Shymkent
Kazakhstan · 500 m
Description
Shymkent is the third city of Kazakhstan and the one that feels closest to Uzbekistan, in its food, its bazaars and the length of its summer. The upper bazaar is the largest in the country and the reason most travellers stop. Around it the city is green and low, with an arboretum and a chain of parks along the Koshkar-Ata. What actually fills the days here is outside town, at the old settlement of Sayram, in the walnut gorges of Sayram-Ugam and at the tulip meadows of Aksu-Zhabagly. July and August are too hot for any of it.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – May or September – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Upper bazaar
- Ordabasy square and the old fortress hill
- Sayram village and its mausolea(Day trip)
- Independence Park and Abai Park
- Shymkent dendropark and arboretum
- Regional history museum
- Sayram-Ugam national park gorges(Day trip)
- Otrar excavations and the Arystan-Bab shrine(Day trip)
- Shymkent plov and its bread ovens
- Aksu-Zhabagly reserve(Day trip)
Getting there
- Airports:
- CIT
- Train stations:
- Shymkent