Where to Stay in Astana: Best Areas & Hotels

Where to stay in Astana is not really a question about atmosphere. It is a question about physics. This is one of the coldest capitals on earth, built at deliberately monumental scale on an open steppe with nothing to break the wind, and in January the distance between your front door and the thing you came to see is the single variable that determines whether you actually go outside.

The direct answer: stay on the Left Bank, in the Nurzhol Boulevard and Baiterek area, for a first visit. Everything monumental is there, the new light metro serves it, and in winter you can reach most of it without a long exposed walk. The Right Bank is cheaper, more everyday and better for local food, but you will cross the river several times a day.

A note on the name: the city is Astana. It was renamed Nur-Sultan in 2019 and renamed back on 17 September 2022. Older guides and some booking sites still use the interim name.

The one thing that decides where you stay in Astana

Astana is, after Ulaanbaatar, the coldest capital city in the world. January averages around minus 14.5 degrees Celsius, with average highs near minus 10 and lows near minus 22, and it can reach minus 40. July, by way of contrast, averages a high of 29 and can hit 38.

But the temperature is not the problem. The wind is. Minus 20 with no wind, in proper layers, is entirely manageable and even rather beautiful. Minus 10 with steppe wind cuts through everything you own. Nurzhol Boulevard, which is a magnificent axis in summer, becomes a wind tunnel in January.

Layered on top of that is scale. Astana was designed to impress from a distance, and everything is oversized. What looks like a ten-minute walk on a map between Baiterek and Khan Shatyr is closer to thirty, because the buildings, the plazas and the road crossings are all built at a scale that flattens your sense of distance. The boulevard between them is roughly two kilometres.

Put those together and you get the rule: your hotel’s walking radius is your trip. Locals know this. In December through February they cross between the Khan Shatyr-area malls using heated underground passages rather than crossing exposed plazas. Choose a hotel from which you can reach a mall, a metro station or your main target on foot, and Astana in winter is a pleasure. Choose badly and you will spend the trip in taxis, looking at the city through a window.

Left Bank versus Right Bank: Astana’s basic geography

The Ishim river — Esil in Kazakh — splits the city in two, and this is the organising idea of the whole place.

The Left Bank

The new capital, comprising the Yesil and Nura districts. Almost every famous landmark is here: Baiterek, Khan Shatyr, the Ak Orda Presidential Palace, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, Hazrat Sultan Mosque, Nur Alem, and the Nurzhol Boulevard axis that ties them together. It is wide, clean, monumental and, on a summer evening, genuinely impressive.

Its weakness is that it was designed rather than grown. Nurzhol Boulevard has no street-level cafés — restaurants are inside the malls or on the ground floors of the towers. That is deliberate, and it is a known criticism of the city. Do not assume “on the boulevard” means “walkable dinner options”.

The Right Bank

The pre-1997 city — Almaty, Saryarka, Baikonur and the newer Saraishyq districts. This is where Astana actually lives: the best local restaurants, cheaper markets, the old railway station, ordinary Soviet-era streets with trees on them. It is less photogenic and considerably more human.

Crossing the Qaraötkel Bridge from here gives you the postcard shot: the Ishim reflecting the Left Bank skyline.

The quick verdict

What changed in 2026: the Astana light metro

This is the biggest development in getting around Astana in a generation, and every existing English-language accommodation guide predates it.

Astana’s driverless light metro opened in May 2026 after years of delay. Line 1 runs 22.4 kilometres with 18 stations, end to end in roughly 40 minutes, with fifteen trains in service and five to six-minute headways. It is fully automated, and — the detail that matters most here — the stations are enclosed, heated and ventilated specifically to protect passengers from the city’s weather extremes.

The line runs from the airport to the Nurly Zhol railway station entirely on the Left Bank. The station names that matter for choosing a hotel are Airport, Mangilik El, Astana Arena, Syganaq, Baiterek, House of Ministries, National Museum, Theatre, Mynjyldyq Alley and Nurly Jol.

Two implications. First, the Left Bank just became dramatically easier to get around in winter — a heated station is a completely different proposition to a bus stop in a crosswind. Second, the Right Bank did not get a metro. A phase two extending toward Astana-1 station and the satellite town of Kosshy is planned but unbuilt.

Fares had not settled into published English-language sources at the time of writing, so check at the station rather than trusting a number from a guide.

Where to stay in Astana: the best areas, ranked

Nurzhol Boulevard and Baiterek — best for first-timers

The obvious answer and the right one for most people. Baiterek Monument sits at 14 Nurzhol Boulevard; Ak Orda is at number 1. You are in the middle of the monumental axis, with a metro station named after the tower, and everything you came to photograph within a walk that is long but doable.

