Things to Do in Right Bank (Saryarka District), Astana

Atmosphere

Wide boulevards, sci-fi architecture, and steppe wind that smells of charcoal and pine - Right Bank is Astana’s optimistic future pressed into glass and steel.

Price Level

$$

Safety

excellent

Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center

Inside this translucent tent the air is warm and coconut-scented, even when snow whips the steppe outside. You’ll see beach volleyball courts under a retractable roof, a mini-monorail squeaking overhead, and shirtless kids sliding into a wave pool while shoppers below haggle over cashmere.

Tip: Ride the escalator to the top deck at sunset - the nylon walls glow like a lantern and you can photograph the entire Right Bank without glass reflections.

Astana State Theatre of Opera and Ballet

The golden dome pulses like a heartbeat during performances; inside, velvet seats creak and champagne glasses clink in the czarist-style lobby. If you slip in at rehearsal time you’ll catch Tchaikovsky echoing off unfinished sets and watch ballerinas practice under cold blue spotlights.

Tip: Same-day student tickets go on sale at 16:00 - queue at side door #3, cash only, and bring your passport for the discount.

Nurzhol Boulevard

A 2-km pedestrian spine where fountains hiss and mist your ankles in July. Street artists lay out canvases smelling of turpentine while buskers crank Kazakh dombra riffs that bounce off glass ministries.

Tip: Start at the northern end at 20:00; the light show begins when the presidential offices dim their blinds and the pavement LEDs switch to wolf-gray.

Atameken Ethno-Memorial Complex

Outdoor map of Kazakhstan the size of 14 football fields - walk across the country in 45 minutes while sagebrush perfumes the air and miniature trains whistle past clay models of the Altai.

Tip: Rent a bike at the south gate; the gravel paths shred thin sandals and summer asphalt radiates heat like a griddle.

Saryarka Velodrome

Even if you never touch a bike, the pine-track scent and the whoosh of carbon wheels at 70 kph make a worthwhile detour. Local teams train at 19:00 - sit behind the railing and feel the breeze they kick up as they bank steeply.

Tip: Ask security for a 15-minute visitor pass; they’ll let you jog the inner blue lane before elite practice starts.

Kishlak Chaikhana

Uzbek street canteen

Specialty: Plov studded with barberries and horse-fat cracklings, 1200₸ a plate, scooped from a cast-iron cauldron that’s been simmering since dawn.

Line Brew Right Bank

Microbrewery grill

Specialty: Shashlik of river perch glazed with honey IPA, mid-range, served on cedar planks that smoke gently when the waiter slams them down.

Cafeteria #3 at Nazarbayev University

Student cafeteria open to public

Specialty: Borscht with dill sour cream and a sugar-dusted pryanik for under 800₸; you’ll share tables with coders arguing in three languages.

Kaganat on Turan Ave

Kazakh family canteen

Specialty: Kazy sausage sliced tableside, accompanied by kumis (fermented mare’s milk) that fizzes like light beer and smells of leather.

Kok Tal Rooftop

Grill/looK

Specialty: Camel steak with cranberry jus, splurge, plated under heat lamps while wind flaps the yurt-shaped awning above.

The Barley

Scottish-themed pub under a flyover where oil engineers argue over Premier League scores; tartan stools and foam that smells of heather honey.

Expat regulars, live Oasis covers

Z23 Club

Basement warehouse behind Khan Shatyr; bass thumps so hard the disco ball trembles and the air tastes of dry ice and Red Bull.

Techno kids, 3 a.m. close

Chukotka Bar

Soviet-souvenir dive plastered with polar explorer photos; bartenders pour pepper-infused vodka that burns like steppe dust.

Local artists, cheap shots