Hotels in Almaty

Staying in Almaty

Mountains set the layout of Almaty: the Tien Shan stands to the south, the plain to the north, and the streets run uphill towards the peaks. The centre is a grid around Panfilov Park and the wooden Zenkov Cathedral, with the shopping streets, the opera house and the older government buildings close by. Further up the slope the avenues widen and the air cools, and Kok Tobe hill with its cable car is on the eastern side. Medeu, the skating rink in the gorge, and the ski area above it are reached by road from the upper end of town. Arrivals land at the airport on the northern edge of the city, on the flat side, and come in by taxi or hotel car across the lower grid. Ask the hotel about a pickup when you book; the page covers rooms, and the Kazakhstan eSIM linked here gives you maps and messaging from the moment you land. Stay in the centre for the parks, cafes and museums on foot. Stay higher up for cooler nights and a shorter drive to the mountains. Business visitors often choose the newer hotels along the wide avenues, which have parking and meeting rooms.