The hotels here are the international five-stars: The Ritz-Carlton, Astana at Dostyk Street 16 in the Talan Towers complex — 157 rooms including 32 suites, a club lounge on the 14th floor, and a nine-minute walk from Baiterek — and Rixos President Astana at 7 Kunayev Street, between Baiterek and Khan Shatyr. The Rixos was built in 2005 in nine months and was the first five-star hotel in Kazakhstan; it has hosted the Astana Process talks and OSCE forums, and the marble lobby is worth walking through even if you are not staying.

Just off the boulevard, Sheraton Astana on Syganak Street sits next to Abu Dhabi Plaza within walking distance of Baiterek and the botanical garden, from around 151 dollars. Beijing Palace Soluxe on Syganak has a revolving restaurant on the 23rd floor. The Veil Hotel is the newest of the luxury set — a boutique five-star with a wine club, wood-fired pizzeria and hammam, from about 168 dollars, though it is a little under two miles from Baiterek.

Around Khan Shatyr — best for winter

Khan Shatyr is Norman Foster’s translucent tent, and per Guinness World Records the largest tent-like structure in the world at 150 metres. Underneath the canopy is a shopping mall, a water park, mini-golf, a monorail and the Sky Beach Club — an indoor beach with sand imported from the Maldives, three pools and tropical temperatures year-round, with a shallow children’s section. Swimming while it is minus thirty outside is a genuinely strange and excellent experience.

Staying near here in winter means you can eat, shop and swim without going outdoors. Hilton Garden Inn Astana at Kabanbay Batyr Avenue 15 is the practical pick — Left Bank, from about 116 dollars, with strong location scores.

The Expo and Nur Alem district — best value and quietest

South on the Left Bank, built around the Expo 2017 site. Nur Alem, the 80-metre glass sphere, is the largest spherical building in the world at 92 metres total height, now the Museum of Future Energy across eight floors. Opening hours have been inconsistent since the Expo — recent reporting suggests a reduced, weekend-weighted schedule — so check before you make the trip.

The rest of the Expo site has become a technology hub and convention centre. Hotels here are newer and cheaper than the boulevard: Hilton Astana is built into the Expo complex at Sauran Street 46 with 253 rooms and an indoor heated pool, from around 200 dollars; Wyndham Garden Astana is a five-minute walk from the MEGA Silk Way shopping centre, from about 118, which is exactly the mall-connected proposition that matters in January; and Hampton by Hilton Astana Triumphal Arch in the Mangilik El business district runs from about 96 dollars with free breakfast and parking.

This district is also closest to the airport and now has three light-metro stops. The trade-off is that you are further from the classic Baiterek-to-Khan Shatyr axis.

Central Park and the riverbank — a splurge with a view

The St. Regis Astana at 1 Kabanbay Batyr Avenue is the highest-rated large hotel in the city — 120 rooms including 23 suites, the largest standard rooms in Astana at 68 square metres, a balcony on every room, a 2,300-square-metre spa on the third floor overlooking the river, and an “arrival yurt” entrance. From around 222 dollars.

It sits on the water at Astana Central Park, at the northern edge of the Left Bank, and the important caveat is distance: the hotel’s own listings note that Baiterek, Independence Square and the Astana Opera are a fifteen-minute drive away. This is a destination hotel with a river view, not a base for walking to the sights.

The Right Bank around Respublika Avenue

Cheaper, older, more alive at street level, and where you will eat best. Radisson Hotel Astana at Saryarka Avenue 4 is the anchor — a five-star with 181 rooms overlooking the right bank of the Ishim, its lobby connecting directly into the Arman shopping complex, which is a real winter advantage. Park Inn by Radisson is a few metres away on Kenesary Street in the same complex. Kazzhol, from around 117 dollars, is a comfortable mid-range option with an Uzbek restaurant and a pool. King Hotel Astana is a ten-minute walk from Respublika Avenue and cheaper again.

Cross the bridge and you are in the monumental city in fifteen minutes by taxi. But note: no metro over here, so winter means taxis.

Near the stations, and the airport

There are two railway stations and they are on opposite banks. Astana-Nurly Zhol is on the Left Bank, near Mynzhyldyk Alley, opened in 2017 for the Expo with a capacity of 35,000 passengers a day, and handles almost all Talgo services — so if you arrive from Almaty by fast train, you land on the Left Bank, not in the old town. Astana-1, opened in 1929, is on the Right Bank and handles around half of services, mostly through trains. Check your ticket. Our train travel guide has more.

The airport (NQZ) is roughly 17 kilometres south-east, 20 to 30 minutes by road, with a Yandex Taxi to the centre at around 2,000 to 3,500 tenge — four to seven dollars. There is now also a light-metro station at the airport. Staying near NQZ only makes sense for a very early flight. See our Astana airport guide.

Best hotels in Astana by budget

Luxury, roughly 180 to 320 US dollars

• The St. Regis Astana — riverside at Central Park, biggest rooms in the city, best guest scores. From ~222.
• The Ritz-Carlton, Astana — Talan Towers on Dostyk Street, nine minutes from Baiterek. Roughly 200 to 280.
• Rixos President Astana — between Baiterek and Khan Shatyr, the original Kazakh five-star. Roughly 180 to 260.
• Hilton Astana — Expo district, indoor pool, big ballroom. From ~200.

