ASTANA – The capital city of Kazakhstan is making it interesting to walk around at night during Expo 2017.
The Yessil River is the best choice to start your walk. This area connects the architecturally innovative left bank and the older part of town on the right bank of the river, which shows how the city looked years ago. Visitors can witness a beautiful sunset and bridge reflected in the river before the most spectacular Sun Fountain laser show begins. The Sun Fountain shows and animated movie about the history of Kazakhstan will run at 9:00 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. On the way, ice cream, candyfloss, corn on the cob and even boat riding are available. The river trip lasts 50 minutes along to the Akorda presidential residence and costs 1,000 tenge (US$3) per person.
Another attraction at night is the Baiterek monument. The Baiterek, a folklore symbol, was embodied in a beautiful tower of 97 meters, excluding a basement floor, Baiterek Gallery and a small café. The Akorda residence, the Palace of Peace and Harmony and other sites of Astana can be seen from the bird’s-eye view at Baiterek.
The highlighting of the main symbols in Astana are composed of full-colour LEDs and floodlights. The Dancing or Singing Fountain near the Baiterek is full of light and offers the classical music, which can be observed only at night.
The road from the Yessil River leads to the full-time Central Park, where everyone who wants can ride on attractions such as a roller coaster, five element and Flight on a Rocket for kids. The most beautiful attraction there is French carousel, also called Carousel with horses. It is an identical analogue of the carousel near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The highest in Kazakhstan Ferris Wheel is not far from Central Park, located at 4 Kabanbai Batyr Avenue. The Ferris wheel is specially designed for the climatic conditions of windy Astana. The fascinating view of the whole night city from a height of 65 metres makes the heart soar.
Also, residents and guests of Astana can enjoy 10 minutes or 12 minutes go-cart racing till 12 p.m. for 2,200 tenge (US$7) and 3,300 tenge (US$10), at a court located near the Ferris Wheel.
The shopping centres are located a short distance from each other. Therefore, it’s better to go walking or ride a bike. The Astana Bike Company sells cards for rent at the Keruen City shopping centre for 500 tenge (about US$2). Bicycle stations are located 30 minutes from each other to let users borrow a bicycle for free as every 30 minutes are free of charge.
The most beloved shopping centre in Astana is the biggest tent in the world called Khan Shatyr, designed by famous British architect Lord Norman Foster. The well-known Mega Silk Way shopping centre near EXPO is not only the biggest one in the country, but also represents all world brands like Starbucks, KFC food restaurants and Enrico Marinelli and Massimo Dutti clothing stores.
Places where residents and guests of Astana like to have fun are the Hemingway lounge bar, Coffee Boom coffee house, Gotham Bar pub, Fashion and Icon night clubs with an average bill of 5,000 tenge (US$16).
Night express route goes around the main touristic zones, moving daily from the Astana railway station toward the airport.
