What To See When You Visit Almaty's Panfilov Park

When planning your trip to Almaty, you’ll definitely want to check out Panfilov Park, but it’s worth researching what to do and see in the park so that you don’t miss anything out while you’re there! The park is located in the centre of the city, just a short walk south from Green Bazaar, and across the road from Almaty’s iconic bath house.

The city has many green spaces, but this one is special and holds a lot of significance for the local population. A large, green, fenced-in park, you’ll find many attractions here, beginning with the incredible cathedral at its centre. This is Ascension Cathedral, also known as Zenkov Cathedral, a magnificent wooden orthodox church. To the east of this you’ll find a grand square surrounded by war memorials. At the far end of the square you’ll find the interesting looking wooden building housing the Museum of Instruments, with its fabulous display of Kazakh instruments and other musical instruments from around the world. If you’re wondering what to do in Almaty, a trip to this park will have you ticking off several of city’s sights!

Any “what to do’ list for visiting families is going to include trips to playgrounds. There aren’t any obvious playgrounds that I’ve seen in the park, but our kids have always found a way of keeping themselves amused here. The cathedral square is a particular draw, with its massive flock of pigeons, plus other amusements, such as horses that you can ride, and kids cars to rent.

What to do inside the park

Ascension/Zenkov Cathedral

Colourful Ascension Cathedral peeks out from behind the trees in Almaty's Panfilov Park — Ascension Cathedral is a colourful wooden orthodox church sitting in the middle of the park

The first thing you want to do on entering the park is to visit the cathedral. Ascension Cathedral is a very pretty and brightly coloured structure in the centre of the park. The 56m high cathedral is made of wood and commonly thought to be constructed without any nails (though I just found out the truth is likely to be closer to “made with minimal nails“!), and is claimed to be one of the tallest wooden structures in the world. The building famously survived a large earthquake in 1911, when much of the rest of the city was heavily damaged.

On its northern side is a square with a large flock of pigeons, little cars you can hire for the children, as well as games and little kiosks. There are also delightful horse drawn carriages. The entrance to the cathedral is off to the right as you look at it from this square. The inside of the cathedral is very beautiful, as orthodox churches often are. There is a golden wall of icons and massive chandeliers filled with candles. Its usually open and visitors are welcome.

War Memorial

Most countries will have some form of war memorial dedicated to relevant conflicts in their past and they are usually worth visiting. The memorial square in Panfilov Park, located a short walk through the trees from the cathedral, is impressive. It is dedicated to several different conflicts, the various monuments of which surround the eternal flame which sits in pride of place at the centre of the space. However, it is the breathtaking memorial to Panfilov and his 28 soldiers (the featured image of this post) which, in my opinion, steals the show. The story goes that General Panfilov and 28 soldiers from Almaty under his command halted and destroyed much of a German tank division on its way to Moscow in World War 2. This contributed greatly to the defence of the capital, but at the loss of all 28 of the soldiers.

The other memorials are interesting and beautiful to look at too. If you’ve been raised in the west you’ll have learnt about world events centred on certain dates and years. These are sometimes a little different to the dates taught in Kazakhstan and the rest of this region. For example, the memorial to WW2 states 1941-1945, rather than 1939-1945. This makes it a really interesting place to include on your “what to do” list for any amateur (or professional) historians!

Museum of Musical Instruments

A charming exhibition housed in the Museum of Musical Instruments, a really unique wooden building on the eastern side of the park, is worth a visit. There are 9 small rooms/halls, the first 5 of which house a large collection of traditional Kazakh instruments. The remaining 4 contain instruments from other countries in the region, and some from further away. If you have small kids it’ll likely be a particularly short visit, but a worthwhile one. A dombra belonging to Abai, who was a sort of Shakespeare type figure in Kazakh literature, is housed here which was pretty cool.

Skating rink

In winter there is a skating rink to the south of the cathedral (on the opposite side to the square). You can hire your skates there or bring your own. It gets busy here both because of the park’s popularity and because it is free to skate here (at least it was free in 2023!), so it’s best if you visit early in the day to avoid the crowd. Please note that even if it’s free to skate, you will still need to pay for your skate hire if you don’t have your own.

What to do near the park

If you’re wondering what else there is to do while visiting Panfilov Park, remember that it has a great central location and so is close to a few other local landmarks you should check out. You can definitely do a couple of these landmarks in a single day, though I would dedicate half a day for Arasan alone if you’re up for the bath house experience!

Arasan Spa

Across the road from the western edge of the park, is the iconic Arasan Spa. It’s an institution here; I know several people who visit it regularly, and it’s quite reasonably priced. The prices depend on what day and what time of day you’re visiting. In 2024 you’d be paying less than 4,000T (12USD) for 2 hours before 4pm on a weekday. There are a number of hot rooms with varying temperatures and humidities, as well as a pool. Massages and other treatments do cost extra. Go to their website if you want to check updated prices (you might need to use a translater app to take a photo of the text as it’s all in Russian). You can bring children over the age of 4 with you, for a discounted price. The spa is divided into mens and women’s sections and many folks in there are naked.

I recommend you try the ‘peeling’ procedure, which is more like a scrub, and opt for the coffee version. You could try the corn husk version but I’ve heard its a bit rough! The treatment is around 10,000T (20USD) for 20 minutes. Also, from my limited experience, the masseuses are there for a hard time and not a good time. Therefore, I would avoid the massages, but perhaps you’re tougher than me!

Green Bazar

I wrote about this fantastic market recently so do go over and have a read. Its about a 10min walk north from Panfilov Park. Peruse the fresh produce, and the meat section. Then pop up the stairs to one of the coffee shops overlooking the main hall for a quick coffee. I recommend you visit the Bazar after Panfilov Park, in case you end up carrying lots of groceries!

Where to eat at the park

You have a lot of choice when it comes to eating here. There are a number of restaurants in the park itself, as well as food stands, but you’re probably just as well to leave the park and walk across Tole Bi Street. Off the south side of the park, you can find a charming Russian restaurant, Marina Roscha, and across the street from there is a great Georgian place, Daredzhani. On the northern side you can find some more western options such as KFC and Hardees.

How to get to Panfilov Park

Panfilov Park is located at the northern end of Dostyk Avenue. You can catch any number of buses heading down Dostyk Avenue (Bus 29, 141 5, 5B etc). If you’re staying anywhere along the metro, then the closest stop is Zhibek Zholy. Yandex taxis will also take you to the park without a problem. From Dostyk Plaza, a comfort grade Yandex at 2.30pm on a weekday will be around 1,500T. You can also walk there if the weather is fine; once you reach Dostyk Avenue you just need to start walking down the hill. It’s a 40 minute walk from Dostyk Plaza.

What do I know about Kazakhstan?

I’ve been living here since mid 2021 with my family. Visit my About Me page to understand more about my perspective. And check out my Kazakhstan page to find out more about why I think why you should travel to Kazakhstan!

What To See When You Visit Almaty’s Panfilov Park