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Astana Botanical Garden: the colonnade and red flower beds

Astana Botanical Garden: what to see and how to get there

A large left-bank park opened in July 2018, with a fountain lake, two glass greenhouses and 11 km of cycle paths. We could not find the current greenhouse ticket price.

  • 87.9 ha, per city hall
  • Greenhouses 11:00–19:00
  • 11 km of cycle paths
  • Opened July 2018
See photos · 6 When to go Plan the trip

Photo: Radis B · Pexels

Astana Botanical Garden: when to go, month by month

  1. January: possible
  2. February: possible
  3. March: possible
  4. April: possible
  5. May: best time
  6. June: best time
  7. July: best time
  8. August: best time
  9. September: best time
  10. October: good
  11. November: possible
  12. December: possible

May to September sees modelled highs of 18–26 °C; in winter, plan only for the greenhouses.

Astana Botanical Garden: why go

Two glass greenhouses

One holds tropical plants and the other more than 3,000 cactus species. Entry is paid, Tuesday to Sunday per Sxodim.

The lake and Tai Kazan fountain

An artificial lake with a bridge and a 73 m bowl fountain, lit and set to music in the evening.

21 km of paths

City hall counted 11 km of cycle paths and 10.5 km of running paths when the garden opened in 2018.

Next to Astana Arena

Thirteen buses on a 2022 list serve the stadium stop, and free parking runs along the garden's streets.

Astana Botanical Garden is a big city park on the left bank, between Kabanbay Batyr Avenue and Turkistan Street. It opened on 2 July 2018. City hall gave its size as 87.9 ha; Wikipedia says 92. Come for a relaxed half-day of fountains, long cycle paths and two glass greenhouses, with the Expo district close by.

Worth the trip?

Yes if you want open space or a warm hour among cacti, and no if you expect a formal research garden with guided tours, as we found none. It has more in common with a large park than with the older Main Botanical Garden in Almaty, which is a separate institution with its own hours and fees.

What is inside

Allow two or three hours by our estimate. The figures below come from city hall at the opening and from a local guide.

AreaWhat you findFigureSource
Lake and bridgeartificial lake, footbridge, picnic lawnsno dataSxodim, Informburo
Tai Kazan fountainbowl-shaped fountain with evening lights73 m acrossSxodim
Greenhousestropical plants, cactitwo, 3,000+ cactus speciesSxodim
Pathscycling and running11 km and 10.5 kmInformburo

Plan your toilet stops and shade: the same guide counts only two working toilets, both towards Bukhar Zhyrau Street, and few covered benches. Plant counts vary widely by source, from about 9,000 on Wikipedia to 89,648 trees and shrubs from city hall, so treat them as rough.

Getting there

Aim for the Astana Arena stadium, the easiest landmark on a map. The bus list dates from 2022, so check it in a route app.

  • Stadium Astana Arena stop: buses 10, 12, 37, 51, 53, 60, 301, 302, 303, 308, 309, 802, 804.
  • Bukhar Zhyrau stop: bus 60.
  • By car: free parking along Turkistan, Orynbor and Bukhar Zhyrau streets.

Informburo places the garden close to the Expo site, so Nur Alem makes an easy pairing. For the wider day plan, see things to do in Astana. After dark, head to Khan Shatyr, or finish at the Baiterek tower.

When to go

May to September is the comfortable window for the outdoor park, with modelled daytime highs of 18–26°C. These are ERA5 normals for 2011–2020, not readings from a station at the garden.

Climate by month · ERA5 grid point (349 m) · records 2011–2020

A computed reanalysis normal for these coordinates, not weather station records.

Monthly figures
MonthDay high, °CNight low, °CRain/snow, mm
Jan-11.6-19.214.5
Feb-9.8-1815.5
Mar-1.2-9.722.8
Apr13.11.328.2
May20.26.729.9
Jun25.112.641.8
Jul2614.261.8
Aug25.112.328.1
Sep18.46.323.6
Oct8.8-0.231.2
Nov-3.4-1028.6
Dec-9.1-16.123.2

Source: Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis, 2011–2020

July is the wettest month at about 62 mm, so carry a light rain layer. From November to March, plan indoors only.

Not verified yet We could not confirm the greenhouse ticket price, 2026 opening hours, any charge for the garden itself, bicycle hire, or rules on drones and dogs.

Astana Botanical Garden: tips before you go

  1. Check the greenhouse price and hours first, as we could not confirm them.
  2. Shade structures are few, so bring a hat in summer.
  3. July is the wettest month, so carry a rain layer.

More to see nearby

Frequently asked questions

Is Astana Botanical Garden free?
A city guide says the greenhouses charge entry without stating a price. We found no source on a charge for walking in the garden itself, and no official price list.
What are the opening hours?
Sxodim (December 2022) lists the greenhouses as open Tuesday to Sunday 11:00–19:00, with the ticket desk closing at 18:30, and the fountains running 9:00–23:00. We could not get 2026 hours from the garden.
How do I get to the botanical garden from the city centre?
Use the Astana Arena stop as your target, served by buses 10, 12, 37, 51, 53, 60 and others on a 2022 list. A taxi app is the simpler choice if you do not read Russian or Kazakh, though we did not price one.
Is it worth visiting in winter?
Only for the greenhouses, and confirm first that they are open. Modelled January highs sit around −12°C, so the outdoor paths are hard going, and we could not verify winter hours.

Sources

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