Despite the fact that since 1997, the capital of Kazakhstan has been Astana, the largest city in the country, Almaty (Alma-Ata) remains its cultural, scientific and industrial center . It is assigned the name of the southern capital of the republic, and the population is almost 2 million people.
Almaty is the most popular destination both among travelers within the country and among foreigners. In 2014, Almaty entered the top ten list of cities that must be visited. According to statistics, the city accounts for almost 80% of the total flow of tourists coming to Kazakhstan. Travelers are attracted by the picturesque mountains and geographical location, because the Great Silk Road once passed here.
How to get there
The distance from Moscow to Almaty is almost 4 thousand kilometers. If you go by train, then the whole journey will take 70 hours (3 days), by plane - 4.5 hours. Flights Moscow - Almaty depart daily. Most of them have transfers in Astana, but there are also direct ones.
Moscow - Almaty by car
Despite the speed of the aircraft and the comfort of the train, some go on a trip in their car. In this case, the route will be as follows:
- Moscow - departure point.
- Nizhny Novgorod.
- Kazan.
- Ufa
- Chelyabinsk.
- Troitsk.
- Kostanay.
- Astana
- Balkhash.
- Almaty
A Moscow-Almaty trip by car takes 70 hours (about 3 days) of pure time, but since you have to make stops on the road periodically in order to relax, taking this into account, the travel time doubles. The time difference between Moscow and Almaty is +3 hours.
Public transport
About 25 transport companies operate in Almaty. In total, 2 thousand buses, 191 trolley buses and 46 trams circulate around the city. In addition to land transport, you can use the local metro to move around the city. The fare is 80 tenge (about 14 Russian rubles) for passengers over 15 years old, 40 tenge for children from 7 to 15 years old and is free for preschoolers.
National cuisine
In addition to visiting attractions and shops, on a Moscow-Almaty trip it is worth trying traditional Kazakh dishes. Initially, the territory of Kazakhstan belonged to nomadic tribes, the main occupation of which was cattle breeding and gathering, so almost all the national dishes of the republic are prepared from meat (usually used lamb, beef and horse meat), fish, cereals, dairy products, as well as berries and mushrooms. These are beshbarmak, manti, Kazakh pilaf, kuyrdak (meat frying), barbecue and others. All dishes are full and rich in calories.
Kazakhs traditional drinks are koumiss (settled and fermented mare's milk) and black tea with cream. Sweets for tea are also mainly prepared from dough, honey and seeds are often added - for example, the well-known halva and chak-chak.
The most popular attractions
Kazakhstan is a country where the majority of the population professes Islam, therefore, an integral part of Almaty is the Central Mosque of white marble and with domes covered with gold plates, which symbolizes nobility combined with simplicity. This is one of the largest mosques in the country, at the same time up to 7 thousand worshipers can be here.
In 1937, a zoo was built in Almaty. Today, it has collected several hundred species of animals, some of which are under threat of extinction. Here you can see African giraffes, bears, antelopes, predators from the cat family, turtles, crocodiles and others, in total - about 5 thousand animals.
The best way to get acquainted with local culture and traditions is to visit the Central State Museum, which presents the history of Kazakhstan, starting from the Middle Ages. In this museum you can see national costumes, products of artisans, household items, a collection of military weapons and armor. The most interesting is the anthropology hall.