Advice changes quickly. Check it before you travel and again before you leave.
Prices here are about 33% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Which visa rules apply depends on your passport. Before booking, ask a Kazakh embassy or look on the government portal to confirm them. Typically you will need an onward ticket as well as a passport valid throughout the stay. Hotels register foreign visitors; keep the slip with you, along with your passport.
Despite being Muslim-majority, the country is relaxed and secular, and has a nomadic heritage. Shoes are removed on entering a home. Hospitality is central, so tea and food that are offered should be accepted, and a lot of both is to be expected. Greet the oldest people first. Military and government buildings must not be photographed, and permission should be asked before going into border areas. Huge distances make domestic flights and trains the practical way to get around. Comfortable weather comes in spring and autumn, summers are hot, and winters are very cold, with Astana able to reach -30 C. Halal food can be found widely. Main cities accept cards, but take some tenge along for villages and markets. Tourists favour Almaty and its mountains as a base.
112 for all emergencies. Police 102. Ambulance 103. Fire 101.
Kazakhstan.travel, the national tourism portal, states that the country uses European-standard sockets of types C, E and F, with mains electricity at 220 volts and 50 hertz.
The currency is the tenge, says Canadian advice. Cards may not be accepted as widely outside the major cities, so it suggests carrying cash for trips to rural areas. Card and cash machine fraud occurs: the advice recommends using machines in well-lit public spots or inside a bank, covering the keypad when entering a PIN, watching closely when others handle your cards and checking statements for charges that were not made.
Canadian and UK advice both describe severe drug penalties in Kazakhstan. UK advice says visitors should carry original ID, since copies are not accepted. Photography may be restricted near military sites, border areas, airports and some official buildings, even without signs. Covering the face in public is illegal, with exceptions, Canadian advice says. Same-sex activity is not illegal, but a law bans promoting non-traditional sexual orientation, with possible fines, detention or deportation.
Flagging down a taxi is best avoided, according to UK advice, which recommends licensed pre-ordered services and warns against unofficial taxis and any cab already carrying a passenger. Canadian advice says some airport drivers insist on taking passengers and then overcharge them; it suggests marked taxis, a fare agreed beforehand, and never sharing with strangers. Canada adds that ride-hailing apps in major cities generally offer fixed fares.
Foreign travellers have been approached by thieves posing as police officers who ask them to pay alleged fines, Canadian advice says. The suggested response is to ask to see credentials and offer to go to the nearest police station. UK advice adds that traffic police who stop a driver for an offence should hand over an official paper, and that money should be changed only at banks or authorised exchanges.
local government
Helps with: Kazakhstan's ministry for emergencies and disasters. Its government page lists 112 as the unified duty and dispatch service, plus a helpline and address in Astana.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Kazakhstan who needs emergency help or wants to report an emergency.
Phone: 112
Address: Mangilik El Street 8, entrance 2, Astana 010000
local government
Helps with: Contact page of Kazakhstan's national tourism portal, run with the Ministry of Tourism. It lists a phone number and an office address in Astana for tourism enquiries.
Who qualifies: Anyone travelling in Kazakhstan or planning a trip there.
Phone: +7 7172 39-99-56
Address: Mangilik El Avenue 55/14, block C 2.1, office 3.2.1, Astana
ngo
Helps with: Kazakhstan's national Red Crescent society. Its website lists disaster response, first aid training, blood donation, a family tracing service and help for refugees and asylum seekers.
Who qualifies: People in Kazakhstan who need its disaster, first aid, social or family tracing services.
Phone: +7 727 236-76-23
Email: [email protected]
Address: 86 Kunaev Street, Almaty 050010
un agency
Helps with: The UN migration agency, present in Kazakhstan since 2002. Its Astana and Almaty offices handle general enquiries and serve as the coordination office for Central Asia.
Who qualifies: Migrants and organisations working on migration. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +7 7172 69 6553
Email: [email protected]
Address: 14 Mambetov Street, UN Building, Astana 010000
AlmatyMedeu ice rink, Shymbulak ski resort and leafy streets belong to the largest city, which lies beneath the Tian Shan.Photo: Dauren Nabijan, CC0
AstanaOn the steppe stands a futuristic capital known for bold modern architecture, among it the Bayterek Tower and Khan Shatyr.Photo: Dauren Nabijan, CC0
Charyn CanyonWalking trails run along the floor of a canyon of red rock east of Almaty, often likened to a miniature Grand Canyon.Photo: Bgag, CC0
Kolsai and Kaindy LakesSoutheast of Almaty, these mountain lakes include Kaindy, where tree trunks of a sunken forest stand up out of the water.Photo: 袧冶褉谢邪薪 袪邪褏褘屑卸邪薪芯胁 at Kazakh Wikipedia, CC0
TurkistanThis pilgrimage city on the Silk Road is centred on Khoja Ahmed Yasawi's Mausoleum, which UNESCO lists as a World Heritage Site.Photo: Petar Milo拧evi膰, CC BY-SA 4.0
BurabayA resort area of lakes and pine forest lies north of Astana, popular for hiking, fresh air and weekend breaks.Photo: Dots foto, CC BY-SA 4.0
nature
You can ski 30 minutes away from Almaty.
culture
Squares hold yurts and food during this spring holiday lasting three days.
nature
You can ski 30 minutes away from Almaty.