Kazakhstan on Foot: Two City Routes
Kazakhstan’s two cities each hold one strong walking route, and they don’t connect: Almaty’s is a garden-and-market loop at street level, Astana’s runs the length of a purpose-built ceremonial boulevard.
Almaty: Soviet modernist and garden walk (4-5 km, about 3 hours)
Start in Panfilov Park among pine and birch alleys, arriving at the 1907 wooden Zenkov Cathedral, then walk east to the bronze Memorial of Glory and its eternal flame. From there, the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments named after Ykylas, at Zenkov Street 24, holds over 1,000 traditional instruments including dombras and kobyz inside an 1908 wooden garrison building (1,000 KZT). Continue 500 meters north to the Green Bazaar for kazy, dried curd kurt, and Almaty’s own Aport apples, then finish along pedestrianized Zhibek Zholy Street, past street musicians and open-air cafes. Viator lists guided Almaty walking tours covering this route .
Almaty’s serious art collection, if you want to extend the walk, sits at the Abilkhan Kasteev State Museum of Arts on Satpaev Street, holding Kazakh, Turkic, and Soviet-era pieces across several floors.
Astana: Nurzhol Boulevard axis (about 3 km, 2.5 hours)
Start at the Khan Shatyr tent structure and walk the ceremonial length of Nurzhol Boulevard, designed by Kisho Kurokawa and flanked by government ministries and flower gardens. Ascend Baiterek Monument (2,500 KZT) to its golden 86-meter observation sphere, then continue past the “Northern Lights” residential towers and the emerald-domed Supreme Court building to the Ak Orda Presidential Palace and the blue-tiled Kazakhstan Central Concert Hall. GetYourGuide lists Nurzhol Boulevard walking and architecture tours .
What doesn’t connect
First President’s Park and Panfilov Park sit 11 kilometers apart on opposite ends of Almaty; don’t plan them as one continuous walk. Medeu, 15 kilometers out in its own mountain canyon, belongs on a separate half-day trip rather than a city walking route. Kazakhstan’s official tourism portal, kazakhstan.travel , has current distances and transit options between these landmarks.
The verdict
Walk Almaty in the morning before the heat builds and the bazaar gets crowded; walk Astana’s boulevard in late afternoon, when the government buildings’ glass and tile catch the low sun.
Before you go
Pack sturdy shoes for both routes; Almaty’s older streets have uneven paving in places, and Nurzhol Boulevard’s scale means more distance on foot than it looks on a map. For the mountain and canyon stops that don’t fit a city walk, see the day trips guide .