Upper-mid, roughly 110 to 190

• The Veil Hotel — newest boutique five-star. From ~168.
• Sheraton Astana — walkable to Baiterek and the botanical garden. From ~151.
• Radisson Hotel Astana — Right Bank, connected to the Arman complex. Around 150 to 236.
• Wyndham Garden Astana — mall-connected in the Expo district. From ~118.
• Hilton Garden Inn Astana — Kabanbay Batyr Avenue, Left Bank. From ~116.
• Kazzhol — Uzbek restaurant, billiards, spa and pool. From ~117.

Mid-range, roughly 70 to 120

• Hampton by Hilton Astana Triumphal Arch — Mangilik El, free breakfast and parking. From ~96.
• Ramada by Wyndham Astana — best-rated cheaper chain hotel in the city. From ~75.
• Ibis Astana — 38 Tauelsizdik Avenue, on the museum axis.
• Park Inn by Radisson — Right Bank, 248 rooms.

Budget and apartments, roughly 13 to 70

• ASYL Hotel — 1.8 miles from Baiterek. From ~37.
• Apartments — the sensible choice for families and longer stays. Khan Shatyr-view flats from around 50; well-reviewed apart-hotels around 60.
• miniRooM — cheapest credible listing in the city, from around 13, but 4.5 miles out.
• Hostels — 19 to 26 dollars a night. Astana’s hostels are business-oriented rather than social; see our backpacking guide.

Two names to avoid confusion over: there is no Novotel in Astana, and reports of an Astana Marriott appear to predate a rebrand or closure — Marriott’s current Astana properties are the St. Regis, the Ritz-Carlton and the Sheraton.

What a hotel in Astana costs in 2026

One reason 2026 rates read higher than older guides: Kazakhstan’s VAT rose from 12 to 16 per cent on 1 January 2026, and hotels have passed it through. Rates are quoted in tenge underneath; the dollar is roughly 470 to 490 tenge depending on when you look.

Astana also fills up around major political and conference weeks in a way that Almaty does not. If your dates are flexible and rates look strange, check whether a summit is in town.

When to go, and how that changes where you stay

Winter, December to February

Astana in deep winter is genuinely spectacular — the frozen Ishim, the light, the sheer improbability of the place — and genuinely punishing. Stay on the Left Bank, close to a metro station or a mall, and plan indoor anchors for the middle of each day. Sky Beach Club, Nur Alem, the National Museum and the mall food halls all exist for exactly this.

Summer, June to September

The opposite city. Highs near 29 in July, long evenings, and Nurzhol Boulevard turning into a proper promenade after eight in the evening with fountains running and families out. In summer, location matters far less and you can happily stay on the Right Bank and walk over the bridge.

Shoulder

May and September are the sweet spots — mild, dry, and everything open. See when to visit Kazakhstan.

Getting around from your hotel

The light metro is now the backbone of the Left Bank, with heated stations and an airport connection. Buses cost 150 tenge, contactless or cash. Yandex Go works throughout the city and is cheap — most cross-town rides are a few dollars. Our Yandex Go guide covers it.

Walking distances worth knowing before you book:

Museums often close or shorten hours on Sundays and Mondays — Tuesday to Saturday is the safe window. The National Museum on Tauelsizdik Avenue runs Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, with the ticket office closing at 17:00.

Where not to stay

Anywhere on the Right Bank in January if you are here for the landmarks — the metro does not reach you and every trip becomes a taxi. Anywhere more than about two kilometres from a metro station or a mall in winter, whichever bank. And near the airport, unless you have a flight before seven in the morning.

Frequently asked questions

Final thoughts

Astana rewards a bit of planning in a way that few cities do, because the consequences of getting your base wrong are so much sharper here. In Almaty a bad choice costs you taxi fares. In Astana in January it costs you the trip.

So: Left Bank, near the boulevard or near a mall, ideally within reach of a metro station now that the line is open. Book the Ritz or the Rixos if you want walkable luxury, the Wyndham Garden or Hilton Garden Inn if you want value with an indoor escape route, and the Right Bank if you are here in summer and would rather eat well than photograph towers.

And whenever you go, do at least one evening walk down Nurzhol Boulevard with everything lit up. In summer it is lovely. In January, at minus twenty-five with the Baiterek sphere glowing gold over an empty axis, it is one of the strangest and most memorable things in Central Asia — and then you go back inside.

Next: things to do in Astana, day trips from Astana and where to stay in Kazakhstan.

Photo credits

Baiterek Tower — Ken and Nyetta, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Khan Shatyr — Bgag, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. The frozen Ishim river in Astana — Anton Yefimov, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.