Kay Munay Gaz building resembling Atlantis in the Bahamas. And now there is major construction happening in the left bank to build a high tower like some of the ones gracing Dubai’s skyline.
My last day in Astana was spent making an intentional venture around the city to find three things I liked about it. I honestly came up blank. The only thing that came remotely close was my discovery of a business lounge in the train station that was free, had good beer and decent samsas, and didn’t yell at me for trying to charge my computer or phone with the outlets inside. It also acted as a refuge from the police officers harassing people in the main train station.
Astana had no soul. No heart. No charm. I don’t have any desire to return to the city. Unless I am sent on some type of work duty, which would be more or less out of my control.
I left Astana with such disgust that I just wasn’t sure if Kazakhstan as a whole could redeem itself. Thankfully, the job was left up to Almaty, the largest city by population and the former capital city.
Arriving in Almaty
Almaty rocks. In every way possible. I really, really love it here (I’m still here!) The people are kind and helpful, the buildings have stories to tell, and there are no indoor beaches with sand imported from Dubai or the Maldives, that I know of. Every meal I have had in Almaty has been delicious. Seeing the late sunrise reflect on the majestic mountains that decorate the city’s skyline makes me eager to wake up every single morning. And this city definitely knows a good cafe.
Almaty is one of those cities that actually inspires me to write. Not many places I’ve visited in the past year have had that impact on me. Many of my trips in 2013 have actually not even been written about on here because they have left me completely uninspired and apathetic after visiting. Thankfully, Almaty has broken the streak and has inspired me to even write about those cities that I, at once, couldn’t conjure up any words about.
Perhaps Almaty isn’t really all that great and I just arrived here at the right time, giving me the impression that it is grander than what it actually is. Or perhaps it is just a really incredible city. Whatever it is, Almaty has easily become one of my favorite cities in the world. It is developed enough to feel comfortable, but foreign enough to feel intriguing. It is large enough to feel like an important metropolis but small enough to walk around without getting dangerously lost.
Update: I ended up loving Almaty so much back when I traveled there that I opted to move there for three months at the end of 2016 when I didn’t have a visa for Schengen. I can confirm that the city is still incredible and deserves every bit of recognition and love that it receives.
Is Astana Worth Your Time?
I have never once on this blog attempted to steer people away from a destination. I’m a firm believer that people can have different experiences in different places and that you should make your own judgments about a place. However, it is very difficult for me to suggest Astana as a city for travelers to the region and it is for a few reasons:
The first reason is that Central Asia has no shortage of historical places and things to see. The region is historically one of the most important on the planet. If you’re curious about the modern state of Kazakhstan, perhaps a visit to Astana is a good idea. But if you’re seeking out Silk Road history, you should make your way to Shymkent and the south.
The second reason is its location. If you don’t have the means to fly to Astana, you will have to really put in some effort to travel there. The trains from Almaty can be an entire day long. That is an entire day that you can spend elsewhere. If Astana was a city located within an eight-hour journey of Almaty or other places in Central Asia, I would highly encourage the trip there as it offers contrasts and varying architecture. But would I take a 20-hour train there if I only have two weeks in the city? No way.
The third reason is the weather. When I was there, it was a comfortable -20C or even warmer. As I mentioned above, it can get to -40C and you’re on the steppe. The wind blows and can physically bring pain to your entire body. I was used to cold temperatures having lived in Oslo, so this factor didn’t really bother me, but if you’re not a winter traveler or love cold temperatures, maybe a trip to Astana during colder months isn’t for you. With that said, I found Almaty’s weather to be far worse temperature-wise than Astana’s. Perhaps it was the humidity…
In 2013, I would have said to steer clear of Astana at all costs. Having lived in Kazakhstan in 2016, however, I would encourage you to go if you have the time. I almost even booked a ticket back there for this November (and still might!) as Wizz Air is offering cheap deals from Budapest currently. I always said I wouldn’t go back, but the city has 2017 Expo and it seems to have done well with it and it appears to have infused a new life and optimism in the people of the city. Plus, there is nothing more I love than proving myself wrong about a place.
