Almaty Sightseeing Tour · 1-Day Tour

A walk through Panfilov Park, a shaded green area in the city center with a memorial to the 28 Panfilov Guardsmen who fell near Moscow in 1941. Century-old oaks, quiet alleys, the sound of bells, and the atmosphere of old Alma-Ata, preserved inside a modern metropolis. In the first half of the day, visit the Zenkov Cathedral from 1907, one of the tallest wooden churches in the world, built without a single nail and surviving the earthquake that leveled half the city. Inside is an iconostasis from the late 19th century, and outside are golden domes rising to 56 meters. Closer to noon, visit Green Bazaar, operating since 1875, a true eastern market with piles of dried apricots, apricots, and raisins, rows of kazy and shuzhuk (horse sausage), barrels of honey from the jailau, and friendly vendors who let you taste everything before buying. In the afternoon, walk through Republic Square, the central square with the Independence Monument topped by a replica of the Golden Man, and views toward the snow-covered peaks of the Alatau. After lunch, stop at the Independence Monument with the Scythian Golden Man, a replica of one of Kazakhstan’s best-known archaeological finds. By evening, ride the cable car up to Kok-Tobe (1070 m), the city’s signature viewpoint. Almaty lies below like an open map, with the Alatau mountains at your back, especially striking at sunset, when the peaks turn pink and the lights of the metropolis come on in the valley.