Almaty is located in the southeastern part of the country, at the foot of the northern slope of the Zailiisky Alatau at an altitude of 600-900 m above sea level. The population of the city is more than 1.9 million people.

// Photo by Andrey Pak

The climate in Almaty ranges from continental to subcontinental. The south and north of the city are located in different climatic zones. The weather in Almaty is very changeable and there is a joke about it: "Almaty weather is like a woman's mood!", because in the morning it may be sunny, then it rains, then it may snow, and after a while, the sun will shine again brightly. 

In Almaty, for convenience, we always name the address we need with the intersection of the streets, and since the city is surrounded by mountains on three sides, we also specify that we are going up or down.

Almaty is a multinational city and we have many confessions. If your religion is Catholic, Orthodox, Judaism, Muslim or other faiths, you can visit a church, synagogue, mosque or other temple and take part in worship or just pray. Despite the fact that Kazakhstan is mainly a Muslim country, we have respect for other religions, there is no strict dress code.

You need to buy some medicines, there are many 24-hour pharmacies. The central 24-hour pharmacy is on Gogol Street and the corner of Nazarbayev Avenue.

The quality of food in restaurants is under strict control of sanitary services, so food poisoning is not a threat. Local alcoholic beverages are of good quality and in a wide range. Smoking of tobacco products is not allowed in public places, but only in specially allocated places. Importation and use of any kind of drugs is criminalized, strictly controlled and strictly forbidden.

  Nightlife  

The nightlife in Almaty is fountain and there are many options for where to go, what to listen or dance. Here are some of them that are located in the center of the city.

Soho Night Сlub (Kazybek B Street and the corner of Nazarbayev Ave.) - live music and rock-n-roll.
Shakespeare Pub (Dostyk Ave. and the corner of Kabanbai Batyr) - ron-n-roll on Fridays.
Mad Murphy's Pub (Tole Bi street corner Zenkova) - live music on Fridays and Saturdays.
Dublin Pub (Baiseitova str. corner above Abaya str.) - live music every day.
Inzhu, Sky lounge, The Monkey, Fellini, Bar Fly, Svetlana - all these places with a wonderful panoramic view of the mountains and the city.

  Common expressions in the Kazakh language  

To surprise your knowledge of the Kazakh language, I recommend adding words of greeting to your vocabulary, which you will need for more pleasant communication with the locals, and you will make even more friends.

Salem! — {sa'lem} — Hello!
Sa'lemetsiz be! — {sa'lemetsiz be} — Hello!
Qaiyrly tan! — {qaiyrly tan} — Good morning!
{qaiyrly kun} — {qaiyrly ku'n} — Good day!
{qaiyrly kesh} — {qaiyrly kesh} — Good evening!
Kesh zharyk! — {kesh zharyk} — Good evening!
Sau bolynyz! — {sau bolynyz} — Bless you! Good-bye!
Rakhmet! — {rakhmet} — Thank you!
Sizdi korgenime quanyshtymyn — {sizdi kor'genime qu:anyshtymyn} — Good to see you!
Zhagdaiynyz qalay? — {zhagdaiynyz qalai} — How are you?

  What to do after arriving to Almaty?  

Upon arrival in Almaty, in order to be always in touch, you can buy a SIM card from local mobile operators and connect the balance you need to use the Internet and phone calls. For foreign nationals it is not necessary to register the number, as you can use the number without registration for 30 days. If a tourist stays more than 30 days in Kazakhstan, it is enough to show your passport and migration card to register for a longer period of time.

  Telephone numbers of emergency services of the city:  

101 - Fire department
102 - Police
103 - Ambulance service
112 - Rescue Service