Candy-coloured Zenkov Cathedral is Kazakhstan's nearest (albeit distant) relative to St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow and one of Almaty’s few surviving tsarist-era buildings. Designed by AP Zenkov in 1904, the cathedral is built entirely of wood (including the nails). Used as a museum and concert hall in Soviet times, it was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1995 and has been restored with colourful icons and murals.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.59 MILES
Almaty’s best museum takes you through Kazakhstan’s history from Bronze Age burials and nomadic culture to WWII sacrifices, telecommunications and the…
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2.09 MILES
This 1100m hill on the city’s southeast edge is crowned by a 372m-high TV tower visible from far and wide, and affords great views over the city and the…
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14.54 MILES
This picturesque turquoise lake, 1.6km long, rests in a rocky bowl at 2500m altitude, reflecting the Tian Shan mountains and the giant fir trees in its…
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2.32 MILES
This is the best art collection in the country, with Kazakh, Russian and some Western European art and a room of top-class modern Kazakh handicrafts, with…
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Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments
0.2 MILES
In a striking 1908 wooden building (designed by cathedral architect Zenkov) at the east end of Panfilov Park, the city’s most original museum is a must…
0.06 MILES
This large and attractive rectangle of greenery is one of central Almaty's most popular strolling and hangout places for all ages. At its heart stands the…
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1.47 MILES
This broad, Soviet-created ceremonial square provides a panoramic view of the snowcapped mountains on a clear morning and is surrounded by several…
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0.35 MILES
This large, two-level market has a true flavour of Central Asia, and is worth putting on your itinerary even if you're not really food shopping. It's been…
Nearby Almaty attractions
0.06 MILES
This large and attractive rectangle of greenery is one of central Almaty's most popular strolling and hangout places for all ages. At its heart stands the…
0.11 MILES
This dramatic socialist-realism memorial in Panfilov Park depicts soldiers from all 15 Soviet republics bursting out of a map of the USSR. An eternal…
3. Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments
0.2 MILES
In a striking 1908 wooden building (designed by cathedral architect Zenkov) at the east end of Panfilov Park, the city’s most original museum is a must…
0.35 MILES
This large, two-level market has a true flavour of Central Asia, and is worth putting on your itinerary even if you're not really food shopping. It's been…
0.57 MILES
The pedestrianised stretch of this street in the lower, northern, part of the centre is Almaty’s (sort of) version of Moscow’s Arbat. It's dotted with…
0.66 MILES
Almaty’s multitowered, gold-domed, white-marble central mosque, built in 1999, is one of the largest in the country, with space for 3000 worshippers in…
0.68 MILES
Central Almaty’s biggest recreational park is a somewhat untidy place whose boating lakes, funfair rides, pony rides, a waterpark, rather sad zoo, cinema,…