Almaty, Kazakhstan. Why is it the best city in Central Asia?

SUMMARY

Travel vlogger Andrey Belyanskiy, a 24-year-old Almaty native, showcases his hometown's stunning mountains, vibrant culture, Kazakh cuisine, markets, and parks, arguing it's Central Asia's top city for visitors seeking natural beauty and urban charm.

STATEMENTS

• Almaty, nestled at the foot of the Zailiysky Alatau mountains and meaning "father of apples" in Kazakh, offers breathtaking mountain views from nearly every window in the city.
• Medeu, the world's largest high-altitude complex for winter sports, has set numerous world records and serves as a beloved local spot for recreation and nostalgia.
• As a lifelong Almaty resident, Andrey grew up exploring the Medeu area, where his father worked as a photographer, making it his personal "place of power."
• The "Stairway of Health" and walking paths around Medeu provide accessible hikes with panoramic views of the mountains and city, popular for sports, sunrises, sunsets, and casual gatherings among locals.
• Shymbulak, a year-round mountain resort, transforms from a ski destination in winter to a hub for hiking, picnics, and cafes in summer, ideal for breathing fresh alpine air.
• The Kok-Tobe TV tower, the world's tallest freestanding steel tubular structure at 381 meters, anchors a scenic park accessible by cable car, offering sweeping city vistas.
• Almaty's culinary scene shines at Aul restaurant, which reinterprets Central Asian nomadic cuisine using local ingredients like fermented meats and horse dishes, housed in a historic building relocated from western Kazakhstan.
• Traditional Kazakh beshbarmak, made with horse meat, is a festive staple not eaten daily but central to celebrations, paired with nutrient-rich bone marrow for collagen benefits.
• The Green Bazaar blends Soviet-era architecture with Eastern market vibes, featuring fresh produce, multicultural eateries, and a European coffee spot, embodying Almaty's cultural fusion.
• Almaty's walkable streets, abundant parks like Panfilov and Central Park, and modernist Soviet architecture, such as the Kazakhstan Hotel, create a unique, green urban environment despite challenges like traffic and smog.

IDEAS

• Turning everyday familiarity into fresh discovery by exploring one's own city like a tourist can reignite appreciation for local hidden gems, as Andrey did by riding the Kok-Tobe cable car for the first time while filming.
• Almaty's mountains aren't just scenery; they integrate into daily life, with accessible routes like the dam-built path serving dual purposes as flood protection and communal leisure spaces.
• Kazakh nomadic heritage influences modern cuisine profoundly, where high-fat, infrequent meals like beshbarmak sustained ancient herders, now adapted into gourmet experiences at places like Aul.
• The Green Bazaar's eclectic mix—Soviet structure housing Eastern vendors, Uzbek stalls, and Dutch pancakes—highlights how Almaty absorbs global influences without losing its core identity.
• Personal history shapes urban affection: Andrey's childhood at Medeu, tied to his father's career, transforms a sports complex into an emotional anchor, suggesting places gain power through lived memories.
• Bureaucratic hurdles for filming, like needing permissions at the Green Bazaar, reveal tensions between promoting tourism and local regulations, potentially deterring authentic content creation.
• Almaty's "enjoyers" culture—locals who prioritize sunsets, coffee meetups, and picnics—contrasts with urban hustle, positioning the city as a haven for mindful, pleasure-driven living.
• Soviet modernist architecture, built in seismic zones like the pioneering Kazakhstan Hotel, represents resilient innovation, yet faces preservation risks in a rapidly changing cityscape.
• Even flawed cities deserve love: Andrey acknowledges Almaty's smog and traffic but focuses on its beauties, implying balanced appreciation fosters deeper connection to home.
• Rediscovering routine through new lenses, like trying brain marrow or visiting uncharted eateries, proves adventure lies in proximity, encouraging global exploration starting locally.

