Things to Do in Astana: A First-Timer’s Guide
I landed in Astana with no real idea what to expect, and I think that helped. The city built its image from scratch on a flat steppe, and almost everything worth doing sits close enough that you can plan a full first day on foot or a quick ride on the city bus. Here is what I would not skip on a first visit.
Start at the Bayterek Tower
Most people begin here, and for good reason. The tower looks like a golden tree in the middle of the city, and the observation deck gives you a slow 360 degree sweep of the skyline. You line up, ride the lift, and step out on a viewing platform with a handprint pressed into a golden bar at the top. Locals say you make a wish with your hand on that imprint, and I admit I did it despite feeling a little silly. The deck is worth the ticket on a clear morning, when the light hits the glass towers and the river below. Go early to beat the tour groups.
Walk the Nur-Alem Sphere and the Expo Grounds
A short walk from Bayterek, the giant glass sphere that hosted Expo 2017 now holds a museum of the future. Inside, rooms run through renewable energy, space, and smart cities, and one exhibit let me stand in a simulated solar storm that I still remember. The building itself is the attraction, but the gardens around it are where I slowed down. That whole Expo area is wide open and clean, and on a weekday afternoon it felt half empty, which made it a calm place to rest my legs with a coffee.
Cross the Ishim River in the Evening
Astana is split by the Ishim, and the left bank holds most of the modern architecture while the right bank has the older streets and more of the everyday life. My favorite part of the trip was simply crossing one of the pedestrian bridges at dusk. The lights come on across the water, the towers glow, and the reflection turns the river into a second skyline. I did this twice because once was not enough.
See the Khan Shatyr from the Outside and In
You cannot photograph the tent-shaped Khan Shatyr and miss the point. The structure is enormous, a translucent peak that holds what is essentially a year-round indoor resort with shops, restaurants, and even a beach area that is wildly popular in winter. I spent an hour there mostly wandering, mostly because the scale is hard to take in. If you only have a short stop, walk around the perimeter at sunset for the best view of the whole skyline.
Eat Like a Local
Food is where Astana surprised me the most. I did not expect the range of Central Asian cooking in one city. Beshbarmak, the boiled meat and noodle dish that is practically a national symbol, tasted far better than the simple description suggests. I also tried kazy, the horse meat sausage, and it was rich and smoky and nothing like I feared. Nearly every restaurant offers these alongside Russian classics like borscht and pelmeni. For dessert, the baked pastries and the strong local honey were the easiest wins of my whole trip. Do not leave without a cup of kumis, the fermented mare’s milk, even if it takes you two tries to finish it.
Take a Closer Look at the City’s Contrasts
Astana earns the nickname of a city of contrast. One afternoon I stood before the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, a pyramid that could have come from another century, and then turned around to face the curved white Academy of National Sports building. Some older wooden houses still sit along the back streets near the river, a reminder that the capital was founded only in the 1990s on what used to be open grassland. Walking between these in a single afternoon is the clearest way to understand how quickly this place came together.
A Word on Getting Around and When to Go
The metro does not exist here in the same way as in other capitals, so you will rely on buses, taxis, and your own feet. Taxis are cheap by Western standards, and I found the bus system easy enough once I loaded a local transit app. In summer, the light runs late and the days feel long, which is ideal for evening walks. Winter is seriously cold and dark, but the indoor shopping malls and warm cafes make it a different kind of visit. I went in early autumn, when the leaves were turning and the crowds had thinned, and it felt like the perfect window.
Most travelers use Astana as one stop on a longer Kazakhstan loop, heading out to the mountains or the steppe afterward. I nearly did the same, and I am glad I left the city enough room. Astana gives you its best when you walk it slowly, eat it properly, and stop to look up. I came with light expectations and left genuinely impressed by what a young capital can dream up.
