Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shakespeare¨Pub¨
PUB
(www.shakespeare.kz; Dostyk 40;
h
noon-1am Sun-
Thu, noon-2am Fri & Sat;
W
)
Almaty's premier
expat drinking hole is a large pub-like space
always with a lively atmosphere (especially
Friday and Saturday nights), a big drinks
selection, and soccer on the (not too ob-
trusive) screens. Locals also like it, and the
Shakespeare does pretty good pub food too,
including some of the best pizzas in town.
Soho¨Almaty¨Club¨
BAR
(
%
267 03 67; www.soho.kz; Kazybek Bi 65; after
7pm Fri & Sat admission 1000T;
h
10am-1am Sun-
Thu, 10am-5am Fri & Sat)
Expats and locals pack
Soho for tankards of beer, international food
and crowded dancing to the good resident
rock/jazz/blues band from 10pm. It's got a
sort of urban-global theme, with assorted
American and Beatles photos mixed in with
flags for every nationality.
Da¨Freak¨
CLUB
(
%
273 13 37; gogol 40; admission 1000-2000T;
h
midnight-7am Fri & Sat nights)
The best elec-
tronic club in town, Freak has two dance
floors, two bars, top local DJs and some-
times guests from Moscow or Western Eu-
rope. The clientele is a cool, studenty crowd
into house, techno, trance and indie. It's in
Panfilov Park, right next to another noctur-
nal favourite, Chukotka.
Shtab¨
BAR
(
%
272 24 40; Zheltoksan 132; beer 0.5L 280-1000T;
h
9am-midnight)
A quaint little beer bar op-
posite Hotel Ambassador, with a dozen in-
door and outdoor tables and a big choice of
local and foreign draught beers.
Bar¨Pivnitsa¨
BAR
(Zhambyl 174; beer 0.5L 280-600T;
h
noon-mid-
night)
No 'pub' decor, no expat prices, no loud
music - this beer bar is a place where you
can just sit and chat over a variety of local
and foreign brews, and that's just what the
predominantly local clientele enjoy doing.
Esperanza¨
CLUB
(
%
299 66 99; www.esperanza.kz; Seyfullin 481; ad-
mission men 1000-2000T, women free-1000T, mon
free;
h
10pm-6am Sun-Thu, 10pm-8am Fri & Sat)
With two nightclubs and four restaurants,
cafes and bars all in one building, Turkish-
owned 'Esperanza City' attracts a wide-rang-
ing crowd and is among the few places still
alive after 2am early in the week. One club
plays R&B and house; the other, '80s and
'90s retro (the admission price covers both).
On Friday and Saturday they get jam-packed
and can be a lot of fun.
Gay¨&¨Lesbian¨Venues
There is a gay scene in Almaty but bars and
clubs often open, close and change loca-
tion quickly. The gay community tends to
make contact and find out what's happening
through websites such as www.gay.kz and
www.qguys.kz.
Studio¨69¨
gAY
(Kurmangazy 125;
h
9pm-6am)
The nearest
thing to a typical gay bar in the West, Studio
69 primarily welcomes gay men and has a
fairly relaxed atmosphere and a not specially
good drag show. It's entered through anoth-
er nightclub, Barvikha.
3
¨Entertainment
Almaty has a good theatre and musical
scene. Check www.timeout.kz, www.afisha.
kz and www.night.kz for listings, and keep
an eye open for concerts by Kazakh folk-mu-
sic ensembles such as
Sazgen¨Sazy
(www.
sazgen-sazy.kz)
or Otrar Sazy.
Abay¨State¨Opera¨&¨¨
Ballet¨Theatre¨
OPERA, BALLET
(
%
272 79 34; www.gatob.kz; Kabanbay Batyr 110;
admission 600-4000T;
h
ticket office 10am-2pm
& 3-6pm)
Almaty's top cultural venue stages
three or four performances a week at 5pm
or 6.30pm. Some get sold out a week or
more ahead. Popular favourites such as
Swan Lake, La Bohème,
Aida
and
Carmen
are among the regular shows. Also look out
for Kazakh operas such as
Abay
and
Abylay
Khan
.
7
¨Shopping
Almaty's middle class shops at modern su-
permarkets and malls are stocked with ex-
pensive, often imported, goods, and there
are international brand stores dotted all
around the city centre. The main malls in-
clude
Silk¨Way¨City
(
%
267 74 70; Tole Bi 71;
h
24hr)
,
Ramstor
(
%
258 75 75; Furmanov 226;
h
10am-10pm)
and the biggest,
Mega¨Alma-
Ata
(
%
232 25 01; Rozybakiev 247A;
h
10am-
10pm)
. For sports gear head to
Limpopo
(Seyfullin 534;
h
10am-7.30pm mon-Sat, 10am-
6pm Sun)
, with mountain bikes and winter
sports equipment, or
Robinzon
(Abylay Khan
60;
h
10am-7pm mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat)
, which
has everything for hikers, campers, rafters,
fishers and hunters.
