Arasan Wellness & Spa Baths, Central State Museum (Golden Man) & Kasteev Museum of Arts

Three of Almaty's most rewarding indoor institutions sit along the city's central cultural axis, showcasing sixth-century BCE Saka nomad metallurgy, twentieth-century Kazakh painting, and monumental late-Soviet bathhouse architecture.

Arasan Wellness & Spa Baths

Occupying an entire city block on Tole Bi Street just west of Panfilov Park, the Arasan Baths were built between 1979 and 1982 at the initiative of Kazakh SSR leader Dinmukhamed Kunayev after architects V. Khvan and M. Ospanov studied historic thermal complexes in Budapest and Tashkent. Six ribbed concrete cupolas clad in ceramic tiles and granite house three distinct bathing traditions under single monumental vaults: dry cedar-lined Finnish saunas, high-humidity Russian banyas where attendants whisk skin with soaked oak and birch branches (venik), and heated marble Turkish-style hammam slabs beneath domed skylights. Separate wings serve men and women, and visitors can book traditional soap massages or cool down in cold plunge pools. Check the official Arasan portal for current entry procedures and bring flip-flops and a felt sauna hat.

Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Standing above Republic Square in the Samal-1 district, the Central State Museum moved into its present four-storey building in 1985, designed by Yu. Ratushny, Z. Mustafina, and B. Rzagaliyev with soaring turquoise domes and sand-coloured portals. Four main exhibition levels trace the natural history of the Tian Shan, Bronze Age petroglyphs, and traditional Kazakh ethnography, including a full-scale furnished felt yurt (kiyiz ui), silver bridal headpieces (saukele), and eagle-hunting tack. The highlight is the Hall of Archaeology and Gold, which displays a meticulously crafted replica of the fifth-to-fourth-century BCE "Golden Man" (Altyn Adam) discovered in 1969 by Kemal Akishev at the Issyk kurgan fifty kilometres east of Almaty, alongside animal-style gold plaques of snow leopards, argali sheep, and winged horses.

Abilkhan Kasteev State Museum of Arts

Located at the corner of Satpayev Boulevard and the Esentai River opposite the Kazakh State Circus, the Kasteev Museum (opened in 1976) holds more than 25,000 works. Its permanent galleries move from Russian avant-garde and European canvases to the bright watercolour landscapes of self-taught Kazakh pioneer Abilkhan Kasteev, the bold post-war "Sixtiers" school of Salikhitdin Aitbayev and Shaimardan Sariyev, and richly woven Kazakh felt carpets (syrmak and tuskiiz). Check official museum portals before visiting, as most state museums close on Mondays or Tuesdays.