Morning

Put It in Park. Almaty’s 44-acre Panfilov Park offers an abundance of historic sites that pay homage to Kazakhstan’s heroes and heritage. Start at Ascension Cathedral, the ornate, tsarist-era church that’s one of the tallest wooden buildings in the world, and then wander through the Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments, which contains exhibits and information about more than 50 different native instruments. And don’t miss the memorial statues in honor of the “Panfilov Heroes” and the soldiers of other military conflicts.

Midday

Enjoy Really Local Produce. The apple genome has been traced to groves outside Almaty, now recognized as the origin of all apples throughout the world. Wild apple forests still thrive in protected areas of nearby Ile-Alatau National Park, but you also can find apples aplenty throughout town — including at the Green Bazaar, a two-story food emporium that also sells fresh and dried fruits and exotic meats. 

Discover Your New Candy Crush. For more sweet souvenirs, stop by the Rakhat Chocolate Factory, a Kazakh confectioner that has been in business for more than 70 years.

Afternoon

Make an Alpine Getaway. Big Almaty Lake provides the city’s water supply and is a source of hydroelectric power, so visitors to Ile-Alatau National Park are able to appreciate the lake’s splendor only from afar, not its actual shores. Its backdrop includes three stunning peaks of the Tien Shan range that create picture-perfect reflections on the lake’s water, which changes from turquoise to ice-covered midnight, depending on the time of year.

Evening

Hit a High Note. The troupes at Abay State Opera & Ballet Theatre perform several shows a week, interspersing international classics such as “Swan Lake” and “Carmen” with modern dance performances and operas written by Kazakh composers in the late 1990s.

Catch Up on Current Affairs. Almaty has more than 100 fountains scattered throughout the city, and one of the most elaborate is even more fascinating when the lights turn on after sundown. The Oriental Calendar Fountain features carved sculptures of the 12 animals in the Kazakh zodiac.

Morning

Grab a Gondola (or Three). Medeu, the world’s highest ice-skating rink, is a destination in its own right each winter, but today you’re headed to even greater heights. Three sequential aerial gondola rides will deposit you first at the base of Shymbulak ski resort, then up to its summit more than 10,000 feet above sea level. The eight-piste Shymbulak is a major destination in winter, of course — Prince Harry was a guest in March 2014 — but the summer views of the Kazakh steppe and Zailiyskiy Alatau mountain range from the Medeu Valley are just as breathtaking.

Midday

Body Work. The elaborate bathing complex at Arasan Wellness & Spa includes a Finnish sauna, a marble Turkish hammam and even a Russian parilka steam room, complete with switches to provide the light lashings meant to increase circulation. If you prefer your experiences more spa than spartan, recharge your human batteries at Six Senses Spa Almaty — first with a signature massage, then by settling into one of the relaxation pods designed to enhance the post-treatment renewal process.

Afternoon

Meet the Golden Warriors. A national emblem of Kazakhstan is the representation of a Scythian warrior, after the remains of a young man in an elaborate conical headdress and lavishly gilded garments were uncovered in the late 1960s along with more than 4,000 gold objects he was buried with. A representation of “Golden Warrior”-era finery is on display at Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, while a statue of the man honoring the man himself stands high atop the Monument of Independence in Republic Square.

Evening

Go Out on Top. One last gondola carries you up to Kok Tobe (translation: green hill), the highest park in the city. Drop a coin in the apple-shaped granite fountain and grab a shot with the life-sized statue of the Beatles before heading to Abay Restaurant, where you’ll dine on elegantly presented cuisine in a bright, spacious room inspired by the yurts that Kazakh nomads once called home.

Morning

A Monumental Visit. After breakfast at one of Almaty’s sidewalk cafés, stroll through the 44-acre Panfilov Park. Statues here honor the “Panfilov Heroes,” local members of an infantry troop who died defending a Russian village from German tanks during World War II, as well as the soldiers of other military conflicts and former Soviet republics.

Board Certified. Tread the boards of Ascension Cathedral, the beautifully ornate tsarist-era church in Panfilov Park. One of the tallest wooden buildings in the world, the bright yellow cathedral, which was consecrated in 1907, survived both the 1911 Kebin earthquake and the Communist era and returned to its Russian Orthodox roots only in the late 1990s, after the fall of the USSR.

Instrumental Success. The wooden building in Panfilov Park that now houses the Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments was built the same year as Ascension Cathedral — as a military officer’s club. Today’s visitors can examine displays about more than 50 different Kazakh instruments, including the stringed kobyz, the fretted-lute dombra and the sybyzgy flute.

Midday

Go Green. Almaty’s Silk Road past has been reincarnated for a new millennium at the Green Bazaar, a two-story food emporium where vendors sell everything from native apples — the fruit is believed to have originated in the area — to sweets and exotic meats based on Kazakhstan’s nomadic past. For lunch, safe eaters can opt for plov — a simple but tasty combination of rice, carrots and meat — while the adventurous can sample horsemeat sausage, a local delicacy.

Heighten the Experience. A gondola whisks you from downtown Almaty to Kok Tobe, the mountain park that’s the highest point in the city. You’ll find not just panoramic views but also an amusement park, an art gallery, an apple-shaped fountain, a bronze statue of the Beatles, and Almaty Tower, the landmark TV spire.

Artistic Immersion. The permanent collections at the A. Kasteyev Museum of Arts include decorative, applied and fine arts from Kazakh artists; classic Russian, Western European and Asian arts; and contemporary art from around the world. The national museum, named for Soviet-era painter Abylkhan Kastayev, also hosts as many as 80 exhibitions a year, featuring national and international artists in all media.

Afternoon

It’s Hip To Be Square. Republic Square, once the political center of Kazakhstan, is still surrounded by imposing government buildings such as the former presidential palace (now city offices) and remains a popular park area with a series of fountains and walking paths. The glittering glass domes you’ll see are skylights for the 500,000-square-foot Almaty underground shopping mall.

See History in the Making. “The Golden Man” or “Golden Warrior,” a figure dressed in the ornately gilded garments of a young Scythian who lived in fourth or fifth century B.C., is a national symbol of Kazakhstan, and an example of his typical finery greets visitors in the lobby of the Central State Museum, one of the largest museums in Central Asia. The museum explores Kazakhstan’s past — the paleontology collection includes trilobite imprints from creatures that lived 420 million years ago — as well as its more recent metamorphosis into an independent republic.

Press Your Luck. Luck. Another replica of the Golden Warrior stands atop the 91-foot Monument of Independence at the center of Republic Square. (Legend has it that touching the monument brings good luck — but only once, so don’t get greedy.)

Evening

It’s Showtime! Find your seats for tonight’s performance at Abay State Opera & Ballet Theatre. Its repertoire includes international staples such as “Madam Butterfly,” “Rigoletto” and “Carmen,” and the venue also hosts Kazakh operas such as “Abay” and “Abylai Khan” and modern dance performances.

The Steaks Are High. The sleek, chic LT Bar & Grill is the culinary crown atop the glittering Esentai Tower, a 37-story building that’s also home to The Ritz-Carlton, Almaty. The signature steaks, seafood and sushi of Chef Laurent Tourondel — Bon Appétit’s Restaurateur of the year in 2007 — are all in plentiful supply at this chophouse and bar.