What To Do in Astana
So you have found yourself in Astana… now, what are you going to do there?
The city has quite a few buildings that worth noting for the architectural savvy traveler. The food has apparently come a lot way from when I was there. The parks are in abundance and museums are teaching travelers and their visitors about the history of the city. You can also check out the right bank, where the Soviet-side of the city still exists. Basically, there are definitely some things to do in Astana if you happen to find yourself there.
Architecture
The most obvious thing to do in Astana is to check out the modern and futuristic architecture the city boasts. There is no shortage of cool buildings in the city, but the ones listed below are the ones I found to be most worthwhile.
Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center
This is a giant mall and entertainment center located in a building that looks like a tent. Ugh yes, I am suggesting you check out the mall. But this mall is different. It supports quite a few businesses, but the inside of it is interesting and the design is absolutely remarkable. There are rides inside, a nice food court, and even the indoor beach I mentioned above. The shopping mecca was a project announced by President Nursultan Nazarbayev on December 9, 2006, and the doors finally opened on July 5, 2010.
Nur-Astana Mosque
The third largest mosque in Central Asia, the Nur-Astana is a sight to behold with one’s own eyes. Something about the white color of it situated against the steppe and clear skies just make it standout. The mosque was a gift as a result of an agreement between Nursultan Nazarbayev and Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa. The capacity is 5,000 on the inside and another 2,000 on the outside… making it a must-see, even if just for size, when in Astana.
Ak Orda Presidential Palace
The Presidential Palace in Astana is a grandiose palace that is the official workplace of the President of Kazakhstan. It was constructed quickly and opened in 2004. The palace can be found on the 10,000 Tenge note.
Northern Lights Astana
Some people will tell you to go to the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation or to the Triumph of Astana over this building, but I really liked this one because of the way it glistened under pristine and blue skies. It was simple, yet visually complex and beautiful. This office and residential building opened in early 2010.
Baiterek Tower
Perhaps the most famous landmark in Astana, this 97-meter high tower (and yes, you can visit its top!) is nicknamed “Chupa Chups” like the lollipop by local residents. The queue can be long, so make sure you plan ahead.
<Baiterek is on the left>
If you’re looking to get out of the city a bit, I ended up back in Astana during the autumn and can highly recommend a day trip or overnight trip to Borovoe. I absolutely loved this area of Kazakhstan and it was a nice retreat from the city life.
Where to Eat in Astana
Do not eat at the rotating restaurant no matter how many people tell you to go up there. The building was located right beside the residential building I was staying at and it was a major mistake. The restaurant is Chinese and Kazakh and the rotating nature of it made me feel ill. But not nearly as ill as the food made me ill after eating it. I ordered the national dish of Kazakhstan, beshbarmak, and it was just awful. Below are some recommended suggestions from other sources:
Astana, Kazakhstan restaurants
The Ultimate Guide Where to Eat in Astana (please ignore the Revolving Restaurant recommendation they give you)
I will also add Line Brew to this list. Line Brew is a place I’ve been too many times to count in Almaty and they brew their own beer and cook tasty Kazakh and international food right in front of you. It isn’t really the best place for vegan or vegetarians in Almaty or Astana, but it is worth a try- and their beer is good! You can find the Astana location at Kenesary St 20.
Specialty Coffee in Astana
When I was in Astana, no specialty coffee existed! So imagine my excitement when my friends report back that there is good coffee to be found in the capital city. The Ministry of Coffee (or Министерство Кофе) has been serving up superb coffee since they opened their doors in Astana. They have everything from V60 pourovers to Syphon to long blacks and flat whites. You can find them at Kuneyeva Street 35.
Where to Stay in Astana
The place I previously stayed seems to no longer be in business (not really surprising- such is life in Kazakhstan). Astana has the standard Marriotts and the luxurious Rixos Hotel, but plenty of affordable hostels and rooms are available these days (definitely different than when I was there!) and you can search for them on Booking.com.
