- Important points
- Choosing wings
- Hotel or apartment
- Transport subtleties
- Nightingales are not fed with fables
- Useful details
- The final countdown
- Perfect travel to Kazakhstan
The Central Asian state, the Republic of Kazakhstan, is among the top ten in the world in terms of its area and is ready to offer the guests who visit it a lot of interesting and informative things. The Great Silk Road ran here, and in the old cities there are evidences of the former greatness - mausoleums and tombs, ruins of powerful cities and places of worship for saints. And a trip to Kazakhstan certainly includes amazing natural beauties - endless steppes under a bright blue sky, mountain peaks covered with gray caps of snow, and bottomless lakes, reflecting light feathers of clouds floating by for millennia.
Important points
- A Russian tourist will not need a visa to visit Kazakhstan. Moreover, Russian citizens are allowed to enter the republic for up to 90 days with a civil passport. Upon arrival, registration at the place of stay is required. This will be done by the hotel administration or border guards when passing through passport control at the airport.
- The vast majority of residents of Kazakhstan speak Russian.
- Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere in cities, but to travel around the Kazakh province, it is advisable to have cash with you.
Choosing wings
International airports of Kazakhstan and railway stations are at the service of foreign tourists:
- Direct flights from Moscow to Astana are on the daily schedule of Air Astana. Passengers will have to spend 3.5 hours on the way, and the ticket price is about $ 330.
- With transfers in Istanbul or Minsk, Turkish Airlines and Belavia air carriers offer to get to Astana. Travel time is from 8 hours, and the ticket price is from $ 280.
- Aeroflot planes fly directly to Almaty. The road will take a little more than 5, 5 hours, and the ticket will cost $ 280.
- Trains to Astana and Almaty leave from Moscow several times a week. Their passengers spend 60 and 78 hours on the way, respectively.
Hotel or apartment
The system of hotels in the country is very similar to the Russian one. There are hotels with a high level of service, representing well-known world chains. A night in the "five" in Almaty will cost $ 130, and rooms in 3 * are quite budgetary - $ 18 and more. For this money, guests are guaranteed free wireless Internet, parking, private bathroom, TV and a decent menu and service in the hotel restaurant.
Cheap hostels offer a bed in a dormitory room from $ 4 per night, and a private room from $ 15 per night.
Renting apartments in the cities of Kazakhstan is becoming no less popular among independent travelers, especially if you need housing for a large family or company. Individual apartments in large cities of the country are rented on specialized sites from $ 20 to $ 50 per day, depending on the number of rooms and the amenities offered.
Transport subtleties
Public transport in Kazakhstan is almost the same as in Russia and is represented by buses, metro, fixed-route taxis and trams.
The only metro in the country was built in Almaty. The cost of the trip is about a quarter of a dollar. Trolleybus and tram fares in Almaty, Pavlodar and Temirtau and in buses of all Kazakh cities cost the same.
Minibuses operate in many directions both within cities and between them. The fare usually coincides with the price of a bus trip or slightly exceeds it.
A large territory of Kazakhstan is penetrated by a network of railways and highways. Tickets for all directions are sold at ticket offices of railway stations and on specialized sites.
Nightingales are not fed with fables
Kazakh cuisine will please everyone, without exception. Fans of dairy products will be satisfied with the quality of cottage cheese dishes, and meat lovers will be able to taste delicious lamb. Pies and flat cakes, cooked in national ovens - tandoors, can be bought at every corner and quickly satisfy your hunger, and it is worth taking at least two hours for a solid meal to taste the best dishes in the menus of Kazakh cafes and restaurants.
The average bill for a dinner in a restaurant with several dishes for two will be about $ 30 -40 $, and in an inexpensive cafe - from $ 15.
Useful details
- Long connections in Minsk and Istanbul can be done with benefit. Russian travelers do not need visas to visit Turkey and Belarus, which means you can take sightseeing tours around the city while waiting for your flight to Astana.
- It is most profitable to bring American dollars to Kazakhstan. Their rate in exchange offices is the most interesting for a tourist.
- The entrance to the high-mountain skating rink Medeo costs about $ 5. The facility is open daily from October to May inclusive.
- High solar activity throughout the country requires the use of products with a high protection factor to avoid sunburn.
- A daytime ski pass to the Chimbulak ski resort will cost $ 25 on Saturday and Sunday and $ 16 on weekdays.
The final countdown
A unique object is located in Kazakhstan, where any person interested in astronautics dreams of visiting. The Baikonur Cosmodrome offers excursions for tourists that coincide in time with the launches of spacecraft.
The program of tours to Baikonur includes: excursion to the Museum of Cosmonautics; visiting the memorial complex consisting of the houses of Gagarin and Korolyov; a trip to the launch site of the first cosmonaut of the planet. The apotheosis of the tour is the participation of travelers in the launch of the spacecraft.
Applications for a trip to the Baikonur cosmodrome should be submitted in advance, because, despite the considerable price (about $ 1,500), there are many who want to join the lucky team.
Perfect travel to Kazakhstan
The climate of Kazakhstan can be characterized as sharply continental, and therefore all four seasons are pronounced here.
Rainfall throughout the country is negligible and reaches its peak in spring and early summer. Snow falls in Kazakhstan in winter. The cold season lasts from November to April, and frosts at the height of winter can reach –40 ° С. Spring is characterized by unstable temperatures. Warm weather can be followed by sharp cold snaps. Until summer temperatures, the air warms up towards the end of May and until mid-September, thermometers often show + 35 ° C and above.
The optimal time for a visit to the republic is the end of spring and the first half of autumn. If your goal is to relax in the ski resorts of Kazakhstan, book tickets for the period from November to the end of April. At this time of the year, stable snow cover is established on the slopes of the Chimbulak resort, and the bright sun, even in severe frost, makes skiing comfortable.
