Your first day in Almaty

The first morning

You wake up in Almaty, your phone is still looking for a network, your wallet holds another country's money, and outside the window, if the day is clear, there are mountains. They stand to the south and make the city easy to read: streets running towards them go uphill, streets running away from them go down, to the north. The first thing to do is look up and find the range. The second is to get the small things out of the way so they don't eat your day.

This page is about the small things, in this order: documents, money, phone, getting around, weather, mountains, etiquette, safety, time. At the end, where to go once they're sorted.

Visa and registration

Checked on 29.09.2026 against official pages. Rules change: open the links again before you travel.

Visa. How long you can stay without a visa depends on your passport, and there is no single answer for "foreigners". The Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs keeps a visa table by country, last updated on 21 August 2026. Look at column N, ordinary passports. For many countries it says "visa-free up to 30 days", for some "up to 90 days", and for others a visa is required. E-visas and online services for foreigners are on the Visa and Migration Portal.

How long you can stay. According to the Foreign Ministry, on a 30-day visa-free entry your stay may not exceed 30 calendar days from crossing the border, and 90 days in total within any 180-day period (gov.kz, in Russian).

Registration. Since 2020, foreigners staying up to 30 days are exempt from registering with the police. Instead, whoever hosts you — a hotel, a landlord, an organisation — must notify the migration service of your arrival within three working days. Hotels do it themselves through the eQonaq system; private hosts do it at the migration service, on vmp.gov.kz or through egov.kz (migration service memo, in Russian). If you rent a flat from a private owner, simply ask them whether they've sent the notification. For stays longer than 30 days, your host arranges a temporary stay permit.

Rules can differ for your nationality. If in doubt, ask the nearest Kazakh embassy or consulate before you fly: it's quicker than sorting it out at the border.

The first 24 hours

Get connected. A SIM or eSIM comes first: without data you can't call a taxi or open a map. Details below.

Get the map. 2GIS is the most useful: bus routes, building entrances, opening hours. Valentin, who founded this project and has lived in Almaty for four years, has a simple rule for cafés: almost all of them are good, pick by 2GIS.

Get some cash. Exchange a small amount at a bank or a licensed exchange office; after that, cards and phone payments cover most things.

Take a first walk. Don't plan anything far on day one. Walk the city centre, where water runs along the streets in open channels called aryks under old trees; Valentin likes the Golden Square area for exactly that. Nearby are Central Park with its lake and squirrels, Panfilov Park with its cathedral and, for a quiet view of the mountains, the Botanical Garden. For a first coffee he recommends Vanilla, Serikov or SixCoffeeWine.

Evening. If you still have energy, visit the Green Bazaar before it closes (hours are in 2GIS) for fruit and dried fruit, or just to watch people bargain and offer tastes. If not, go to bed early: jet lag shows up in the morning.

Money and cards

The national currency is the Kazakhstani tenge (KZT, ₸), in circulation since 15 November 1993 (gov.kz). The National Bank publishes the official exchange rate every day.

Exchanging cash. Foreign cash can be bought and sold only at banks and licensed exchange offices, and you'll need an identity document, so bring your passport. Notes in good condition should be accepted regardless of denomination or year of issue; if you're refused without reason, you can complain to the National Bank (National Bank, 10.06.2025, in Russian). Don't change money on the street.

Foreign cards. According to gov.kz, cards are accepted almost everywhere, QR payments are common, and taxis and city transport can be paid without cash. Foreign cards, though, behave differently depending on the issuing bank. Ask your bank before you fly and carry a backup.

Large amounts of cash. Cash above the equivalent of 10,000 US dollars must be declared in writing at customs, on the way in and on the way out (State Revenue Committee).

We deliberately don't list prices here: they change faster than we can check them.

Phone and SIM

The main mobile operators are Kcell / Activ, Beeline and Tele2 / Altel (gov.kz). You can buy a SIM card at an operator's shop; take your passport and they'll tell you what else is needed. If your phone supports eSIM, ask the operator whether you can set it up in advance.

