We're flying into Almaty and have seven days in Kazakhstan.
Originally we planned to spend one night in the city before heading off to Charyn Canyon, Kolsai Lakes and Altyn-Emel. Looking at other itineraries, though, quite a few people seem to recommend staying in Almaty for two or three days.
Did anyone actually find the city interesting enough to spend time there, or is it mainly somewhere to recover between excursions?
We made exactly the mistake you're about to make. Our first itinerary treated Almaty as little more than a hotel with an airport. After three days in the mountains we came back for one final night and suddenly realised we'd barely seen the city. That evening we wandered along Arbat Street, ended up listening to a group of young musicians, found a tiny coffee shop tucked away in a courtyard and had one of the best dinners of the whole trip.
On our second visit to Kazakhstan we stayed four nights in Almaty. No regrets whatsoever.
Almaty feels very different from Astana. It's greener, more walkable and much more relaxed. I could happily spend a day doing nothing except moving between cafés and parks.
I'm going to be the dissenting voice. We enjoyed Almaty, but if someone only has a week in Kazakhstan, I'd still prioritise nature. The mountains around the city are what make the region exceptional.
If I had to choose between another afternoon in Almaty or another day in Kolsai, I'd choose Kolsai every single time.
As someone who lives here, I think visitors often underestimate how much there is beyond the obvious attractions. Most tourists visit Kok-Tobe, Panfilov Park and the Green Bazaar. Then they say they've "done Almaty."
But ask local residents where they spend weekends and you'll hear completely different answers—small bakeries in old neighbourhoods, walks along the Terrenkur trail, summer evenings by the Esentai River or concerts in the parks. It's a city that's better experienced than completed.
I think the season changes everything.
We visited in late September.
The trees were turning yellow, cafés had outdoor seating everywhere and the mountains already had fresh snow.
It was probably one of the prettiest cities we've visited in autumn.
That's fair. I should probably admit we were there in July during a heatwave. Maybe that influenced my opinion more than I realised.