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Asia / Kazakhstan

Astana.

Places to go. A little room to wander.

A local view near Astana, Kazakhstan
A local view near Astana, Kazakhstan. Photograph by Dauren Nabijan · CC0 · Resized proportionally to at most 1200 pixels wide without upscaling or a height limit; original ICC retained; EXIF orientation applied; converted to WebP high-quality photographic compression.

THE SHORTLIST

A few places worth your time.

01Culture · DAY 1 IDEA

Barayev 3

The Military Historical Museum of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Built like a yurt with a dome resembling a mosque. It contains exhibitions about the history of the military of Kazakhstan. There is large focus on the Great Patriotic War and a collection of memorabilia related to Nazabayev, including some of his official stationery, a tank commander's hat that he wore and a big official painting of him. Don't miss the upper levels that have some excellent war paintings or the Soviet style paintings as you enter the building.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
02Outdoors · DAY 1 IDEA

Astana

Bayterek Tower

An example of the futuristic architecture in the newborn city. Nicknamed Chupa Chups by the locals due to its similarity to a giant lollipop, this 97-m-high building offers a great view of the city as well as an art gallery, an aquarium and a restaurant. There is a pleasant bar on one of the upper levels. In the centre of the top sphere, the ever-so-humble President Nazarbayev made a golden palm print where visitors may put their own hands. At busier times the queue for the palm can be very long.

Allow about 60 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
03Culture · DAY 1 IDEA

Tauelsizdik Ave 57

Palace of Peace and Reconciliation

Completed in 2006 after a design by British architect Norman Foster, and also known as the "pyramid". The pyramid portion of the building is 62 m high and sits on a 15-m-high earth-covered block. All of this construction is above ground level. The building holds a summit of all religions of the world every 2–3 years. Though the landscaping of the park rises up to cover the lower levels, these are not in fact basements.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
04Culture · DAY 2 IDEA

Tauelsizdik Ave 52

Palace of Independence

Many political and business gatherings are held in this palace. The summit of the OSCE (Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe) took place in December 2010 in this building; 56 countries were invited and it was one of the largest gatherings of Heads of State (bigger than Washington Nuclear Summit). Summits concerning ecology were held in October 2010 and 2011.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
05Culture · DAY 2 IDEA

Tauelsizdik Ave 54

National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The national museum moved to this location in 2014. The museum is huge and very modern with interactive displays in English, Russian and Kazakh. Popular with tour groups but it's big enough to absorb them. The displays take you through the history of Kazakhstan up to the modern day. It also hosts an art gallery with many temporary exhibitions. The main entrance hall is huge with a golden eagle that flaps its wings to patriotic music at certain times in the day.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source

A note before you go. Start with The Military Historical Museum of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, then decide whether Bayterek Tower deserves a separate visit rather than rushing both. The suggested days are an editable grouping, not a timed tour. Visit allowances exclude transfers, meals and queues; confirm the exact entrance and current visiting arrangements for National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan before setting off.

Reference material retrieved 2026-10-19. Suggested days and time allowances are editorial starting points. Check the linked visitor information for opening hours, access, and reservations.

BEFORE YOU SET OFF

A more practical kind of plan.

Getting your bearings

Yandex and Uber were ubiquitous and even in tough weather conditions you shouldn't expect to wait more than 5 minutes for a car. Street taxis: Stand at the side of any road and thumb down a passing car, within 3 minutes you should have a string of them. Tell them your destination and they will either drive off or gesture you in.

Build a route that makes sense

The Military Historical Museum of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Bayterek Tower are about 3.1 km apart in a straight line. Use the route link to compare the actual streets or transport connections before putting both in the same morning; the measurement is not a walking distance or a transfer estimate.

A LITTLE STRUCTURE. ROOM FOR DISCOVERY.

Your Astana plan.

Add a few stops, choose your days, and leave space between them.

My saved trips
Location, map & reference details

Find your bearings.

Country
Kazakhstan
Area
Astana
Time zone
Asia/Almaty
Coordinates
51.1801, 71.4460

Geographic reference: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0.

Astana

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Visitor information & sources

Reference credits & reuse

This city guide includes selected, abridged material by Wikivoyage contributors, adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. The adapted guide text is available under the same license; photographs and website design retain their separate terms. Selected and abridged reference descriptions; operational prices and timetables omitted. Elsewhere added the shortlist, geographic grouping and planning notes.

Reference material retrieved 2026-10-19. It is community-edited background, not firsthand reporting or a live opening-hours service.

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