This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Almaty.
The Almaty area has long been inhabited by nomadic and semi-settled tribes. The most characteristic monuments of this region are the Saks mounds, the largest of which were up to twenty meters and had a base diameter of more than a hundred meters. Later, it was part of the Western Turkic, the Turkic, the Karluk Kaganates, and the Karakhanids State before it was conquered by the Mongols in the fourteenth century. The new city was built in the middle of the nineteenth century and it was part of the Russian Empire and later, the United Soviet Socialist Republic.
Today, the capital of Kazakhstan has more than one-and-a-half million inhabitants and it is developing very fast due to the money invested in infrastructure. You have plenty of things to do. Medeu, Chymbulak, and Tabagan are ski complexes accessible by public transportation. You can visit the Palace of the Republic, where many concerts and festivals take place; the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan; the National Book Museum; the Central Mosque of Almaty; and the Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord.
The Kazakhstani capital has a great variety of hostels in Almaty. In fact, there is something for each traveler’s pocket, as hostels in Almaty are generally quite cheap and even Almaty hostels that offer outstanding service and very good conditions are relatively inexpensive. Most Almaty hostels are located in the Medeu District, but there are hostels located in almost any part of the city. Since most Almaty hostels are quite new and the hostel industry is developing, you can expect that the city will become even more hostel-friendly for its visitors. Some hostels in Almaty might not be so easy to find, so always be sure to get a contact phone, or at least the address of your Almaty hostel.
Written by local enthusiast for Almaty hostels
George Traveller
