Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
terek Monument, Palace of Peace & Accord
and Astana Arena (the national stadium).
Tickets are valid for 24 hours and you can
pay when you first board.
z
¨Festivals¨&¨Events
Astana¨Day
(www.astanaday.kz)
on 6 July is
celebrated in a big way, with the square be-
hind the Palace of Peace & Accord usually
being the focus for concerts, a fairground
and fireworks, and other events happen-
ing around the city. The date (also a na-
tional holiday) coincides with President
Nazarbaev's birthday.
4
¨Sleeping
Hotel prices are high, but a couple of hostels
provide relief for backpackers.
Apple¨Hostel¨
HOSTEL $
(
%
707-847 3836; www.apple-hostel.kz; Sabyr Ra-
khimov (Koshkarbaeva) 22; dm 2500T;
aW
)
This
friendly, well-kept little hostel in the old city
is unsigned and hard to find, so it's a good
idea to contact them ahead of arrival. It of-
fers spacious four- and six-person dorms, a
well-equipped kitchen, two bathrooms, and
free tea, coffee and drinking water. The en-
trance is up a small staircase next to Akku
dry-cleaners, just inside the southernmost
archway into the courtyard of Sabyr Rakhi-
mov 22 (a huge apartment block).
Bus 48 eastward on Gyote from the train
and bus stations stops nearby at the corner
of Ualikhanov and Imanov. The hostel will
pick you up from either station for 1000T.
Nomad¨Hostel¨
HOSTEL $
(
%
707-557 0756; www.facebook.com/nomad
hostel; Kvartira 112, 5th fl, podezd 3, Zhiloy Kompleks
Nomad, Syganak 10; dm 2500T;
niW
)
Though
rather chaotically run by management who
are often absent, Nomad occupies a modern,
clean apartment with a good kitchen and
sitting area, six-person bunk dorms, and
one bathroom. Bus 21 from the train station
stops just along the street. Contact them
ahead to make sure someone will be there to
help you get in (there are no signs).
Art¨Hotel¨Astana¨
HOTEL $$
(
%
30 20 20; artastana@gmail.com; Zheltoksan 42;
s/d incl breakfast 8000/15,000T;
pW
)
The loca-
tion halfway between the train station and
old centre is not very convenient for any-
thing, but the Art Hotel is near bus routes,
and with its friendly, relaxed young staff and
successfully modernist decor - flower-shaped
18
Old City
The right bank is a mix of Soviet and post-
independence architecture, plus a few now
historic-looking tsarist-era houses.
o
Presidential¨
Cultural¨Centre¨
mUSEUm
(
%
22 33 19; Respublika dangyly 2; English-
language tour 2000T;
h
10am-5pm Tue-Sun)
F
The yurt-shaped Presidential Cul-
tural Centre houses an excellent museum
whose highlight is the 2nd floor, with
outstanding collections of Kazakh jewel-
lery and 'gold and gold-makings'. These
include gold jewellery and replicas from
the Scythian burial mounds at Berel
(p111) and the Issyk burial mound (where
the Golden Man was found), replicas of
the Golden Man and the 'second Golden
Man' from western Kazakhstan (p135),
a bejewelled replica of a horse from the
Berel tomb, and real 4th-century-BC
horse innards pickled in formaldehyde!
The ground floor holds models of Astana
buildings and a room of traditional Kazakh
items: a brightly decked yurt, colourful car-
pets, crafts and costumes, elaborate horse
tackle. The 3rd floor covers Kazakhstan
from the 15th to 20th centuries.
Museum¨of¨the¨
First¨President¨
mUSEUm
(
%
75 12 92; Beibitshilik 11;
h
10am-1pm & 2-5pm
Tue-Sun)
F
Housed in the former presi-
dential palace, this museum is an intriguing
peep into the pomp and circumstance sur-
rounding the country's leader. A succession
of lavish galleries and halls, including the old
presidential office itself, is decked with beau-
tiful gifts to President Nazarbaev from for-
eign governments and suitably grateful citi-
zens. Staff will lend you an English-language
booklet to help you understand what's what.
The entrance is on Abay dangyly.
T
¨Tours
Astana¨Bus¨Tours¨
BUS TOUR
(
%
24 27 47; http://kochevnik.com.kz; adult/child
2400/1200T;
h
9am-9pm mar-Nov)
This hop-
on-hop-off tourist bus service in open-top
double-deckers - the first of its kind in
Central Asia - started rolling in 2013 and
provides an easy option for getting round
Astana's sights. Buses go every 40 minutes,
with 30 stops along a route that starts and
ends outside the train station and includes
Respublika dangyly, the Khan Shatyr, Bay-
