The national currency is tenge, denoted by the symbol “₸” or “T” (Cyrillic: тенге, ISO code: KZT). On Wikivoyage we use tenge to denote the currency, e.g. 100 tenge.

BY BUS:

In Semipalatinsk (Semey) a marshrutka costs 35 tenge, and a large bus costs 35-40 tenge. In Astana it ranges between 60-65 tenge.

Public/city buses:

Public transportation in big cities is rather popular. You can use buses, trolleys, trams and minibuses. One big minus of all of them is that they never come on schedule and very crowded on peak time. Moreover, there is absolutely no plan with bus stops and schedule whatsoever. If you don’t speak Russian, taking the bus will be quite tricky but not impossible.

Marshrutkas:

Similar to regular buses and another cheap way to get around is by taking a marshrutka. These are the dilapidated transport vans that cruise around or between towns. They usually have a sign (in Russian) listing the destination, and the driver will usually call out where they are going. However, you will not find them operating inside of Almaty city.

Long distance buses:

They’re a popular alternative to trains and are faster, but less comfortable. Similarly to train travel, you will need to buy your ticket in advance and will be given a seat number. Be careful when the bus makes a toilet stop, the driver often does not check whether all the passengers are on board before driving away!

Fares are relatively low, for instance a single from Almaty to Karaganda (14 hr) will cost you 2,500 tenge—much cheaper than a flight ticket.

BY TAXI:

Use taxis as they are very cheap (€2-6 within the city). You don’t have to use official taxis in most cities, basically you can stop almost any car on the street by raising your hand. It works good in Almaty & Astana, but in Karaganda the best way is one of taxis by phone. It some cheaper and even faster than hitch-hike waiting.

A note of warning, getting to the Almaty airport can be expensive. Taxis to the airport vary greatly in price. Any foreigner will be quoted a very expensive rate but usually drivers will come down once they see they aren’t going to be able to get that much. US$50 is outlandish. Do not accept the first price as it will result in your being overcharged. It should be less than US$10, although it can never be guaranteed that a foreigner will get that price. A better option are the minibuses and buses that go to the airport. The word “airport” is very similar in Russian and English.

A common way to get around is by unofficial taxis. Any time of day, just wave your hand and someone will stop. Locals do this all the time. Negotiate the price and destination before you agree to go. About US$2-4 is fair for a ride within the centre of Almaty. If your Russian is poor or non-existent, you will be charged a lot more than locals; to avoid this, try to use public buses as much as you can and don’t hesitate to tell the driver how much you are ready to pay (do this before he tells you how much he wants). To be safe though, do not get in a car if more than one person is driving. Also, do not take these kind of taxis for long distances or anywhere that goes through remote areas, as there are frequent robberies, especially of foreigners.

Always try to have exact amount of money in cash (the price which you negotiated with a taxi driver), since usually they will not give you change. So if the price should be 350 tenge, give the driver 350 tenge, not more (as he/she might not give change).

BY RAIL:

Train is the most popular way of covering the huge distances between Kazakhstan’s main cities. The main railway stations are in Astana, Karaganda and Almaty, but stations can be found in almost every big city.

The rolling stock, train classes, ticket and reservation systems were inherited from the former Soviet Railways, so they are very similar to the Russian train system.

Ticket prices are slightly lower than in Russia. Kazakh Railways tickets can be bought online.

Kazakhstan is a large country. For instance, it will take you almost 24 hours to get from Almaty to Astana. However, going by train is a very fun way of travelling, since the trains are a great way to meet people. A lot has been written about the pitfalls of being included in a vodka drinking party on a train, but for the most part fellow travellers are friendly, and keen to find out about you (“why aren’t you married?” and, if you are, “why don’t you have children?”, and if you do, “why don’t they have children?”!) Most travellers take food for the journey, as restaurant car provision is sporadic (and they expect you to share yours too!). If you don’t have enough to last the distance, the trains generally stop for 15–20 minutes at each station and there are always people on the platform selling food and drink, at any time of day or night.

There is also a train called the Talgo, which can cover the distance from Almaty and Astana in 9 hours. The cost of the ticket is about 9,000 tenge.

BY PLANE:

Air Astana provides offices in a few major hotels in big cities; it’s the fastest way of travelling within the city for those who can afford it. Planes are brand new and match European standards in quality. Qazaq Air is a cheaper alternative and also provides some connections between major Kazakh cities, with the most frequently served connection being the route Astana – Almaty.

EAT:

Meat, potatoes, rice and pasta. And lots of it. If you’re vegetarian be wary, because if it doesn’t have meat in it, it will be almost certainly cooked in meat stock.

Some recommended dishes:

• Beshbarmak – “five fingers”, a horse meat and pasta dish with potato and onion. The national traditional dish of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan most often served for special occasions. Can also be made with beef or lamb. Most restaurants that serve it will present a portion enough for two or three people.
  
• Kazy – handmade horse meat sausage, could be cooked and served with Beshbarmak, but not at the restaurants, unless you ask to do so when preorder menu. If you did not, it would be served as cold meat appetizer with other types of cold meat appetizers (Zhaya, Basturma, Shyzhyk). And separate price would be charged. Kazakh dish.
  
• Laghman – a thick noodle dish with meat, carrot and onion, usually served as a soup.Some other veggies could be added too.
  
• Manty – large steamed dumplings full of meat and onions. Sometimes made with onions or pumpkin. Traditional Uighur dish.
  
• Plov – wonderful dish of fried rice, meat, carrots, and sometimes other bits such as raisins or tomatoes. Traditional Uzbek dish.
  
