Your first time trip to Almaty will be incomplete without walking the streets of the city, especially to this eclectic pedestrian street. I visited and walked along this place on the weekend prior to Labor Day week, during my weeklong solo vacation. And since it’s the weekend prior to the holiday (Kazakhs celebrate Unity Day and not Labor Day on the 1st of May), the streets were abuzz and pulsing with life due to the dizzying number of crowds. Immersing yourself just by sitting down on a park bench along the pedestrian street, you will feel the vibe, culture, and camaraderie of the Kazakhs just by observing them from afar. And since it was the weekend, shops along the pedestrian street are busy plus the great number of street performers, who are busking along the pedestrianized zones, are invigorated as they seem to get their energy from the huge number of entertained audiences – I saw a very good Michael Jackson impersonator who can easily pass for the real MJ and witnessed an outdoor car show or event which I recorded an hour long video of the said event, as the cars on display were quite impressive!

Though the main Arbat pedestrian street is not too long, the pedestrianized zones of the adjacent streets from Arbat act like extensions of the main walking street itself; thus making your leisurely walks very lengthy. How long was my walk in this instance? I walked back from Seyfullin Avenue towards Arbat again and turned right upon arriving to Panfilov street, then walked leisurely towards the Abay Opera House – this took me more than 2 hours! What’s great as well is that the pedestrianized zones are well-maintained and very wide, though you do have to cross pedestrian crossings and intersections along the way. It may be quite tiring but walking along the pedestrianized zones, surrounded by the cheerful Kazakhs and the pseudo-Soviet/European architecture, was more than worth it.