Practical travel information for conference participants: how to get to Almaty and how to move around the city.
Visa requirements
Kazakhstan maintains a liberal visa policy that facilitates short-term conference travel. Citizens of all European Union member states, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, India, and many other countries can enter Kazakhstan visa-free for short stays. For most of the remaining countries, nationals are eligible to obtain an electronic visa (e-visa) online. Participants are responsible for checking the latest visa requirements via official sources.
Getting to Almaty
For most international participants, air travel is the most convenient way to reach Almaty. You may check preliminary information on available flights between your city/country and Almaty here (please note that the list may be incomplete and subject to change). The map below highlights major international hubs (often used for connecting flights to Almaty) and selected cities that may offer direct flights.
Major hubs for reaching Almaty include Istanbul, Baku, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Tashkent, Delhi, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Seoul. Some of these hubs offer low-cost flight options, including Pegasus Airlines from Istanbul, IndiGo from Delhi, and AirAsia from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.
Getting around the city
Almaty International Airport is well connected to the city center by frequent and inexpensive ground transportation (buses and taxis). Typical travel time from the airport to central Almaty is around 30–50 minutes, depending on traffic.
There are two main ways to get around Almaty: taxis and public transport. Please be prepared for traffic jams, especially during morning and evening rush hours.
Taxis are a generally affordable way to travel in Almaty. You can expect to pay around USD 10 for a ride from the airport to the city center or from the center to the suburbs, and roughly half that amount for trips within the city. The most popular and user-friendly taxi service is Yandex Go Kazakhstan, which allows payment by linking a virtual or physical Visa or Mastercard.
Almaty’s public transport system (mainly buses, as well as the metro and trolleybuses) is inexpensive and costs approximately USD 0.25 per trip. Payments are cashless. Unfortunately, the ONAY! website does not have an English-language version; however, the ONAY! app does, and it can be used to top up a virtual travel card.
