Things to Do at Bayterek Tower

Bayterek Tower charges 700 KZT for adults (about $1.50 USD) and opens daily 10:00 to 21:00, standing 97 meters tall at the center of Astana's Left Bank axis. The design is based on a Kazakh creation myth: a magical tree of life where the Samruk bird lays a golden egg in its crown each year. The white lattice trunk holds an elevator that rises to the 86-meter observation ball, a gold-tinted glass sphere that gives 360-degree views across the steppe capital. Inside the sphere, a gilded handprint of former president Nazarbayev is set into a triangular wooden altar called Ayaly Alakan, and visitors place their hand into the print while making a wish, a ritual that draws long lines on weekends. The panorama shows Astana's surreal skyline: the Khan Shatyr tent to the north, the Ak Orda palace to the west, and the Hazret Sultan mosque's white domes to the south, all rising from what was empty grassland 25 years ago. The tower's lattice structure groans audibly in Astana's winter wind, when temperatures drop to minus 30 Celsius and the windows frost from inside. A cafe at the base sells Kazakh tea with milk and baursaki (fried dough) for 800 KZT, and the Left Bank promenade stretching in both directions makes a pleasant walk in summer. Visit on a weekday to avoid the wish-making queue, and in winter, bring your warmest coat because the walk from the nearest metro station (Bayterek, on the new Line 1) is 5 minutes in exposed wind.

Bayterek sits in central Astana's government district. Most downtown hotels put you within walking distance, or grab a taxi for 500-1,000 KZT. Several bus routes stop nearby-look for the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation or Ak Orda Presidential Palace. The area has clear signs. But you can probably just walk toward that giant golden ball visible from most of central Astana. No navigation skills required.