Almaty is the easiest place to start in Central Asia
A green city under three-thousand-metre mountains, with a metro, good coffee and a gondola out of the centre.
The Silk Route Desk · August 18, 2026 · 1 min read
Almaty is Kazakhstan’s largest city, laid out on a slope with the Trans-Ili Alatau rising directly behind it. On a clear day the mountains are visible from the city centre, snow-covered, twenty minutes away.
Why start here
It is the softest landing in the region. Visa-free for many nationalities, a functioning metro, English on some signage, and a genuine café culture. If Central Asia is new to you, arrive here and move west.
Three days
Day one — the Green Bazaar, then Panfilov Park and the wooden Zenkov Cathedral, built without nails and still standing after a major earthquake.
Day two — up to Medeu and Shymbulak by gondola. Medeu is a high-altitude skating rink at 1,700m; the cable car continues to a ski area at 2,200m and higher. In summer it is a walking area.
Day three — Big Almaty Lake, an hour out, a turquoise reservoir under the peaks.
One concrete thing to do
Take the gondola up to Shymbulak in the late afternoon and come down at dusk, with the city lighting up below. It runs year-round and costs very little.
The honest caveat
Big Almaty Lake sits near a border zone; permits and access rules change and taxi drivers are not always current. Check before going, and do not wander uphill from the lake.
Checked spring 2026.
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