3 Days in Almaty: Golden Square & Kok-Tobe, Medeu & Shymbulak, Plus Charyn Canyon

Three full days in Almaty allow you to experience the timber and limestone heritage of the city centre on day one, ascend into the glaciated bowls of the Zailiyskiy Alatau on day two, and cross the eastern steppe to Charyn Canyon and the Kungei Alatau lakes on day three.

Day 1: The Golden Square, Green Bazaar, Arasan Baths & Kok-Tobe

• Morning: Begin at the spice, nut, and dairy stalls of the Green Bazaar while produce deliveries arrive fresh from the countryside. Walk two blocks south into the oak groves of Panfilov Park to inspect the earthquake-resistant timber architecture of Ascension (Zenkov) Cathedral, the Memorial of Glory, and the turreted timber facade of the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments.
• Midday: Cross westward to the domed modernist complex of the Arasan Baths for a two-hour steam session, then stroll south down the pedestrianised cobbles of Panfilov Street past the 1941 Abai Opera House for a lunch of hand-rolled lagman or beshbarmak.
• Afternoon & Evening: Ride the Almaty Metro from Almaly to Abai station, walk up to Republic Square and the Central State Museum to view the Saka Golden Man hall, and finish by taking the cable car behind the Palace of the Republic up to Kok-Tobe Hill for sunset over the city lights.

Day 2: Medeu Ice Rink, Shymbulak Gondola & Big Almaty Lake

• Morning: Catch an early bus 12 or taxi up the Little Almatinka Gorge to the Medeu speed-skating stadium (1,691 metres). Climb the 842 steps of the Health Stairs atop the mudflow protection dam, then ride all three stages of the Shymbulak gondola up to Talgar Pass at 3,200 metres for coffee facing the Bogdanovich Glacier.
• Afternoon: Descend to the city and head up the parallel Big Almatinka Gorge via electric shuttle or e-bike toward Big Almaty Lake (2,511 metres), returning in the evening to sample modern Kazakh cuisine along Dostyk Avenue.

Day 3: Charyn Canyon Valley of Castles & Kolsai or Kaindy Lake

• Full Day: Depart early eastward along the Kuldja highway for a full-day excursion to the 12-million-year-old red sandstone towers of the Valley of Castles in Charyn Canyon, walking two kilometres along the canyon floor to the rushing Charyn River before continuing to Lower Kolsai Lake or the sunken spruce trunks of Lake Kaindy.