• Shashlyk or Shish Kebab – skewered, roasted chunks of marinated meat, served with some sort of flatbread (usually lavash) and onions. Various marinates can be used, and different ways to cook it, open fire or other.
  
• Baursaky – bread best served piping hot. A little like an unsweetened doughnut. Kazakh.
  
• Pelmeni – boiled dumplings made from different kinds of meat or potato. Russian.

If you’re a vegetarian, you’re probably thinking there’s nothing for you in Kazakhstan. And you’re right, if you eat out. But if you’re cooking your own food, you’ll be more than satisfied. Kazakhstan has some excellent products available at little markets everywhere. You will be amazed at the taste and availability of fresh organic veggies at low price! For a treat in Almaty, try Govinda’s, a delicious vegetarian Hare Krishna restaurant. Malls have food courts with some vegetarian options too. Even some small Kazakh eateries will prepare vegetarian meals for you if you make it very clear to them (e.g. “byez myasa” (without meat), “ya vegeterianetz” (I [male] am a vegetarian), “ya vegetarianka” (I [female] am a vegetarian) in Russian). At some places (e.g. smak) you can even find vegetarian manty made with pumpkin.

The legacy of Korean resettlement in Kazakhstan means that Korean dishes, particularly salads, are very common. At the country’s many bazaars (independent food and goods markets), look for the Korean ladies selling these. They will wrap you up any number of delicious, often spicy and garlicky salads to take away in plastic bags. If you are vegetarian, this may be the only decent thing you get to eat while you’re in the country.

On the other hand, in Kazakhstan you can find any dishes you want, but Chinese and Japanese dishes are very expensive. The most delicious is caviar, which is very cheap, you can buy 1 kilo of caviar for less than US$300 in Almaty Zyeloniy Bazaar, but you can’t export or take it with you home; you will be stopped at the airport and pay high fines.

Eating out is relatively cheap; you basically order the meat dish and then add rice, potatoes, etc. Each element is priced individually, so you can order for instance only meat or only rice. Prices are relatively cheap, count 500 tenge for chicken, 1,000 tenge for beef, and up to 1,500 tenge for horse, a local delicacy. Of course, the fancier the restaurant, the higher the price. If you don’t speak Russian, things are relatively hard as the majority of restaurants don’t have English menus (with the exception of some hyped places in Almaty).

While Kazakhs are not very religious, most do not eat pork. Be aware of this if you are dining out with Kazakhs or planning a dinner at home. Also many dishes that are made elsewhere with pork (such as dumplings or sausage) are made with beef or mutton here.

DRINK:

Traditional beverages include:

• Kumiss – fermented mare’s milk, up to 6% alcohol content. Imagine tart lemonade, mixed with semi-sour milk.
  
• Kumyran (Shubat)- fermented camel’s milk
  
• Kvas – described as similar to root beer it can be bought in a bottle in a store, or by the cup from people with giant yellowish tanks of it on the street.
  
• Tan. Fizzy beverage made of mare’s milk.
  
• Cheap alcoholic drinks can be found at every little corner shop (called the astanovka). These places are open 24/7, just knock on their door if the shopkeeper is asleep. Kazakhstan’s speciality is cognac, though stores still sell vodka cheaper than bottled water at times. However, some of these astanovka sometimes sell alcohol of dubious origin; for the sake of your stomach you may want to buy your beverage in a supermarket, although the price will definitely be higher.
  
• Several brands of beer, of good quality and flavor, are made in Karaganda. Becker, Staut, Tian-Shan, Derbes, Irbis, Alma-Ata. Local brands brewed in Almaty are pretty good.
  
• Juices, in cartons, are common and delicious, especially peach juice.
  
• Tea is widely available, mostly very good and often quite strong. If you are on a budget this is the thing to order with your food. Tea is culturally important in Kazakhstan – “shai” time is one of the most important things a visitor can engage in to learn about the culture.
  
• Coffee. Modern coffee houses and western-style cafés are appearing. They serve good coffee. Coffeedelia (Kabanbai batyr and Furmanov) is popular with expats and does OK coffee. One of the best coffee in Almaty can be found at 4A Coffee where they roast their own daily. Gloria Jeans and Marone Rosso also can be found.
  
• Wine. Try the local variety. A good one can be had for less than US$4 a bottle. “Bibigul” is perhaps the most consistently good wine, and it comes in a semi-dry red or semi-dry white. Avoid drinking wine in restaurants. It’s usually very expensive.
  
• Vodka. Good vodka at US$8–10 per bottle. In restaurants that do not usually cater to foreigners you get 20(!) cl if you order a vodka, smaller servings not available. Buy a bottle of “Kazakhstan” vodka to take back. It is in a pretty bottle with a picture of Kazakh hunting with a falcon seen through a “window”. Try Edil vodka, which is made with the pantacrene of local deer antlers.

There are numerous hotels, from very cheap ones (€10 per night) to the luxurious ones. You wouldn’t find the cheapest ones on the web; the only way to book them is to call directly, but in that case you’ll have to speak Russian at the least.

There are almost no camping sites except in Burabay/Borovoe in Kazakhstan. You can, however, camp almost anywhere due to the huge uninhabited spots. The scenery is beautiful but because of the very hot weather: don’t forget to take plenty of water with you as you can very easily spend many of days without seeing anybody. If you camp near a nomadic tribe, ask for the permission to stay near; it will not be refused.

Even for people who are not big shoppers, the beautifully crafted felt items will appeal. They are also easy to carry and inexpensive to post.