Final Thoughts on Astana
So, I didn’t like the city. Obviously not a secret if you’ve read this far. And years ago, I would have concluded that I’d never, ever make it back to the place unless someone pulled my teeth out. But I have since lived in Kazakhstan. I’ve chatted with some of my Kazakh friends about the city and I even have some friends that reside in the city.
It may not have been my cup of tea that time around, but with the Expo and everything else that has transformed the place since, I would actually give it another shot in hopes of being able to slap myself in the face from having such hateful thoughts about it the first time around. If you have any suggestions of what to see or do in the city or want to share an opinion about your time spent there, please do so in the comments! And stick around- one day I’ll certainly be writing a sequel to this.
Megan is a travel blogger and writer with a background in digital marketing. Originally from Richmond, VA, she now splits her time between Frankfurt, Germany and Arctic Finland after also living in Norway, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. She has a passion for winter travel, as well as the Nordic countries, but you can also find her eating her way through Italy, perusing perfume stores in Paris, or taking road trips through the USA. Megan has written for or been featured by National Geographic, Forbes, Lonely Planet, the New York Times, and more. She co-authored Fodor’s Travel ‘Essential Norway’ and has visited 45 US states and 100+ countries.
The most ridiculous thing about your post that you called Kostanay and Karagandy “charming” places. Are you kidding me? I’ve been to these places many times, and I will admit: there’s absolutely nothing to do after couple hours…nothing special about these cities. It’s unbelievable that someone would even try to compare them to Astana.
Karina…perhaps you dont know the meaning of charming. Charming and having loads to do in a city is not the same thing. Sure, there is not much to do in Karaganda and Kostanay after a few hours…but that doesnt mean they are not charming.
And if you reread the post, youll notice that i never once compared astana to karaganda or kostanay. i compared it to almaty. which in point, astana sucks compared to almaty. point blank.
thanks for your comment, but in all do respect, its better to read the actual post before making comments that make you sound a little presumptuous.
Strange, when people make their conclusions out of a couple of days short-stay… I agree that Astana looks a bit strange and cheap with its ridiculous sky-high prices, no places to go for foreigners (unless you’re interested in Opera, Ballet and Сlassical music – you can visit many of those pathetic newly built Palaces and Pyramids), yes, Astana has that weird plastic and artificial appearance and cheap copies of the world’s famous buildings. Yes, it’s cold. Yes, it’s rude. But NOT more and NOT less than any other city, when you are a stranger, with no language, no friends and no company to support. I live in Almaty. I adore it. But there’re lots of disadvantages in Almaty, too: pollution, traffic, ridiculously expensive cars among people living in poverty. Dirt, the same rudeness and the same openness of local people, the same cordial hospitality of locals and the same smell of drunk-beggars, like everywhere!
When you’re a lonely tourist, thinngs often get complicated and it can happen everywhere… the day before yesterday I was diplomatically humilited in Berlin’s Reichstag by the security officer for bringing my Russian friends who didn’t speak German and didnt bring thier passports (that’s our fault, totally!) but officially and logically it was more or less reasonable, though didnt give the right to speak to people with such a tone and such a face… I took it for granted. We were just a crowd of annzing foreign toursists to them, whom they face thousands and thousands daily, fulfilling thier work. Should I make a conclusions that all Germans are like that??? NO! no and no. It’s just a circumstance.
I wouldn’t say that I love Astana. For the same reasons – for its artificial cheapness and expensiveness I would say I feel a bit mockingly towards this little city of big buildings… for its provincial fleur, for poor manners of waitresses (former little-villagers who headed to the Big City for their fortune), for awkward 80s’ style of out-of-fashion women in Chinese furcoats, for stupid Lexus driving Big Dad’s sons who have not earned a penny at thier 25 years, but who show up thier assets to each other… for absence of good cosy coffee-houses, for presence of absurd luxurious restaurant at every corner where they can’t even serve the table decently, for many other little clumsy ooopsies…
BUT there’s a spirit of Youth and Young Energy there, open to all steppe winds. An energy of future, an energy of hope…
Remember, how many newly-born cities (it is only 15 years old!) in the world can claim to be the most popular (if appeared out of nothing! from an empty place!) how many 15-years-in-existance cities built so fast, can boast with thier Highly civilized publique and cultural life? not many.
