Almaty is well-connected through Almaty airport, and over land by comfortable trains and tiring, old long-distance buses. Once in the center of town, you will notice the increasingly clogged up streets of Almaty. The metro is the quickest way to get somewhere if your destination is close to a stop. City buses are cheap, but crowded during peak hours.
A taxi is often still the quickest option. Cycling has become a viable option in recent years.
Table of Contents
Transport to/from Almaty
Train
For all info regarding route planning and buying tickets, see trains in Kazakhstan.
There are 2 train stations in Almaty, Almaty-1 and Almaty-2. The central station is Almaty-2, located on Ablai Khan street, just below Rayimbek Batyr avenue and metro stop (OSM/Gmaps). Almaty-1 is located 20 minutes drive northeast of Almaty-2 (OSM/Gmaps).
If possible, buy your tickets online, at a travel agent or at one of the many rail booking offices dotted around town. The train station often has long queues at the ticket office, and sells out before the online shop does (because cashiers want to sell you a more expensive ticket and pocket the bribe).
The train stations in Almaty are safe. 24/7 luggage storage is available. Outside, taxis will be waiting to quote you over-the-top prices. If your destination is in the center of town, don’t pay more than 1000 tenge from Almaty-2, 2000 tenge from Almaty-1. There are also plenty of city buses to bring you to the center of town.
Flight
See our article on Almaty airport for details.
Intercity bus
Almaty has 2 bus stations: the long-distance bus station Sairan, and the shorter-distance station Sayakhat.
Sairan bus station serves destinations like Bishkek (5h), Yining (10h), Taraz (8h), Shymkent (13h), Oskemen (23h), Karaganda (18h), Astana (20h), Taldykorgan (4h). It is located in the west of town at the crossroads of Tole bi and Otegen Batyr streets (OSM/ Gmaps). For details on ticket reservations, timetables and the bazaar, see our article on Sairan bus station.
Sayakhat is a jumble of second-hand buses, marshrutkas and bazaar stalls near the central mosque at the crossing of Rayimbek and Suyunbai avenue (OSM/Gmaps). It operates all buses going east and north of the city to smaller, nearby destinations: Talgar, Esik, Kegen, Narynkol, Kapchagai and Taldykorgan among others. Payment is on the bus rather than at the ticket office.
The bus station has been under construction for a while – expect chaos and to be redirected to a random street corner for your particular bus. No timetables.
Destinations: how to get to…
Bishkek
No trains. Daily flights (1h, 100$). Minivans (marshrutkas) leave from Sairan bus station when they are full (30 minute wait average) from 6am until 8pm (8$, 4-5 hours). It takes 4 hours to get to the border, 5 hours to Bishkek.
Earplugs and blindfold are a bonus depending on the driver’s tastes in music/movies. No A/C in most buses, it does get hot on a summer’s day in a traffic jam. Otherwise comfortable. Stops halfway for a doner or an ice cream and a toilet break.
After the border, you can take a local bus or taxi instead of waiting for your van. They will drop you off in the center of town, whereas the bus will drop you off at the bus station at the western edge of Bishkek – depends where you need to be.
Outside of the Sairan bus station, shared taxis await. A good deal is 10$ for a seat in a shared taxi to Bishkek. Most of them will not cross the border, so you will have to do the last bit with local transport.
Astana
6 daily trains, taking between 13 and 22 hours. Prices depend on time of booking, type of train and class: from 4000 to 25 000 tenge. Daily flights (90 min, 40$). If all else fails, old, slow, unreliable buses are your final option (3000 tenge, 20h).
Tashkent
Since 2017, a direct Talgo-train links Almaty and Tashkent in about 16 hours, 10 hours quicker than before. The train runs twice weekly either way. If it’s full, you can take a train to Shymkent and hop over the border from there.
If you prefer the slower version, train number 21 still runs between Almaty and Nukus. On this train, Almaty – Tashkent takes 26 hours (with long border halt). Prices fluctuate and the slow train could be more expensive.
Flights run daily (90 min, 100$). The slow bus to Shymkent should be avoided at all cost (13h, 1500 tenge).
Yining / Urumqi
The bus to Urumqi still exists, it seems. However, this is a long (24h+) journey. It’s more comfortable to take the bus to Yining instead (25$, ~10h). From there you can take a train to Urumqi. Travel reports in this forum thread.
Alternatively, from Almaty, you could take a bus or InDrive to Zharkent, and make your way across the border to Yining from there.
Or you can take a train to Khorgos (Dostyk), cross the border, and then take a train from Alashankou/Huerguosi to Urumqi. Latest info in the Almaty-Urumqi train thread. Flights run daily (1h 45 min, 170$).
Shymkent
8 trains daily, taking between 10 and 14 hours. Prices depend on time of booking, type of train and class: from 2000 to 10000 tenge. Flights run daily (1h, 50$). Old, packed buses leave around the clock (13h, 1500 tenge).
Getting around Almaty
Onay Card
The Onay Card is Almaty’s transport ticket. It is sold at kiosks or metro stations, which includes 1 free ride. You then need to charge the card at a Qiwi payment terminal, online or via the Onay app. You can sell the card back at the train station.
Be aware that it takes 15 minutes for your card to recharge, and that you cannot beep in someone else on the same card if you are 2 on the bus. The card is only valid in Almaty and can be used on the metro and the bus. You can still pay cash on the bus (make sure you have correct change since the country is very cashless these days), or by sms. Questions and tips collected in the transport cards forum Q&A.
Metro
Almaty’s metro is shiny and clean, but limited to 1 east-west line under central Abay and Dostyk avenues. It is a quick way to get around the city if your destination is close to a stop. The metro runs from 6.30am to 11.30pm, roughly every 10 minutes.
City bus
Buses in Almaty are big city buses, not cramped marshrutkas like in Bishkek. They are very full in peak times though, from 8-10am and 5-7pm on weekdays. Traffic jams are less of an issue because of dedicated bus lanes on the main arteries. Quite smooth and sometimes quicker than cars because of this.
Buses drive from 6am to 9pm, except for 1 night route to the airport. To find routes, try Wikiroutes (apps available).
Taxi and ride-hailing apps
3 options exist. First, gypsy cabs: the old trick of just standing by the side of the road and extending your hand is less common these days because of apps.
Second option: ride-hailing apps. Try Uber, Yandex Taxi or Indriver.
Official taxis are also a good option, they are not more expensive than ride-hailing apps.
Car rental
If you want to rent a car, go over the conditions carefully before you sign on the dotted line. Most rental companies have strict guidelines about how far you can take a car outside of Almaty and how many kilometers you can drive a day without paying a surcharge. Keep this in mind if you want to go to places like Altyn Emel or Kolsai Lakes – most cars are equipped with gps trackers, so they will find out where you were.
Have a look at our preferred car rental companies in Kazakhstan.
By bicycle
Cycle paths exist, but they are not ubiquitous. Bike sharing stations are dotted around Almaty. You can register online and pay by credit card and sms. It’s cheap to ride – free even if you dock in less than 30 minutes – but you need to pay a 37 500 tenge deposit before you can start.
There is no dockless bike sharing yet. All bike-sharing info on the Almatybike website.
To rent, buy or repair a bicycle, see Cycling in Kazakhstan, where you can also find more information on good routes starting from Almaty.
You can take your bicycle on the bus when heading to Shymbulak and Medeu; buses are outfitted with bike carriers on the front. You pay for an extra ticket for your bicycle.
Have a nice ride!