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Half Day Almaty Downtown Walking Tour
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Joined 2025
Let’s walk through Almaty and explore its landmarks, history, architecture and cuisine! Discover Kazakhstan’s most vibrant city by visiting its major attractions on foot! We’ll explore the city’s most iconic sights that reflect its diverse past. We'll visit Republic (New) & Astana (Old) Square, Panfilov & Arbat streets, the Green Market, 28 Panfilov Park with the stunning Zenkov Cathedral.
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Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Independence Monument at Republic Square (6WQW+95W)
- We meet at Republic Square near the Independence Monument (6WQW+95W), which is the corner of Satpayev and Baiseitova streets. After introduction, we explore the Monument and its surrounding sculptural ensemble built to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the country's independence. We are going to learn about major milestones of the Kazakh history (from ancient times to modern days) from the bas-relief with its ten depictions. We walk a block to Nazarbayev Street and then stroll it towards the Kabanbai Batyr street until where one of the most iconic Soviet-era buildings - Abay Opera Theater - is located.
Kabanbai Batyr and Panfilov Walking Streets intersection (near Abay Opera)
This is a remarkable area near the Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, or simply 'Abay Opera', where there is a small park nearby and fountains in front of its building built in 1941, and according to Wikipedia: "features the unique blend of Stalinist architecture, Italian Neoclassical architecture, and Kazakh elements", while on the opposite side there's another iconic architectural gem - the Almaty Hotel which was built in 1967, and became a classic example of Soviet Modernism. From there the Panfilov Walking street starts its way, and where we continue walking towards Astana Square and Arbat street.
Astana Square (formerly Old Square)
We reach Astana Square, formerly known as Old Square, while walking down Panfilov Walking street. This square was the main place to hold events before 1980 when the Republic Square started functioning. The former Kazakh Soviet Republic government with huge domes, representing Monumental Classicism *(1950ss), is located on it. Nowadays, lots of concerts and celebration events are also held here, including Republic, Independence days and New Year's Eve.
Next we continue our way towards the intersection with Arbat (Zhibek Zholy) Walking street.
Arbat (Zhibek Zholy) & Panfilov Walking Streets intersection
This is the key point of the excursion where 2 walking streets intersect. Both are walking, but Arbat was made into totally walkable street during Soviet times in 1980s, while Panfilov was changed into pedestrian-only way in 2017-18. Lots of cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, and other kinds of eateries are along the way. Street musicians and artists like to gather there as well.
From there we turn to Arbat and head towards Green Bazaar (Eastward direction).
Green Bazaar
This Central Market is the oldest market in Almaty. Very popular among locals and foreigners, Green Bazaar has the main oriental-style pavilion with lots of Kazakh national delicacies being sold, including milk drinks and snacks. The market is universal, so you can find anything from clothes and electronics to souvenirs there, if you would like to do shopping. Here we can taste Kumys (horse milk) and Shubat (camel milk), that are traditional Kazakh drinks. You can buy souvenirs and anything else you need.
Next we head for the 28 Panfilov Park, which is only one block away from the Green Bazaar.
28 Panfilov Park
28 Panfilov Park is a military memorial dedicated to the Great Patriotic War (which was part of the World War II) heroes. It is quite spacious park with some old weaponry and memorial tables of soldiers inside. At the center of it, there are huge Statue of Unknown Soldier and Eternal Flame in front of it.
From there we walk to the Voznesensky (Ascension) Cathedral that is located right there and which is our final spot.
Ending Point
Voznesensky (Ascension) Cathedral at the 28 Panfilov Park
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
● Guide fee
● Food/drinks
● Extra activities
Tour Important Information
* This tour involves a lot of walking, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
* The food/drink tasting is optional, so it's up to you to try them. I usually ask seller to give a couple of sips for free, but the small glass of kumys/shubat now costs 300KZT.
* Please arrive on time, better to be at least 5-10 minutes, because the excursion starts right at the starting time. There may be traffic jams in the morning, so plan your time accordingly. It is totally normal to arrive earlier, but being late is impolite and disrespectful.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2025
About Tour Guide Muslim S.
Hello! Pleasure to meet you! I am a friendly, knowledgeable, reliable tour guide. I have a guiding experience in Almaty and its region since 2017. I started as a volunteer tour guide and now conduct tours as a side hustle. I specialize in city sightseeing tours with a strong focus on local culture, history, and cuisine. Our city is located at the foothills of majestic mountains, so the city tour is actually combined with a mountain tour! Nature attractions are the most important factor in drawing tourists to Almaty; it's a powerful magnet for those who want to create unforgettable experiences and seek peace and beauty. I am very passionate about doing tours in Almaty and sharing the city’s rich culture and natural beauty! I truly love what I do, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see my guests happy, with new experiences and knowledge gained from my tours. I had guests - tourists from all over the world and some of them confirmed they got more information from the tour than they expected, especially in terms of the knowledge of our country's history, culture and cuisine. I would really love to be a part of your initiative, so that more people could connect with me and explore the treasures of Almaty!
What standard excursions I provide:
- Half Day Almaty Walking Tour is the minimal 4-hour walking excursion I provide.
- City + Mountains Sightseeing Tour with 8 hours duration includes Green Market, Panfilov Park, Medeo/Chimbulak, and Kok-Tobe. Transportation (taxi, cable cars, bus) is paid separately or the entire tour price should be discussed before the tour!
- The road trip to Charyn Canyon (10h) - transportation, ecopost, toll road, food excluded.
Lots of other locations and variations can be conducted (Turgen, Issyk Lake, Konaev city, other kinds of city tours, like food tour, parks, museums, authentic local places, cheap local markets, peripheral areas, less known city locations etc.). Please don't hesitate to reach out to me!
$40/ per group