INSIGHTS

• Urban beauty often hides in plain sight, requiring a deliberate shift from routine to tourist mindset to uncover layers of personal and cultural significance in familiar places.
• Nomadic legacies in modern Central Asian cities like Almaty sustain through cuisine and architecture, blending survival pragmatism with contemporary enjoyment to preserve identity amid globalization.
• Accessible natural features, such as Almaty's integrated mountains and parks, enhance mental well-being by embedding recreation into daily life, countering urban stressors like pollution.
• Cultural fusion in markets and restaurants reveals how historical migrations—Soviet, Eastern, and Western—create resilient, hybrid communities that thrive on diversity rather than isolation.
• Emotional ties to locations, forged through family and childhood, elevate public spaces into personal sanctuaries, illustrating how individual stories amplify a city's collective soul.
• Promoting local tourism demands easing creative barriers, as seen in filming challenges, to authentically showcase a destination's vibrancy and invite outsiders to experience its unfiltered charm.

QUOTES

• "Я прочно уверен, что Алмааты - это гастрономическая столица СНГ. Тут есть заведение любой кухни мира на любой вкус и бюджет."
• "Чтобы устроить себе какой-то новый экспириенс, новый опыт, новое приключение, не обязательно улетать куда-то далеко."
• "Алматинцы ещё те кайфарики, я вам скажу."
• "В основе нашей кухни... лежат, конечно же, три основных ингредиента. Это мука, вода и мясо."
• "Жить в удовольствие себе, радоваться не как мы."

HABITS

• Almaty locals habitually hike accessible mountain paths like the Stairway of Health for exercise, socializing, and enjoying sunrises or sunsets, integrating nature into weekly routines.
• Residents frequent cafes such as Apakati for relaxed picnics, bringing personal food while ordering coffee, to unwind with panoramic views after short walks.
• Many enjoy walking for hours through green zones and parks, treating pedestrian exploration as a primary mode of leisure and city navigation.
• Almatins prioritize "kifa"—mindful enjoyment—by gathering in scenic spots for coffee chats, picnics, or casual meetups, fostering a laid-back social lifestyle.
• Early morning visits to markets like the Green Bazaar allow for observing daily rhythms, buying fresh produce, and sipping coffee while people-watching from upper levels.

FACTS

• Medeu holds the record for the most world records set at a single stadium, earning it the nickname "factory of records" in high-altitude sports.
• The Kok-Tobe Tower is the tallest freestanding steel tubular structure globally, standing at 381 meters, unlike typical concrete TV towers.
• Aul restaurant's building, made of pink shell limestone, was transported in blocks from Mangystau in western Kazakhstan during the 1970s by order of Brezhnev for a former residence.
• Almaty's dam at Medeu, built 50 years ago, successfully protected the city from a massive mudflow flood, serving as both infrastructure and hiking path.
• The Kazakhstan Hotel was the country's first skyscraper, engineered in a nine-point seismic zone, showcasing Soviet-era modernist innovation in challenging terrain.

REFERENCES

• Aviasales.kz guidebooks (Arybery section) for city info and cheap flights.
• Geely Kazakhstan (Geely Grand car) for comfortable city exploration.
• Aul restaurant as a hub for Central Asian nomadic cuisine reinterpretations.
• Green Bazaar for multicultural market experiences blending Soviet and Eastern elements.
• Kok-Tobe cable car and park for panoramic city views.

