Things to do in Astana
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Samovar
Cheerful Russian restaurant/café where helpful, red-silk-shirted waiters serve a good range of fare from breakfasts, bliny (pancakes) and soups to lunch and dinner mains.
reviewed
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Khan Shatyr
Along the main showpiece axis of the new capital, 2km-long bulvar Nurzhol, the most daring of all Astana's architectural fantasies, the Khan Shatyr, is going up behind KazMunayGaz. The nearest thing to a real Xanadu-style 'pleasure dome' that humanity has ever created, the Khan Shatyr will be an enormous, transparent, leaning, tentlike structure, 150m high, made of a special heat-absorbing material that will produce summer temperatures inside even when it's minus 30° outside.
Due to open in 2008, this is to be a mini-city with squares, streets, beaches, canals, shopping mall, gardens, cinemas, restaurants, pavement cafés, swimming and wave pools, beach volleyball, a…
reviewed
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Bayterek monument
Many of the imposing and fanciful buildings along bulvar Nurzhol are still works in progress. But a line of central gardens and plazas leads inexorably to the 97m Bayterek monument, a white latticed tower crowned by a large golden orb. The Bayterek embodies a Kazakh legend in which the mythical bird Samruk lays a golden egg containing the secrets of human desires and happiness in a tall poplar tree, beyond human reach.
A lift glides visitors up to the inside of the golden egg, where you can ponder the symbolism, enjoy expansive views and place your hand in a print of President Nazarbaev's palm looking eastward to the giant new presidential palace.
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President's Culture Centre
The gleaming, blue-domed President's Culture Centre houses the high-quality main museum. The ground floor holds traditional Kazakh items - a brightly decked yurt, carpets, costumes, elaborate horse tackle. Upstairs you'll find the archaeological section, including models of some of the country's most important old buildings, and the Hall of Gold and Precious Stones, with the obligatory Golden Man replica.
The 3rd-floor covers Kazakhstan's history from the 14th century on. Explanatory material is in English, Kazakh and Russian. Photos are not allowed.
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Duman
Close by the Monument to the Dead of the Totalitarian Regime is Duman, Astana's noisy modern leisure centre, with a collection of unappealing cafés and bars, Rodeo, Gladiator and Sumo rides, a 3D cinema and - what makes it worth visiting - a state-of-the-art Oceanarium with 2500 marine creatures from around the globe and a 70m shark tunnel.
The UFO-shaped building opposite Duman is Astana's Circus.
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Derevnya Yegorkino
Astana's most inviting restaurant has two floors and a garden area in authentic Russian-village style with heavy carved doors and ivy-covered timber shacks. It serves lovely Russian salads, fried field mushrooms, sturgeon sautéed in wine, and sweet pancake desserts. The cigars and Moldovan wine are a plus. It's the best place in town and an experience in itself.
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KazMunayGaz
About 1.5km past Duman on Kabanbay Batyr, the huge curved headquarters of the state energy company, KazMunayGaz, appears on the right (west), looking across a flyover and along the main showpiece axis of the new capital, 2km-long bulvar Nurzhol. The most daring of all Astana's architectural fantasies, the Khan Shatyr, is going up behind KazMunayGaz.
reviewed
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Akvapark
The central park on the south side of the river (reachable by a footbridge from the south end of Zheltoksan) is home to an antiquated funfair and the gleaming modern Akvapark, with a good indoor pool with slides, and outdoor slides and pools open from around May to September.
reviewed
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Islamic Centre
Detour a block south of the Transport & Communications Ministry to the new Islamic Centre with a beautiful four-minaret mosque. The mosque's interior is an exquisite multi-domed space with inscriptions and geometrical patterning in blue, green, gold and red.
reviewed
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Yamayka
The unlikely prospect of Jamaican food in Astana is a reality here, along with Russian, Mexican and Southeast Asian dishes, eaten under grass huts and on colourful plates. Or choose the more mod second room with nightly live music.
reviewed
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Monument to the Dead of the Totalitarian Regime
At the south end of the central park on the south side of the river, near Kabanbay Batyr, is the Monument to the Dead of the Totalitarian Regime, a mound with stark sculptures commemorating victims of Soviet repression.
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Sine Tempore Mall
Sine Tempore Mall and Ramstor Mall carry quality foods, including pricey Western imports, and have Western-style cafés good for snacks and drinks (around T600 to around T1300 for good pizzas at Sine Tempore).
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Ramstor Mall
Sine Tempore Mall and Ramstor Mall carry quality foods, including pricey Western imports, and have Western-style cafés good for snacks and drinks (around T600 to around T1300 for good pizzas at Sine Tempore).
reviewed
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Chelsea English Pub
Less a pub than a restaurant with pub décor. Nor does it have English beer or much footy on the TVs. But it does serve international edibles from pasta and salads to fish and steaks, in a congenial ambience.
reviewed
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Fine Art Museum
The Fine Art Museum is on Respublikia a little up from the President's Culture Centre. The small permanent collection includes some striking works and there are regularly changing temporary exhibitions.
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Line Brew
You can't miss Line Brew's extraordinary, red-brick castle building. And the interior is, well, like the inside of a castle, with a tavern atmosphere. The beers are Belgian, and there's good food too.
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Tiflis
This upscale Georgian restaurant has gone all out with its décor, right down to the mock wood porches, hay carts and waitresses decked out in traditional robes. The Georgian food is pretty good too.
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Palace of Peace & Harmony
The tall pyramid behind the Presidential Palace is the 61m glass-and-steel Palace of Peace & Harmony, home for the triennial Congress of World and Traditional Religions, hosted by Kazakhstan.
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Tyan Shan
From 17:00 to 20:00 Wednesday the matrons serve all-you-can-drink beer at this expat hangout, as long as you buy around T1000 worth of food (and can put up with the ear-battering live music).
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Escape
The hippest club in Astana, with house and fast techno on the main stage, R'n'B, rap and hip hop on the second. Situated in the Kaspy sports complex.
reviewed
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Transport & Communications Ministry
First up on the north side of Nurzhol is the tall Transport & Communications Ministry - dubbed the 'Lighter' for its form by irreverent locals.
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Arbat Burger
Great Turkish café doling out doners, chicken fingers, burgers, pides (light, doughy, pastry around varied fillings) and tempting sweets.
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Sayat
Travel agency Sayat has a kiosk outside the train station where you can join daily two-hour city tours in Russian costing around T500.
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Farkhi
Excellent Kazakh and Uzbek food and good service, in a beautifully decorated yurt-shaped building, with a nice garden for summer.
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Akmolaturist
Akmolaturist offers a range of city tours lasting two to three hours with English-speaking guides.
reviewed