Since 24 March 2025 Kazakhstan verifies the IMEI of phones brought in from abroad. If your phone lands on the "grey list", it keeps working for 30 days and the operator sends you a text with a link to a form where you enter the date you crossed the border (Ministry of Digital Development via gov.kz, in Russian). For a short trip that's usually enough, but do answer the text.

Getting around

The city has buses, trolleybuses and a metro (gov.kz). 2GIS is the easiest way to see which bus goes where. Fares can be paid without cash; how exactly — bank card, QR code or transport card — is shown by the door or in the app.

Order taxis through an app: you see the route and the fare before you get in, and you don't need to explain the address in Russian. If you do take a car from the street, agree on the fare first.

Almaty sits on a slope. Streets towards the mountains climb noticeably, so a walk "up" the map takes longer than it looks, and the walk back down is easy.

Weather and seasons

The climate is sharply continental: hot summers, cold winters (gov.kz). Almaty adds its own touches. In winter the city often sits in haze and the mountains disappear for days. In spring the trees bloom and the weather can change several times a day. Summer days are hot, and in the evening cool air comes down from the mountains. In our experience autumn gives the clearest skies, and the range stands out sharply.

Check the forecast for your dates with Kazhydromet, the national weather service. Bring an extra layer for the evenings in any season and non-slip shoes in winter.

The mountains

The mountains start right behind the city, and on day one it's tempting to head up high. We're preparing a separate page, Mountains for beginners (in Russian first). The one rule for now: mountain weather changes fast, so before every outing check the forecast and the national park rules on official pages, tell someone where you're going and be back before dark.

Being a good guest

Language. The state language is Kazakh; Russian is officially used alongside it (gov.kz). In Almaty Russian is heard everywhere, and English is less common, so a translation app will help. Two Kazakh words go a long way. "Sälemetsiz be" (сәлеметсіз бе) is a polite hello. "Rakhmet" (рақмет) means thank you: say it to the market seller, the driver, the host who pours your tea.

Elders. Greet older people first and offer them your seat. If you're invited to someone's home, bring something for the table and ask at the door whether to take your shoes off.

Tea and the table. Dastarkhan means the laid table and everything around it. Tea is poured into a bowl only partly full so it can be topped up again and again: a sign that the guest is welcome.

Photos. Ask before photographing people, especially at the bazaar or near a mosque. A gesture with your phone and a smile are usually enough.

Safety

Take the same care you would in any big city: taxis through an app, your phone out of reach in crowds, your passport or a copy with you. Save the emergency numbers: 112 is the single emergency dispatch service, 102 the police, 103 an ambulance, 101 the fire service (gov.kz). In the mountains the main risks are weather and darkness.

Time zone

Since 00:00 on 1 March 2024 all of Kazakhstan uses a single time zone, UTC+5 (Ministry of Trade and Integration, in Russian). Almaty used to be on UTC+6, so older guides and some apps may still show the time an hour ahead.

Checked 29.09.2026, rules change.

Where next

Once your phone works and you have some tenge, choose how to live the city.

• The vertical pause — a three-minute practice: stop at a crossing and find the mountains.
• Walks with Valentin — the city centre on foot, with stories, practices and photos.
• The Almaty Way — a manifesto and 52 principles, one for each week of the year.
• Medeu — the mudflow dam, the stairway to its crest and the rink, closed for reconstruction until late 2027 (in Russian).

A small first step for today: go outside, find the range with your eyes and say "rakhmet" to the first person who helps you.

Before you fly

1. Find your country in the Foreign Ministry's visa table, in the column for ordinary passports (N).
2. Ask your bank whether your card works in Kazakhstan and bring a second card or some cash as a backup.
3. Download 2GIS, the local map app: bus routes, building entrances and opening hours, and it works offline.
4. Save 112 in your phone: it is Kazakhstan's single emergency number.
5. Check the Kazhydromet forecast for your dates: the city and the mountains can have very different weather.