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CITY GUIDE / 28 discovery ideas
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Astana.
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Search this city by topic →Tour the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (the Pyramid)
See the dove-stained-glass hall at the top of Norman Foster's 62 m glass pyramid — and photograph it.
Breakfast with baursak and Kazakh tea
Try baursak (fried dough balls) with milky Kazakh tea and jams at a morning spread — and photograph it.
Drink kumys and shubat (camel milk)
Taste kumys (fermented mare's milk) and shubat (camel milk), the essence of nomadic drink culture — and photograph it.
Have a beshbarmak feast in Astana
Try beshbarmak — Kazakhstan's national dish (hand-rolled pasta + horse/mutton) — at a traditional restaurant — and photograph it.
Tour the National Museum of Kazakhstan
See the Golden Man replica and nomadic history at one of Central Asia's largest museums — and photograph it.
See the Nur-Astana Mosque
Tour the elegant mosque with a golden dome and 40 m minarets (a reference to the Prophet's age) — and photograph it.
Walk on the map of Kazakhstan at the Atameken Ethno-Park
See the whole country at once on the open-air map featuring miniatures of all its landmarks — and photograph it.
Go up Bayterek Tower and touch the golden handprint
Go up the 97 m tower that symbolizes Astana; see the city from the golden sphere at the top and place your hand in the founding president's handprint — and photograph it.
Story and sources →Tour the Museum of Future Energy in the Nur Alem sphere
Tour the 8-floor energy museum inside the world's largest spherical building, left from EXPO 2017 — and photograph it.
Mangilik El Triumphal Arch and Independence Square
Pass through the triumphal arch and stand beneath the Kazak Eli monument; tour Independence Square — and photograph it.
Tour the Hazret Sultan Mosque
Stand beneath white marble courtyards and blue domes at one of Central Asia's largest mosques — and photograph it.
See the Astana Grand Mosque (largest in Central Asia)
Stand beneath the giant dome of Central Asia's largest mosque, opened in 2022 with a capacity of 235,000 — and photograph it.
See the Duman Oceanarium (farthest from any ocean)
Pass through the shark tunnel at Duman, holder of the title for the oceanarium farthest from any ocean — and photograph it.
Stroll the Astana Botanical Garden
Walk among the artificial lake and seasonal flowers in the large botanical garden built in a steppe climate — and photograph it.
Walk or take a boat tour along the Esil (Ishim) River
Take an evening stroll or a short boat tour along the river that winds among the left bank's skyscrapers — and photograph it.
Take steam at a Kazakh bathhouse (banya)
Try steam therapy with a birch-branch (venik) massage at a traditional banya — and photograph it.
Shop for local products at the Artyom (Green) Bazaar
Wander the lively city bazaar for dried fruit, horse-meat products, spices and dairy — and photograph it.
Photograph Astana's illuminated modern skyline at night
Photograph the colored night lights of Bayterek, Khan Shatyr and the skyscrapers on the left bank.
Celebrate Nauryz (21 March) spring festival in a square
Join nauryz köje, music and horse games in yurt-filled squares at Kazakhstan's biggest holiday — and photograph it.
Try a plate of kazy, shuzhyk and horse meat
Taste kazy (horse sausage) and shuzhyk, the signatures of nomadic cuisine, on a meat platter — and photograph it.
Walk the full length of Nurzhol Boulevard
Walk from Khan Shatyr to Bayterek along the axis lined with the capital's grandiose architecture — and photograph it.
Explore the world's largest tent inside Khan Shatyr
Wander the 150 m translucent tent designed by Norman Foster; stop at the sand-imported beach club on the top floor — and photograph it.
See the Ak Orda Presidential Palace from outside
Photograph the blue-domed, gold-spired presidential palace from Nurzhol Boulevard.
Watch a game at Astana Arena or Barys Arena
Watch football at the retractable-roof Astana Arena or a KHL ice-hockey game at Barys Arena — and photograph it.
Watch a performance at the Astana Opera
Attend an opera or ballet night at the grand, classically styled opera house — and photograph it.
Watch contemporary Kazakh ballet at Astana Ballet
Catch a performance by the company blending Kazakh motifs with modern choreography — and photograph it.
Concert at the Kazakhstan Central Concert Hall
Hear a classical or folk music concert in the iconic sail-shaped building — and photograph it.
Skate at the Alau Ice Palace
Take a turn on the ice during public sessions at the Olympic speed-skating oval — and photograph it.
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