Kazakhstan Travel Guide: Self-Guided City Walks

Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country, a vast Central Asian destination shaped by nomadic cultures, empires and dramatic landscapes. The best things to do in Kazakhstan include exploring its two major cities, learning about the country’s long history and discovering how the steppe, mountains and Caspian Sea have shaped life here. Neywo offers free audio guides for two cities in Kazakhstan, with 99 narrated places in total and five walking tours.

What to see and do in Kazakhstan

Explore Almaty

Almaty is Kazakhstan’s largest city and its principal cultural and economic centre. The former capital remains an important base for research and offers some of the country’s most significant museums and cultural landmarks.

The Abay Opera House is one of the key places to visit in the city. The Central State Museum of Kazakhstan provides a way to explore the country’s history, from its earliest inhabitants through the development of modern Kazakhstan. At the A. Kasteyev State Museum of Arts, visitors can discover an important part of the country’s artistic heritage, while the Kunaev Home Museum offers another perspective on Kazakhstan’s modern history.

For a city-focused itinerary, see the Almaty guide.

Discover Astana

Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, presents a very different urban experience. It stands in the country’s northern steppe, a region known for its extreme continental climate. Summers are hot, winters are cold, and Astana is described as the world’s second coldest capital city.

Among the city’s main places to see is Astana Opera. The National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan is another essential stop for understanding the country’s history and culture. The Khazret Sultan Mosque reflects Kazakhstan’s Muslim heritage, while Atameken miniature park offers a compact way to discover representations of the country’s landmarks and landscapes.

The Astana guide covers the city’s narrated places in more detail.

Understand Kazakhstan’s nomadic history

Kazakhstan’s history is closely connected to movement across the steppe. People have lived in the region since the Paleolithic era, and the Botai culture is credited with the first domestication of horses. Iranian nomadic peoples and later Turkic-speaking groups shaped the region before the Mongol Empire, under Genghis Khan, took control.

After the Golden Horde collapsed, Kerei and Janibek founded the Kazakh Khanate in the mid-15th century. The khanate covered an area roughly corresponding to modern Kazakhstan before dividing into three tribal groupings known as jüz. It was gradually absorbed by the Russian Empire, followed by Soviet rule after the Russian Revolution.

Kazakhstan declared full independence in 1991, becoming the last Soviet republic to do so. Nomads, khanates and empires all form part of the country’s long path to independence.

Experience the scale of the Kazakh Steppe

Kazakhstan is about as large as Western Europe, yet has fewer than eight people per square kilometre. Much of the country consists of plains, lowlands and hilly plateaus, while mountains rise along the southern and eastern frontiers.

The Kazakh Steppe is not simply scenery around the cities. Its size and climate have influenced travel, settlement and culture throughout the country. The Caspian Sea forms part of Kazakhstan’s western edge, and the country also extends into Eastern Europe across the Ural River.

This geographical scale is one of the defining features of a Kazakhstan travel guide. Railways carry much of the country’s passenger and cargo traffic across its enormous territory, connecting places separated by vast distances.

Look for rare plants and wildlife

Kazakhstan’s landscapes also shelter rare and endangered plants and animals. Nature reserves and national parks protect parts of this natural heritage. Native plants include wild apple, wild grape and several species of wild tulip.

The country’s environmental diversity reflects its varied geography, from steppe and lowlands to the mountain ranges along its borders. Across Kazakhstan, nature is more than a backdrop: it defines the setting of the country itself.

Learn about modern Kazakhstan

Modern Kazakhstan has a population of more than 20 million people and brings together many different communities. Ethnic Kazakhs form the majority, while ethnic Russians are a significant minority. Uzbeks, Ukrainians, Uyghurs and many other communities also contribute to the country’s diverse population.

Kazakh is the state language. Russian has official status and is widely used in business, government and communication between ethnic groups. Kazakhstan is officially secular; most of the population is Muslim, alongside a sizeable Christian community.

The economy is strongly based on natural resources, with oil, gas and mineral extraction playing leading roles. Agriculture produces grain, vegetables, fruit and livestock. This combination of natural wealth, agricultural production and transport infrastructure gives Kazakhstan an important economic and political role in Central Asia.

Explore Kazakhstan with Neywo

Download Neywo to explore Kazakhstan with a free audio guide for two cities, covering 99 narrated places through five walking tours. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, making it an easy way to discover the country while walking through Almaty and Astana.