HOW TO APPLY

• Start by taking a short bus ride (like route 12 for 120 tenge) from Almaty's center to Medeu, then hike the pedestrian path toward Shymbulak for 25-40 minutes to experience high-altitude views and fresh air.
• Ride the Kok-Tobe cable car from Dostyk 104B (3,500 tenge one-way), explore the park's mini-attractions, and descend on foot to spot sunset viewpoints overlooking the city.
• Visit Aul restaurant in the mountains for an authentic Kazakh meal: order beshbarmak with horse meat and bone marrow, savoring the nomadic-inspired dishes in the historic setting.
• Arrive early at the Green Bazaar to browse fresh produce stalls, ascend to the second floor for coffee at the Dutch spot or Uzbek plov, and observe the market's cultural mix for an hour.
• Stroll Panfilov Street or Central Park on a Sunday morning, avoiding crowds, to enjoy green spaces, chat with locals, and absorb the unhurried atmosphere of Almaty's pedestrian-friendly zones.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Explore your hometown like a tourist to rediscover its hidden beauties and foster deeper appreciation for local culture and nature.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Combine Medeu and Shymbulak visits in one day for efficient access to Almaty's mountains, hiking in the morning and picnicking in the afternoon.
• Seek out Aul or similar spots for traditional Kazakh feasts, prioritizing horse-based dishes to grasp nomadic culinary roots authentically.
• Use apps like Aviasales for planning, but prioritize walking Almaty's green streets and parks to immerse in its pedestrian charm.
• Tackle bureaucratic filming hurdles by obtaining permissions in advance, ensuring smooth content creation that promotes tourism without interruptions.

MEMO

In the shadow of the Zailiysky Alatau mountains, Almaty unfolds as a vibrant tapestry of natural splendor and cultural depth, earning its moniker "father of apples" from Kazakh roots. Travel vlogger Andrey Belyanskiy, a 24-year-old native and professional operator, captures this essence in a heartfelt tour of his homeland, urging viewers to see the city anew. From his laptop perch one ordinary day, Andrey realized the poetic oversight of not showcasing Almaty's allure—its peaks visible from nearly every window, framing a metropolis that blends Soviet legacy with nomadic heritage. As he buses to Medeu, the world's highest skating rink and record-breaking sports hub, Andrey reveals personal ties: his father's decades as a rink photographer turned the site into his childhood playground, a "place of power" where city panoramas meet alpine vistas.

Venturing further, Andrey ascends the "Stairway of Health," a terraced path locals favor for jogs and sunsets, leading to Shymbulak's summer trails alive with hikers and paragliders. This resort, snowy in winter but verdant in warmer months, exemplifies Almaty's year-round draw—fresh air, cafe pit stops, and picnic meadows just a short drive away in his sponsored Geely Grand. Descending to the urban core, the Kok-Tobe tower pierces the skyline at 381 meters, the tallest steel structure of its kind, accessible by cable car for sweeping views that make one feel like a visitor in their own town. Andrey's candid admission—that he'd never ridden it before filming—highlights a universal truth: rediscovery starts close to home.

Almaty's soul pulses through its markets and meals, where the Green Bazaar merges Eastern bustle with Soviet architecture, stalls brimming with meticulously arranged fruits under watchful vendors who've toiled there for decades. Upstairs, Dutch pancakes neighbor Uzbek plov, a microcosm of the city's global infusions. Culinary highs peak at Aul, a relocated 1970s Brezhnev-era yurga reimagining kochevnik fare: beshbarmak with tender horse meat, collagen-rich marrow bones, and potent sorpa broth. Andrey, savoring these as festive rarities, notes their fatty sustenance suited ancient herders' rhythms—meals that fuel rather than frequent. Yet challenges linger: smog veils the peaks, traffic clogs arteries, and filming permissions snag even locals promoting their city.

Despite seismic risks and urban grit, Almaty's parks like Panfilov Street and the renamed Gorky Central offer leafy escapes, where morning strollers and evening coffee chats embody the "kifarik" spirit of unhurried joy. Soviet modernist gems, from the pioneering Kazakhstan Hotel to the last operational Volga-era cinema, stand as resilient icons in this nine-point quake zone. Andrey's tour, affectionate yet honest, invites outsiders to probe beyond postcards—hike the flood-guarding dam, haggle at dawn markets, feast on the untranslatable taste of kazy. In a world of distant dreams, Almaty whispers that adventure blooms in the backyard, a green, mountain-embraced gem crowning Central Asia.