Remember that the mountains outside of town are critical to direction. When someone tells you to head "up," they are telling you to head towards the mountains. When someone tells you to head "down," they are telling you to head away from the mountains. It is very easy to get around Almaty, since most of the roads are either parallel or ortogonal to each other. The destinations are usually determined by intersections like in New York. Therefore, for instance, if you know that Kazakhstan Hotel is located in intersection of Abaya street and Dostyk street, local people will be able to help you out with ease.
Trams, buses and trolleys can take you around much of the city for 50 tenge (currency code – KZT). In case of trams and trolleys, there is a dedicated machine inside every vehicle. Put 50 tenge (not less, not more) inside these machines to get a ticket. In case of buses, you pay to conductor during exiting off a vehicle. Recommend you to use buses only in the center.
Bus routes can be found online here:
Taxis come in two types, those with "Taxi" painted on the side, and every other privately owned vehicle. If you want to go somewhere, stand on the curb and stick your arm out. Pretty soon someone will stop. Tell him where you want to go and negotiate a price before entering the vehicle (don't let them overcharge and be firm, 200 tenge (USD2) is a normal price for a foreigner taking a short trip, 1000 should get you across town). These are really efficient, and although it takes a bit of getting used to, it is the perfect solution to getting around. nevertheless, single travelers should be aware of mugging late at night. Avoid cars with more than one male occupant at night. Usually a car will stop within 30 seconds to 3 minutes of having your hand out. If the driver does not wish to drive to your destination, no problem. The next one will stop a minute or two after. You'll need the name of your destination street and the nearest cross street, in Russian, in order to get to where you want to go. Very few people speak or understand even basic English. It is necessary to have small money. Usually drivers avoid to give change, so it is better to have the exact amount in hands.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Almaty
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Almaty - updated Apr 2024
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Almaty Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
