What to do in Almaty in winter, from ski slopes to hot springs

Almaty in winter is mainly a skiing and mountain-view city: Shymbulak, Oi-Qaragai, Ak-Bulak and Tabagan all rate January and February as their best months. Between ski days you can ride the Kok-Tobe cable car, soak at the Alma-Arasan springs or spend a cold afternoon in the Central State Museum. Big Almaty Lake and Charyn are possible winter targets, but this guide could not confirm winter access for the lake, and our Charyn page rates winter as marginal.

Skiing is the main reason to plan a winter trip

Four resorts near Almaty, from about 17 km in a straight line (Tabagan) to about 40 km (Ak-Bulak), give the city its winter appeal, and they suit different skiers. Shymbulak is the high one: base at 2,260 m, top at Talgar Pass, 3,200 m, reached by a 4.5 km gondola from Medeu. Oi-Qaragai, in Talgar district about 40 minutes’ drive away, has 28 km of runs plus 8 km on the new Aqtas area served since March 2025. Ak-Bulak, beyond the town of Talgar, has a 1,032 m vertical and one black run, Talgar-2.

Tabagan is the small option: six runs, a 400 m drop, a top at 1,650 m and night skiing, about 17 km in a straight line from the city. We could not confirm from open sources that its lifts ran in the 2025–2026 season, so check with the resort before you go.

If you only have one ski day, the table points to a simple choice: altitude and long runs at Shymbulak, a short beginner session at Tabagan. Tabagan’s stated season is the shortest of the four, ending in February.

How long the season lasts on paper and in the snow data is shown in our study of the ski season.

Kok-Tobe in winter: the hill is open, the cable car is paused

Kok-Tobe works in winter as a low-effort view over the city: a 1,130 m hill about 200 m above Almaty, reached by a 1,620 m cable car from Dostyk Avenue in about 6 minutes. Our page rates December to February as good rather than peak, with summer and autumn scoring higher. The operator suspended the cable car for maintenance from 11 November 2026 and will announce the restart date later (koktobe.com), so check before you go; buses 95 and 99 still reach the hill. All of Almaty’s cable cars are compared in one table. The 372 m TV tower stands on top.

Hot springs and indoor stops for cold or grey days

When snow or low cloud closes the views, the city still has options that do not depend on weather. Alma-Arasan is a set of radon and sulphur springs in Prokhodnaya gorge, about 16 km from Almaty at roughly 1,780–1,827 m, with water between 20.5 and 39.7 °C and bus 28 to the Olen stop; it rates as good in winter. In 2025 the city began rebuilding the trail from the car park to the spring, so the walk in may differ from older descriptions.

Indoors, the Central State Museum on Nazarbayev Avenue scores highest in December, January and February among the city’s sights: about 300,000 items, including archaeological gold and a full yurt. The Green Bazaar’s covered hall, trading on the same square since 1868, is a warm hour among spices and produce. The wooden Ascension Cathedral of 1907 in Panfilov Park is an active Orthodox church; visit with plain respect for services.

Big Almaty Lake in winter: what we could not confirm

We could not confirm winter access, road conditions or rules for Big Almaty Lake, and this guide has no page on it yet. Many visitors search for it in winter, so treat any plan as provisional until you have checked the current situation locally. For a frozen mountain setting with confirmed transport, the Medeu area is a firmer bet: bus No. 12 runs there from the city and 842 steps climb the 150 m mudflow dam. Note that the Medeu skating rink itself closed for reconstruction in 2025, with completion planned for the end of 2028, so there is no skating there this winter.

Charyn and longer trips are marginal in winter

Charyn canyon from Almaty in winter is possible but not recommended by our season ratings. The Black Canyon section of the Charyn River, about 163 km in a straight line from Almaty, rates only 1 out of 3 from November to March, against peak scores in spring and autumn. It is a roadside viewpoint, a half-hour stop on the way to the Kolsai Lakes, so a long winter drive buys a short look.

The Issyk kurgan museum at Esik, 50–55 km east, opens daily 9:00–18:00 and is a modest winter option for history. Zharkent-Arasan, a radon spa with 37–53 °C water about 40 km from Zharkent, rates good in winter but is a long trip, not a day out. Summer trails such as Kok-Zhailau, Butakovka and Furmanov Peak rate their winter months as marginal or off.

December, January or February: how the months compare

January and February are the strongest months for skiing; December is good but less certain at the lower resorts. How snow, frost and smog change through the winter is in our Almaty winter air and snow data. The table uses our own place ratings (3 best, 2 good, 1 possible).

For a December trip, Oi-Qaragai is the only ski area rated best that month. By March, Tabagan drops to marginal and Oi-Qaragai and Ak-Bulak fall to good, so late-season skiers should lean towards Shymbulak.

For a visitor’s view of three winter weeks in the city, see Francois Marc’s vlog (February 2025):

Getting around without a car

City buses reach several winter stops: 95 and 99 for Kok-Tobe, No. 12 for Medeu (the rink is closed, but there are free outdoor ice rinks in town), where the gondola to Shymbulak starts, and 28 for Alma-Arasan. We could not confirm public transport to Oi-Qaragai, Ak-Bulak or Tabagan, and none of our pages gives winter road conditions. Shymbulak’s road is shut until 30 November, which matters if you arrive at the very start of the season. For Charyn and Esik, plan on a car or an arranged transfer and check the roads first. Temperature, precipitation and snow reports are on Shymbulak weather by month.

More addresses by theme, from nomad gold to the Gulag, are in our list of museums in Kazakhstan.