Almaty Walking Food Tour: Green Market & Local Cuisine

Taste Kazakh sweets and meat products straight from Green Market merchants while walking the city's oldest quarters.

This 2.5-hour walking food tour of Almaty combines the city's historical landmarks (Park of 28 Guardsmen, an Orthodox cathedral, and the Silk Road–era Green Market) with tastings of Kazakh traditional foods, oriental sweets, and chocolate from the Rahat factory store. A live English-speaking guide shares the history and daily life of locals as you move through neighborhoods on foot, ending with a traditional Kazakh lunch in a local café.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Almaty city and taste local food

• Visit Park named after 28Gueardsmen
• See historical objects and take photos
• Visit functional orthodox church and observe icons
• Learn history of nearby object
• Sample oriental sweets at Green Market
• Taste chocolate at Rahat factory store
• Experience local street life and crafts
• Walk along Broadway street and see fountains
• Buy local chocolate souvenirs

The experience

The tour opens at Park of 28 Guardsmen, where your guide walks you through the city's history and points out the cathedral, Monuments of Glory, and museum scattered across the grounds. You'll see the Orthodox church itself. A working one, so you may catch an active service and view the icon artwork inside. The route then moves through streets where local musicians play dombra and classical instruments, artists demonstrate their work, and people gather in open cafés. This is where you get a direct look at how Almaty residents spend their time.

The Green Market, a former Silk Road stop, is where the food tasting happens. You'll sample milky products, meat dishes, and dried fruits while chatting with merchants, then move to the Rahat chocolate factory store. You'll smell it from half a kilometer away. The chocolate here is made fresh daily, wrapped in national-style packaging, and considered among the best in the world. At the end, you sit down for a traditional Kazakh lunch in a small local café, completing the food-focused arc of the walk.

Public transportation is available nearby if you need it, and the pace suits all fitness levels. The guide speaks English throughout and offers tips on what else to see, where to eat, and what activities fit the rest of your time in Almaty.

What’s included

• Live English-speaking guide sharing city history and local lifestyle tips.
• entry to Park of 28 Guardsmen and the Orthodox cathedral.
• tastings of Kazakh traditional foods and oriental sweets at Green Market.
• fresh chocolate and confections at Rahat factory store.
• traditional Kazakh lunch in a local café.

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday to SundayDepartures at 09:00 and 10:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (7 to 75 years) · Under 7: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 13 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Kazia Tour

Is this one for you?Small groups work best for this tour because the guide can stop and chat with Green Market merchants and local café staff without holding up a large crowd. If you want to understand Almaty through food and conversation rather than a bus window, the walking pace and neighborhood stops let you do that.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is the Park of 28 Guardsmen and why is it the starting point?

The Park of 28 Guardsmen is Almaty's most popular public space and holds the city's key historical landmarks: a cathedral, Monuments of Glory, and a museum. Your guide uses it as the opening stop to establish the history and architecture of Almaty before moving into the neighborhoods and markets.

Can I actually taste food at the Green Market, or is it just a walk-through?

You taste as you walk. At the Green Market, you sample milky products, meat dishes, and dried fruits directly from local merchants while they talk you through what you're eating. It's an active tasting experience, not a viewing tour.

Is the chocolate factory a real working factory, or just a shop?

Rahat is a functioning chocolate factory with a store attached. The aroma reaches you from 500 meters away because chocolate is being made on-site. You can buy fresh chocolate, candies, cookies, and chocolate-wrapped souvenirs, all produced there.

Does the tour include a sit-down meal, or just samples?

The tour includes a full traditional Kazakh lunch in a local café at the end. The earlier tastings at the Green Market and chocolate factory are samples. The lunch is a complete meal.

How much walking is involved over the 2.5 hours?

You walk between the Park of 28 Guardsmen, the Orthodox cathedral, local neighborhoods, the Green Market, and the Rahat factory, with stops to taste food and chat with merchants along the way. The pace is suitable for all fitness levels, and public transportation is available nearby if needed.