Assel Nurbekova, 34, is an architect born and raised in Almaty. She's spent her entire life watching the city transform from a sleepy post-Soviet capital to Central Asia's most cosmopolitan metropolis. When she's not designing buildings, she's hiking the Tien Shan foothills with her dog or exploring the latest cafe to open in the Arbat area.
I sat down with Assel over tea at Coffeedelia on Panfilov Street to get the real insider's take on Almaty — the stuff guidebooks miss.
What's the first thing you'd tell a friend visiting Almaty for the first time?
Look up. Seriously. People arrive in Almaty and immediately start looking at their phones, navigating to the Green Bazaar or Zenkov Cathedral. But if you just look south from almost any street in the city, the Tien Shan mountains are right there. Snow-capped, 4,000+ meters, filling half the sky. On a clear morning — especially in September and October — the mountain wall is so sharp and close it doesn't look real.
Almaty means "full of apples," by the way. The domestic apple originated in these mountains. You'll see wild apple trees in the foothills if you hike. It's in the city's DNA.
What do tourists get wrong about Almaty?
They think it's a stopover. I've met so many travelers who give Almaty one night on their way to Bishkek or Samarkand, and every single one tells me they wish they'd stayed longer.
The other thing: people expect it to feel Soviet and depressing. Maybe it did in the '90s. But modern Almaty has incredible cafes, a growing art scene, a craft beer movement, and restaurants serving everything from Korean to Georgian to molecular Kazakh cuisine. It's a genuinely exciting city. Not in a Dubai way — more in a Barcelona-ten-years-ago way.
Where do you eat when you want the best Kazakh food?
For beshbarmak — the national dish, boiled meat on flat noodles — I go to Zheti Kazyna on Nazarbayev Avenue. It's not cheap by Almaty standards (mains around 4,000-6,000 KZT) but it's authentic and beautifully presented. The horse meat version is the traditional one. Don't be squeamish.
For quick street food, the samsa (baked meat pastry) from almost any tandoor bakery near the Green Bazaar is perfect. 200-400 KZT per samsa. I eat probably five per week.
And look — you have to try kumis. Fermented mare's milk. I know it sounds terrible. It's sour, slightly fizzy, and an acquired taste. But it's been our drink for thousands of years, and the fresh kumis sold at the bazaar (200-300 KZT per glass) is much better than the bottled stuff. Try it once. If you hate it, fine. But you tried.
What's your favorite hike?
Everyone goes to Big Almaty Lake, and it is beautiful. But it's become crowded on weekends. My secret spot is the Butakovka Waterfall trail — about 20km south of the city, accessed from the Medeu area. The trailhead isn't well-marked, which keeps crowds down. The hike is 4-5 hours round trip through spruce forest, and the waterfall is substantial in late spring.
For an easy afternoon, I walk in Kok Tobe area. Not the cable car tourist experience — the trails that wind through the residential neighborhoods on the hillside below the TV tower. Apple orchards, views of the whole city, and almost no tourists.
Favorite bar?
Line Brew on Tole Bi Street. They brew their own beer and the IPA is genuinely excellent. A pint is about 1,200 KZT ($2.60). The atmosphere is relaxed, mostly locals, live music some nights.
For cocktails, ABC on Dostyk Avenue does creative drinks in a setting that would be $25 per cocktail in New York. Here, they're 3,000-4,000 KZT ($6.50-8.60).
Is there anything tourists should avoid?
Don't take unmarked taxis. Just don't. Download Yandex Go and use it for everything. The price shows upfront, the car is tracked, and you won't get scammed.
Don't change money on the street. The old black-market currency exchange is gone, but occasionally someone will approach tourists near the bazaar offering "good rates." Use official exchange offices — the rates are already very fair.
And don't underestimate the altitude if you're going to Big Almaty Lake (2,511m) or Shymbulak (3,200m). I've seen tourists stumble off the gondola at Shymbulak looking green. Take the first day easy, especially if you flew in from sea level.
What's your hidden favorite spot in the city?
The WWII Memorial of Glory in Panfilov Park. Everyone walks past it to get to Zenkov Cathedral, but the memorial itself — the eternal flame, the granite panels carved with names of fallen soldiers — is quietly powerful. And the park around it, especially in autumn when the leaves turn, is the most beautiful green space in the city.
Also, the alleyways behind the Green Bazaar. Most tourists go into the main market, buy their dried fruit, and leave. But the side streets behind the bazaar have tiny restaurants serving the best lagman (pulled noodle soup) in the city. No signs in English. Just follow your nose to the kitchen that smells the best. A bowl of lagman with fresh bread costs 1,000-1,500 KZT ($2.15-3.25).
If you had 48 hours and wanted the perfect Almaty weekend, what would you do?
Saturday morning: Green Bazaar by 9AM. Buy pomegranate juice, samsa, and kurt to snack on. Walk to Zenkov Cathedral and through Panfilov Park. Take the cable car to Kok Tobe for the view (2,000 KZT round trip). Lunch at Navat on Dostyk — modern Uzbek cuisine, beautiful interior, mains 3,000-5,000 KZT.
Saturday afternoon: Bus 12 to Medeu (150 KZT). Ride the gondola to Shymbulak. Hike for an hour at the top. Come back down for sunset drinks at Bellagio cafe near Medeu.
Sunday: Early drive to Big Almaty Lake (hire a 4WD, 8,000-12,000 KZT round trip). The lake at 8AM, before the crowds, with the mountains reflecting in turquoise water — that's the image you'll remember forever. Back in the city by noon. Lunch at the lagman alley behind the bazaar. Afternoon at the A. Kasteyev Museum of Arts (500 KZT, excellent collection of Kazakh and Russian art). Sunset from the balcony at Line Brew with a cold beer.
One sentence: why should someone visit Almaty?
Because it's a real city with real mountains at prices that won't exist five years from now, and most travelers have no idea it's there.
Assel is a composite character inspired by conversations with multiple Almaty residents. Details about restaurants, prices, and locations have been verified as of early 2026.
