3-Day Almaty Food, Wine & Bazaar Short Break
Almaty3 days
- Free cancellation
About this experience
Almaty eats better than any city in Central Asia, and almost nobody comes here for it. The Green Bazaar sells horse sausage, forty kinds of kurt and dried fruit carried up from the south. The suburbs hold Uighur laghman shops and Dungan restaurants run by families who arrived in the 1880s. There are working vineyards in the foothills making credible Saperavi and Riesling. And beshbarmak, the national dish, is still made at home by hand. This three-day private break is built entirely around the table — a market walk with a cook, a cooking lesson in a family kitchen, a day in the wine country, and the restaurants a local would actually choose.
Why you will remember this trip
Walk the Green Bazaar with a working cook, tasting kurt, kazy, chak-chak and dried apricots
Make beshbarmak by hand in a Kazakh family kitchen, then eat it the traditional way
Taste at the Assa Valley vineyards in the foothills south of the city
Eat hand-pulled laghman in an Uighur shop where they pull it in front of you
Try kymyz and shubat — fermented mare’s and camel’s milk — with someone who can explain them
Finish with a tasting menu of modern Kazakh cooking at one of the city’s best restaurants
Your 3 days
Day 1 — Arrive in Almaty, the Green Bazaar with a cook and a Dungan dinner
Day 2 — Assa Valley vineyards, an Uighur laghman lunch and a beshbarmak lesson
Day 3 — Kok-Tobe, a final modern Kazakh tasting menu and departure
Private from start to finish
Food tours only work when the guide is known to the stallholders and the family cooking for you is expecting you. Everything here is arranged in advance and run for your party alone, and every dietary requirement you tell us about is handled before you arrive rather than apologised for at the table.
Next available dates
What’s included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver for the whole itinerary
- Private English-speaking guide throughout the touring days
- 2 nights' accommodation with daily breakfast, as described in the itinerary
- Arrival and departure transfers at Almaty International Airport (ALA)
- All fuel, road tolls, parking and driver expenses
- Bottled drinking water in the vehicle every day
- Green Bazaar market walk with a professional cook, including all tastings
- Private beshbarmak cooking class in a Kazakh family home, including the meal
- Wine tasting at the Assa Valley estate, including the flight
- Uighur laghman lunch and a Dungan dinner
- A tasting menu dinner of modern Kazakh cooking on the final evening
Not included
- International flights to and from Almaty
- Kazakhstan visa, where your nationality requires one
- Lunches and dinners, unless individually listed as included
- Travel and medical insurance, which we strongly recommend
- Personal expenses, laundry, minibar and telephone charges
- Gratuities for your guide and driver, which are at your discretion
- Additional bottles purchased at the winery
Itinerary
- 1
Arrival and the Green Bazaar
Your driver meets you at Almaty airport and you start eating almost immediately. Green Bazaar — the city’s central market, walked with a professional cook rather than a general guide. The dairy row, the horse-meat counters and the dried-fruit aisle are each a separate education. Kurt, kazy and chak-chak — tasted at the stalls, with an explanation of why a nomadic diet preserves everything it can. Dungan dinner — the cuisine of the Hui Chinese Muslims who settled here in the 1880s: ashlyamfu, funchoza and hand-cut noodles. Overnight in Almaty.
- 2
Wine country and a beshbarmak lesson
South into the foothills in the morning, back into a family kitchen in the evening. Assa Valley estate — vineyards at around 1,000 metres in the foothills of the Zailiysky Alatau, with a cellar tour and a tasting flight of Saperavi, Riesling and their sparkling wine. Uighur laghman — lunch at a shop where the noodles are pulled by hand to order, served with the lamb and pepper sauce that defines the dish. Beshbarmak class — in a Kazakh family home: rolling and cutting the pasta sheets, the boiled meat, the onion broth, and the etiquette of who is served which part. Kymyz and shubat — tasted at the table with a proper explanation. Overnight in Almaty.
- 3
Kok-Tobe and a last table
A short morning above the city and a final meal before your flight. Kok-Tobe cable car — the hilltop above Almaty, largely to walk off two days of eating. Coffee on Arbat — Almaty has a serious speciality-coffee scene, and your guide knows which roaster is worth the stop. Modern Kazakh tasting menu — a farewell lunch or early dinner at one of the restaurants reworking steppe ingredients in a contemporary kitchen. Airport transfer — to Almaty airport for your onward flight. End of the break.
Good to know
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Guide
- Guided tour in English
- Start times
- 12:00
Know before you go
- A clear copy of the passport of every traveller, at least 7 days before arrival
- Your inbound and outbound flight numbers and times, so we can meet you correctly
- Comfortable closed walking shoes; the itinerary includes uneven ground
- Sun protection: hat, sunglasses and a high-factor sunscreen
- A reasonable level of general fitness for the walking described in the itinerary
- Warm layers — Kazakhstan's temperature swings sharply between day and night
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 14 days before the experience starts.
- 14 days or more before: full refund
- 7–13 days before: 50% refund
- Less than 7 days before: no refund
Meeting point
View on map
Almaty Airport (ALA) arrivals hall
- Address
- Almaty International Airport (ALA), arrivals hall, Almaty, 050039, KZ
- How you meet
- Meet on location
- Coordinates
- 43.35210, 77.04050
Illustrative map. Open it in Maps for the exact spot and live directions.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does this experience last?
It lasts 3 days.
Can I cancel this booking?
Free cancellation up to 14 days before the experience starts. 14 days or more before: full refund · 7–13 days before: 50% refund · Less than 7 days before: no refund
Is this experience guided, and in what language?
Guided tour in English
Is hotel pickup included?
No — you make your own way to the meeting point.
Where does this experience start?
It starts at Almaty Airport (ALA) arrivals hall, Almaty International Airport (ALA), arrivals hall, Almaty, 050039, KZ.
From AED 5,350 per person