So, I wish you to see the better part and better people in Astana again (come, please! contact me, as I’ll be back to homeland next summer) and witness by your own eyes, that not only buildings and good coffee make a place cosy! ;-)
I wish you good luck and success in all your destinations. And thanks for warm words about my beloved Almaty. BUT MOREOVER, THANKS A LOT for honesty in your post!
That’s a good lesson for Astana’s folks. And for the rest of us^ as Astana consists of people coming from all parts of KZ, who live there, who work there, who will stay there forever…
i would have tore my brains out if i had stayed there longer than the five days i did, unfortunately. and actually, you reference how i was all alone in astana. i wasnt. i was surrounded by people and friends the entire time. all were actually FROM astana. and strangely enough, all hate the city. every single person told me to get to almaty. after giving the city an open mind twice, i cant say i at all disagree with their suggestion.
if astana was in close proximity to almaty or any other major city, i would never deter people from going there because it wouldnt be out of their way. but the fact of the matter is, it is out of the way for EVERYONE who is in the area. so people have to make a special trip to go there. and no offense, travelers money is better spent not going.
thank you for your comment and i hope youre enjoying almaty! i wont be coming back to astana, unfortunately, but thanks for your offer! i really appreciate it!
I live in Almaty. And will be bakc there in summer (now Im out of counrty). and wish you all the best in you adventures and trips! (I read about your Belarus journey, I love Belorussian people! Glad you were lucky and got lots of positive impressions there!) ;-) good luck, Zhanna K.
thanks so much zhanna! and happy new year to you!
Nice to read and feel so much passion in your little journey story. I spent whole my childhood in small town and then moved to Almaty and have been to Astana several times. The point you made about the people behaviour is absolutely right and it is due to most of the countryside people moving to Astana to seek job, because in small towns there are no jobs and it is done purposely to shift people to Astana and make it megapolis and all that stuff. Most of the people are not so good educated and it is the government’s failure, they’ve all that funds to invest and build lovely unique buildings,etc. but they just wanna copy everything out and with very very bad quality. Even the notes are disgusting, they just changed it for the sake of change and it is just money laundering. We used to have lovely notes with great people portraits and beautiful places’ picture at the back, but now it is so ugly with this stupid Bayterek(just 97 metres) which they are proud of just because it is unique and idea of “leader of nation”….
But Almaty is different, even people behave differently. It is very multinational city with well-eduacted people and lots of theatres, museums, historical places, etc. There are so many beautiful sight especially if you climb on a mountain, also lovely Medeum skating complex(highest in the world), skiing resourt Chimbulak. There are many lovely restaurant and cafes serving all kind of food from Chinese to Caucasian… and they just wanna destroy all that, history, beautiful places. They even got our mayor and instead of him put some stupid as**le, who just destroys the city(does not even clean the roads from snow and does not gather broken trees in the mountain and as result getting fire). But still, I just love this city and would recommend to anyone willing to visit Central Asia. Thanks;)
i thought almaty was one of the greatest cities ive ever visited! it is really sad to hear about some of the behind the scenes things going on in the country. i hope people fight for what is right. id hate to see almaty lose a bit of its charm due to those things.
and the food in almaty was out of this world…i was very impressed! and im usually not that impressed with food in most places ;) thanks for your comment and happy new year!
100% agree with your opinions. It is not just the cold, as you said Astana has no soul, people are rude, there is nothing to do as a family, ridiculously expensive. In short, Astana is FAKE city which try to copy world structures in a low quality.
I live in Astana for a business reason then finally convinced my management to move to Almaty.
i cant blame you at all for trying to get to almaty. while i think astana would be slightly better to live in than visit (and i mean, very slightly), i would never want to reside there if almaty was an option :) good luck!!!!