Despite the fact that Astana, the country's largest city, has been the capital of Kazakhstan since 1997, its cultural, scientific and industrial center remains Almaty (Alma-Ata). The name of the southern capital of the republic is assigned to it, and the population is almost 2 million people.
Almaty is the most popular destination for both domestic and international travelers. In 2014, Almaty entered the top ten list of cities to visit. 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, the whole journey will take 70 hours (3 days), by plane - 4.5 hours. Flights Moscow - Almaty depart daily. Most of them have a transfer in Astana, but there are also direct ones.
Moscow - Almaty by car
Despite the speed of the plane and the comfort of the train, some travel in their own car. In this case, the route will be as follows:
- Moscow is the starting point.
- Nizhny Novgorod.
- Kazan.
- Ufa.
- Chelyabinsk.
- Troitsk.
- Kostanay.
- Astana.
- Balkhash.
- Almaty.
A trip from Moscow to Almaty by car takes 70 hours (about 3 days) of pure time, but since you will have to periodically make stops on the road in order to rest, taking this into account, the travel time is doubled. The time difference between Moscow and Almaty is +3 hours.
Public transport
About 25 transport companies operate in Almaty. In total, 2,000 buses, 191 trolleybuses and 46 trams circulate around the city. In addition to ground transport, you can use the local metro to move around the city. The fare costs 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.
Ethnic cuisine
In addition to sightseeing and shopping, traveling from Moscow to Almaty is worth trying traditional Kazakh dishes. Initially, the territory of Kazakhstan belonged to nomadic tribes, whose main occupations were livestock breeding and gathering, so almost all national dishes of the republic are prepared from meat (mutton, beef and horse meat are usually used), fish, cereals, dairy products, as well as berries and mushrooms. These are beshbarmak, manti, Kazakh pilaf, kuyrdak (fried meat), barbecue and others. All dishes differ in satiety and calorie content.
TraditionalKazakh drinks - koumiss (settled and fermented mare's milk) and black tea with cream. Sweets for tea are also mainly made from dough, honey and seeds are often added - for example, the well-known halva and chak-chak.
Most Popular Attractions
Kazakhstan is a state where the majority of the population professes Islam, therefore an integral part of Almaty is the Central Mosque made 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; up to 7,000 worshipers can be here at the same time.
In 1937, a zoo was built in Almaty. To date, it has collected several hundred species of animals, some of which are under the 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 the 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, handicrafts, household items, a collection of military weapons and armor. The most interesting is the Anthropology Hall.
