Top places to visit

Apart from the engrossing experiences at the Medeu Rink, the Chimbulak Resort, the Gorky Park and the Koktyube mountainside entertainment zone, there are a few more activities around the city exclusive to children.

Address: Shevchenko Street, Almaty The Academy of Sciences is a prominent educational institution in the country, and operates a few museums in the city. Two museums you would want to check out are the Museum of Archaeology and the Geological Museum.

Address: 94 Kabanbai Batyr Street, Almaty Phone: 62 22 13 A quaint little place for professors and researchers. Small building containing interesting manuscripts, scrolls, prints, ancient drawings and other written material, that give an insight into the cultural and historical development of the city.

Address: Central State Museum, 44 Furmanov, Almaty Phone: +7 (3272) 642 200, +7 (3272) 642 390 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.unesco.kz/heritagenet/kz/hn-english/csmrk/engl/index_en.htm Timings: Wednesdays to Mondays 10 am to 6 pm Tickets: children 30 KZT, adults 60 KZT

Address: intersection of Kunaev and Ayteke Bi Streets, opposite Panfilov Park, Almaty Phone: + 7 (727) 272 4018 Timings: Tuesdays to Sundays 8 am to 10 pm Tickets: 480 KZT for every two-hour session

Address: Eastern end of Gogol Street, Almaty

Address: runs parallel to Gogol Street. Or down Ablai Khan Road, all the way to Kunaev

Address: Kök-Töbe (Green Hill) on the mountainside, southeastern suburb of Almaty A large recreational space on the foothills of the Zailysky Alatau Mountains, Kok Tobe has the perfect vantage points for observing the city at a distance, especially during the night time. Looking at the panoramic cityscape below you with all its glittering lights, with the winter winds howling in your ears while you sip on a cup of steaming coffee, is one experience you will never want to forget! Kok Tobe also contains a number of small-scale amusement parks, crafts shops, and restaurants (do try the shashlik!), making it a family-friendly place rather than a hangout spot for couples and honeymooners only. The area is connected to the city by means of an aerial tramway that runs from the Palace of the Republic in Dostyk Avenue (near Hotel Kazakhstan), all the way up to the actual “Green Hill” – a ten minute ride by cable car that takes you over rooftops and gardens of the old Almaty city, costing around 100 KZT one-way. You can walk back downhill if you prefer – a long, but enchanting walk. The cable car runs from 11 am to 7 pm all days except Tuesdays.

Address: along the same road as Medeu Ice Rink, Dam, and Chimbulak. Large, sprawling park, which contains quite a number of apple trees in addition to its towering alpine cones. Pleasant stop, especially if you catch a light drizzle.

Address: past the Medeu Ice Skating Rink and Medeu Dam, up the same trail Reception: +7 (3272) 58 19 99 Fax: +7 (3272) 58 20 30 Timings: open November to April/May

Address: just ahead of the Medeu Ice Skating Rink A large, 6 million cubic meters reservoir, situated 1900 meters above sea level, built in 1956 to protect Almaty from frequent landslides in the spring due to melting of ice. You can go see the dam either by car or on foot – park your car at the skating rink. Going on foot is definitely a much more enriching experience – you can never get enough of the steep mountainsides, the towering forests, and the fresh smell of wet leaves and soil! A series of steps leads up to the dam. Tradition goes that you guess the number of steps before starting your journey upstream and if, on reaching the dam, your guess was right, a wish will come true (you will probably lose count of the steps along the way, but who cares – it sure is fun to try it out!) Once you reach the top, you will see what all that climbing was worth – great views of the mountainside, the river valley, the ice rink, and, further out, the outlying Almaty!

Address: About halfway to the Medeu Ice Skating Rink If you are going by car, there is a picnic spot waiting for you before (or after) you spend that unforgettable evening at the rink. About halfway up the mountainside you will come to a river crossing with a clearing in the forest and the mountain peaks all around. Stop here. It is an amazing resting spot – you might even prefer spending the whole evening here instead of proceeding to the resort! Some small snack joints have been set up with tables and chairs, and you will probably catch a few locals bathing in the cool, gushing water. Sit back and take in the experience, where the only sounds you will hear are the water and the wind. Serenity…

Medeu Ice Skating Rink Address: Medeu Ice Skating Rink, 15 km southeast of downtown Almaty (30 minutes car drive, 45 minutes by bus) Phone: + 7 (727) 271 6211 Email: [email protected] Website: http://medey.kz/en/

Address: 24 Zenkov Street, Almaty Phone: (3272) 91 63 26 Designed by Zenkov in 1908, this wooden structure was formerly used as a meeting venue for military officers. It was in 1980 that someone actually gave this impressive wooden building the respect it deserved, and today it houses a rare collection of musical instruments from all over Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states, some dating as far back as the 17th century. Instruments include wooden ones like flutes, horns and harps, an assortment of bagpipes, and Dombras – two- and three-stringed Kazakh guitars. You can also listen to recorded melodies played on these instruments, which makes for quite a pleasant interior ambience. Some instruments on display are from the personal collections of national celebrities like Abai, Dina, and Makhambet. A large sculpture of the national musical instrument, the Narkobyza, is on display at the front entrance of the museum. Tours of the museum are available – ask at the reception counter.

Address: 22 Zenkov Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (3272) 91 06 19 Tickets: 200 KZTs

Address: between Gogol Street and Qazybek Bi Street, downtown Almaty. Take bus # 63 & 94, tram # 4 & 6, and trolleybus # 1, 11, & 12.

Address: 50 Abai Avenue, corner of Musrepov Boulevard, Abay Avenue, Almaty Timings: open all year round 10 am to 8 pm

Address: Shevchenko Street, Almaty Timings: Mondays to Fridays 10 am to 4 pm

Address: Tulebayev Street, Almaty Located along the Tulebayev, an expensive and exclusive residential area for the elite, is the Dzetysu – a beautiful fountain system. Dzetysu means Seven Rivers in Kazakh. The fountain consists of seven springs gushing forth from a black-and-pink colored granite pillar, which symbolizes the seven major rivers of southeastern Kazakhstan. Get your camera out – this is a rare photo opportunity. Look out for traffic though as you compose your frames.

Address: 43 Abai Avenue, corner of Mukanov Street, Abylai Khan Avenue, Almaty Timings: Tuesdays to Sundays Tickets: depends on show type and duration

Address: downtown Almaty Republic Square is the largest open public space in the city, flanked by impressive modern edifices on every side. The square is reminiscent of the tragic events of December 1986, when several Kazakh students were killed while protesting. Since the capital was shifted to Astana, the square has been largely renovated. It has been landscaped to a great degree, and new architecture has sprung up around it. The significance of this square has not diminished even after the capital was shifted, and it still holds some of the country’s largest open-air events, parades and protests.

Address: Zhansugirov, Northern Almaty Phone: + 7 (727) 294 8600 Timings: open all year round 10 am to 8 pm

Address: 110 Kabanbai Batyr Street, corner of Panfilov Street, Almaty Phone: +7(727) 272 7934 +7(727) 2722042 Timings: shows are held several times during the week, depending on the season. Call in advance to find out the show timings, or visit to view the complete schedule on display Tickets: depends on nature and duration of performance. Generally inexpensive

Address: 108 Nausyrbaj Batyra, Almaty Phone: + 7 (3272) 61 73 01 Website: