Finding things to do with kids is relatively easy here in Almaty! Families here tend to be a little bigger than in Australia or the UK. Naturally restaurants and other leisure businesses want to cater to this market of young families with plenty to keep everyone happy. You’ll find restaurants with play areas, plenty of reasonably priced soft play centres, LOTS of outdoor playgrounds, and many indoor/outdoor adventure centres.
Compared to some countries I’ve been to, there is a friendly vibe in Kazakhstan around children. People look out for kids, and don’t tend to get angry or frustrated if your child makes noise. There are of course exceptions, but generally, having small children with you doesn’t make things that difficult. Unlike other places you might have visited before (cough Paris). You might understand what I mean if you’ve ever taken your children to Italy, where you sometimes get better service if you have a cute kid with you.
I’m going to focus on smallish kids here, because there are so many different considerations for children at different ages! My kids are now 4 and 6. What is useful for someone with kids the same age as mine is not going to be useful for a family with teenagers. So lets jump right in and find out what things I’d recommend you do with your little kids while in Almaty!
Swimming Pools
There are many swimming pools in Almaty, which is lucky because swimming is one of the things we like to do with our kids. Many of the hotels have indoor pools which is useful given we have 4-5 months of snow every year! Some of them will have a day rate for non-guests. Novotel Almaty City Center is in a good location. The pool is relatively small, but well kept and there is a little sauna to warm up in after. You can also venture up into the mountains to the charming Tau Dastarkhan Resort, which has heated outdoor pools made to be enjoyed all year round.
If you’re here in the summer then maybe you might like to try an outdoor pool. Sadu Hotel has such a pool, or you can venture up into the mountains to Tau Dastarkhan. Further west there is a great pool at Swissotel Wellness Resort.
There are also indoor water parks with lots of slides and mini sandy beaches. These include Hawaii and Miami Water Park in the west of the city or the newly opened San Remo Aqua Park in the eastern.
Playgrounds & Parks
You’ll see outdoor playgrounds everywhere here in Almaty. Most apartment buildings and complexes will have one in the grounds, even if it’s just the most basic equipment. And generally they’re not gated so non-residents can access them. If you’re looking for a big playground which will hold your children’s attention for longer then you might need to look a little harder. Bonus points if there’s a cafe nearby.
Playgrounds with Cafes
There is a fabulous playground at Republic Square with a Paul Cafe next to it. Another great one is set along the Terrenkur river path at the crossing of Satpaev St. It also has a coffee kiosk next to it. In fact, the Terrenkur path (the one running behind Novotel up to the Pavillion Pond) has a series of little playground points. It also has adult exercise equipment stops (which we can probably count as regular playground equipment, given how my children treat it!).
Parks with good paths for scooters
Not every park has a (great) playground, but some of them have smooth surfaced paths which are great if your kids happen to have a scooter or bike with them. First President’s Park is good, with lots of pathways and a playground at the back (the mountain end). The Botanical Garden, which has an entry fee, is also large and has lots of smooth surfaces. Panfilov Park is another good (and free!) one. It has the added bonus of containing the magnificent war monument and the pretty Ascension Cathedral. The cathedral has a square containing LOTS of pigeons (do your children like to chase birds too?).
Play Centres & Adventure Parks
You can find both regular play centres, and also ones with creche facilities/babysitting (meaning you can leave your child there). Most of the big modern malls have at least one. Dostyk Plaza has Kids Lab, a creche with lots of soft play and activities, on the top floor. Ramstore has Magicville, a great soft play centre with a restaurant attached and plenty of seating for adults. Forum Mall has another good restaurant called Famiglia with its own sprawling soft play room on the 4th floor. Alem Kids play centre is just around the corner from Famiglia, next to its partner restaurant, Bella Vita. At Mega you can find the sprawling playcentre, Teikaboom, with its own decent restaurant, as well Mini City, which is a creche. I’ve just seen on Instagram that Mini City also has a location at Esentai Mall.
As for adventure parks, my favourite is Kok Tobe. Situated on the hill next to the communications tower, you can get there by catching the gondola from behind Novotel City. You can also opt to take the passenger minibus from either Omarova St or Dostyk Ave. There is also Fantasy World and its next door neighbour, Kazakh State Circus. Please note that while the circus has some incredible entertainers, it also has live animals, including bears.
