Kazakhstan — Transport & Getting Around

Yandex Go is the default and it is very cheap — cross-town rides in Almaty for a few dollars; inDrive is the bargaining alternative. Never take an unmetered airport tout: order in-app or use the official taxi desk. Almaty has a small, clean metro (fares are pennies; the Onay card covers buses); Astana is bus-only, its LRT line famously unfinished for years. Winter ice makes walking genuinely hazardous November–March.

Distances are continental: Almaty–Astana is about 90 minutes by air on Air Astana or budget carrier FlyArystan (often USD 30–60 booked ahead), versus 12+ hours on the overnight Talgo train, which is comfortable and a Kazakh experience in itself.