Astana Travel Guide: Futuristic Capital of the Steppe

Astana is one of the stranger cities on earth — a purpose-built capital erected since 1997 on the treeless Kazakh steppe, designed by a succession of international architects (Norman Foster, Kisho Kurokawa, Manfredi Nicoletti) according to the vision of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev. The result is a city that looks like a science fiction concept art project rendered in concrete and glass: a giant transparent shopping tent shaped like a Mongolian yurt, a tower topped with a golden sphere at the exact height of Nazarbayev’s handprint, a presidential palace modeled on the White House, a concert hall shaped like an apple.

The city was renamed Nur-Sultan in 2019 (after Nazarbayev) and reverted to Astana in 2022 following a period of political unrest. The architecture remains.

Getting There

From Almaty: 1.5-hour flight on Air Astana (multiple daily) or 13–16 hours by overnight train. The train is the more economical option and deposits you in the city center.

Astana Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (TSE): 15 km from the center. Bus 10 and express train connect to the city; taxi ~3,000 KZT.

The Architecture

Bayterek Tower

The defining symbol of Astana — a 97-meter tower representing a poplar tree holding the mythical egg of the Samruk bird. The 97 height commemorates 1997, the year the capital transferred from Almaty. The golden sphere at the top houses an observation deck and, most famously, a golden handprint mold of President Nazarbayev’s right hand. Placing your hand in the mold while a patriotic song plays is reportedly an optional but ambient experience.

The views from the observation deck over the Left Bank architectural ensemble are the clearest way to understand the scale of what’s been built here — from above, the avenue of gleaming towers, the mirrored ministries, and the Presidential Palace form an almost theatrical urban composition.

Entry: ~1,500 KZT. Open daily.

Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center

Norman Foster’s 2010 design — a transparent tent-shaped structure 150 meters high covering 100,000 square meters, with a mall, beach resort (including a sand beach, waterpark, and artificial sun lamps in winter), restaurants, and the longest monorail in Kazakhstan. The concept addresses Astana’s extreme winters (−30°C common) by creating an indoor city within a tent.

The beach resort on the top floors, where families sunbathe under UV lights while outside is white steppe at −25°C, is one of the more surreal experiences available in Central Asia.

Entry to mall: Free. Indoor beach resort: separate ticket (~5,000 KZT).

Palace of Peace and Reconciliation

Another Norman Foster building — a 62-meter glass pyramid housing a conference center for world religious leaders. The interior has an atrium with stained glass windows featuring doves. Only accessible during events and tours, but the exterior on the city’s south axis is a significant landmark.

Nurzhol Boulevard

The central boulevard of the Left Bank — 2 km of fountains, government buildings, and towers running from the Presidential Palace (modeled visually on the White House) to Khan Shatyr. The scale is Soviet in ambition but the aesthetic is futurist Gulf state. Walking the full length takes about 30 minutes and provides the best overview of the architectural ensemble.

National Museum of Kazakhstan

At the Palace Square end of the boulevard — opened 2014, covering Kazakh history from prehistoric times through independence. The ethnographic section has excellent yurt reconstructions and traditional dress; the modern history section is optimistic about recent events in ways that require calibration.

Entry: ~1,000 KZT. Closed Mondays.

The Old City (Right Bank)

Before the Left Bank development began in earnest in the 2000s, Astana (then called Akmola, then Tselinograd) was a Soviet railway city of moderate size. The Right Bank retains this older fabric — Soviet-era apartment blocks, a functional central market (the Green Bazaar equivalent for Astana), the old train station, and the original city parks.

Less architecturally dramatic than the Left Bank but more functionally alive — the restaurants, local shops, and everyday urban life happen here. The MEGA mall and local restaurant zone are in this area.

Where to Eat

Alasha Restaurant: Traditional Kazakh cuisine in a yurt-decorated space — the best beshbarmak in the city, served as a full ceremony with broth in a separate bowl. More touristy than Almaty’s equivalents but reliable.

Duman Entertainment Center: On the shore of Lake Ishim (the artificial lake that separates the two banks) — a complex with restaurants, the country’s only oceanarium, and an IMAX cinema. The restaurant terrace has the best lake views.

The restaurants on the Right Bank’s Beibitshilik Street: Cheaper options serving Russian, Kazakh, and Central Asian food at local prices — the contrast with the tourist-oriented Left Bank restaurants is significant.

Practical Notes

When to visit: June–August for bearable temperatures (20–30°C). Winters are extreme: −35°C is possible, with strong steppe winds. The city functions year-round (the infrastructure is designed for it) but visiting in January without specific reason requires commitment.

Money: ATMs throughout the city. Card payments accepted at hotels and large restaurants; cash useful for markets and small establishments.

Time in the city: 1–2 days is sufficient to see the main architectural sights. Combine with Almaty as a 4–5 day Kazakhstan trip: fly into Almaty, spend 3 days there, fly to Astana for 2 days, fly out.

The honest assessment: Astana is not a comfortable city in the conventional travel sense — it’s spread out, the winter is brutal, and the urban life feels thin relative to the architectural ambition. But it’s genuinely unlike anywhere else: a city assembled at speed according to a single political vision, on a flat steppe, with enough money to hire every notable architect of the early 21st century. As a spectacle of modern nation-building, it’s extraordinary.