Mountain Resorts
The mountain resorts are great places to bring your family, with creches, horse riding, and all sorts of other adventure activities like zip lining and ropes courses. Visiting at least one of them is a great thing to do with your kids while you’re in Almaty. In the winter these resorts move into ski season mode. This usually starts from around the end of November through to the beginning of April, and they all offer kids ski school.
At Shymbulak, children can go into 45 minute “baby ski lessons” from the age of 3. Once they reach 6 then they can start the big kid lessons. El Kiddo also runs a great creche facility and you can ask them to do wrap-around care if you book your child into a ski lesson. Instructors will come collect the child and return them afterwards.
Oi Qaragai operates Ugusha, a creche facility with its own small private slope. You can opt for one of their packages which includes a group ski lesson within that area.
Hiking
Almaty has mountains (surprise!) which are very pretty and full of great trails. Hiking should therefore be on your list of things to do with your kids while you’re here in Almaty! We bought a couple of baby carriers in case our kids weren’t up to distances (the carriers ended up a necessity!). Some of the hiking trails are a bit easier for littler legs, like the trail up to pretty Butakovka waterfall. If you’d prefer a sealed road you might want to take a walk up either of the Terrenkur river paths. Another option is to take a taxi up to Medeu and then walk up past the barriers (only delivery trucks and electric taxis are allowed up along this road). You could walk all the way up to Shymbulak Village, or stop at one of the restaurants located on the way up.
If you want to hike to majestic Big Almaty Lake (aka BAO), then be warned that, as of June 2024, you can’t currently drive up past the barriers. That is, unless you have a booking at the Alpen Rose Hotel. When we visited the lake, we stayed overnight at the hotel, then hiked the road up in the morning. We booked a taxi to collect us from the lake so we wouldn’t have to walk back down again. We did this through the hotel before we left for our hike. Our children were 5 and 2 at the time so they were in the baby carriers most of the way.
Please listen to all guidance and read warning signs when hiking in the mountains. While they are beautiful and should be enjoyed, they can also be dangerous, especially in the spring thaw.
Restaurants
While not necessarily a “thing to do”, you’ll obviously want to eat out with the kids while you’re in Almaty. Restaurants here are very welcoming in general to kids. Even in restaurants that don’t distinctly cater to kids, there are plenty of children sitting down to eat with their families. You and your children will be more than welcome in most cafes and restaurants in Almaty. However, sometimes you want to ensure there’s something to keep your kids entertained so that you can enjoy your meal. Lets then look at the restaurants that have dedicated kids spaces. These options are not exhaustive – they’re just places that I know well and enjoy.
At the mountain resorts, Shymbulak’s Chalet Restaurant has a marvellous little cubby house, with a somewhat steep set of stairs. Please ensure your kids know to be careful on the descent! Oi Qaragai’s Aport Restaurant has a great and well lit soft play room with lots of bright colours.
In the city, there is a very grand Kazakh restaurant on Dostyk Ave, Navat, with a fantastic indoor playroom. In the summer I would also recommend Alasha, a central asian restaurant with a little outdoor playground. It also hosts fantastic acrobats and dancers performing under the stars for the diners. If you’re after a steak, try Entrecôte, with its amazing outdoor playground including trampoline and those bouncy pony things. While Entrecôte only opens its outside playground in summer, they do still have a small indoor kids space for winter. Previously Dostyk Plaza set up an outdoor playground for summer, but I haven’t seen it yet this year (2024).
Enjoy Almaty!
There you go: my non-exhaustive list of things to do with your (little) kids in Almaty. I hope it helps you plan your stay if you were considering coming out. Enjoy this wonderful city!
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! Also, I have the following blog posts on Kazakhstan!
Check out my other posts on Kazakhstan:
- Visiting Kok Tobe: What to expect and how to have a great time
- Fly to Almaty from Perth: A review of the new Air Asia route
- The best time of year to visit Almaty
- Kazakhstan should make your list for great ski destinations
- Why I think Kazakhstan is safe to travel to
- Almaty’s Green Bazaar: Planning a great visit there
- The best way to enjoy Nauryz in Kazakhstan
- The best way to visit Charyn Canyon