Astana is two cities with a river between them. On the left bank of the Ishim stand the government quarter, the Baiterek tower, Khan Shatyr and most of the new hotels. On the right bank is the older town, with the railway station, the bazaar and the cheaper places to sleep. Where you stay decides how much time you spend in taxis, so the ten hotels below are grouped by what they cost and where they sit. Ratings and review counts come from Booking.com at the time of writing, and prices are in tenge with a rough dollar figure at about 500 KZT to the dollar.
Astana is not a walking city. Blocks on the left bank are long, the wind is constant, and in January the temperature sits around minus 25. A hotel within a kilometer of Baiterek saves you from that. In summer the same distances are pleasant, and the riverbank paths fill with cyclists and families until midnight.
Left Bank or Right Bank
I have been to Kazakhstan more than once, and in Astana I always pick the left bank if the budget allows. Everything a first-time visitor wants to see is there: Nurzhol Boulevard, Baiterek, Khan Shatyr, the Hazrat Sultan mosque, the National Museum. Restaurants and malls are there too. The right bank is quieter and older, prices are lower by a third, and buses cross the river every few minutes. A Yandex Go taxi between the two banks costs 1,500 to 2,500 KZT, roughly $3 to $5, and takes 15 to 20 minutes outside rush hour.
Bus fare is under 150 KZT with a transport card, which you buy at kiosks or pay via the app. Cash on board costs more. The airport is 15 km south of the center. A taxi from arrivals runs 3,000 to 5,000 KZT, and most hotels below arrange transfers for a fixed fee if you ask before you land.
Hilton Garden Inn Astana
Hilton Garden Inn Astana holds 9 out of 10 from more than 1,200 reviews, the best ratio of price to rating on this list. A night costs 35,000 to 60,000 KZT, about $70 to $120. It stands on the left bank in the new administrative center, so both business travelers and tourists end up here.
Baiterek is a 15-minute walk, Khan Shatyr about 20. Rooms are standard Hilton Garden Inn: a big bed, a desk, a fridge, blackout curtains that matter in June when the sun sets after ten. Breakfast is a paid buffet. Staff speak English, which is not a given in Astana.
Boutique Hotel Traditional
Boutique Hotel Traditional scores 9 out of 10 from more than 500 reviews and costs 25,000 to 45,000 KZT a night, about $50 to $90. It is the one hotel in Astana that does not look like a chain. Handmade carpets on the floors, chandeliers, antique furniture in the corridors, and the kind of small staff who remember your name by day two.
Families like it for the neighbors. The Duman aquarium and the Astana Circus are 500 meters away. Private parking is free, which in the center is rare. A pre-booked airport transfer can be arranged through the front desk or online before you fly in.
Rixos President Hotel Astana
Rixos President is the address for official delegations, and it looks the part. Five stars, 9 out of 10 from almost 400 reviews, prices from 70,000 KZT for a standard room to 200,000 KZT for a suite, about $140 to $400. It stands in the government quarter, where security is visible and the streets are empty after nine in the evening.
Khan Shatyr is 800 meters away, Baiterek one kilometer. Conference rooms and a business center fill during forums and summits, so check dates before booking: when a big event is on, the whole hotel goes to delegates. Rooms are large, with marble bathrooms and windows onto the boulevard. Breakfast is the widest spread in the city.
Americana Hostel
Americana is the budget entry: a hostel with 9 out of 10 from 57 reviews. A dorm bed starts at 5,000 KZT, about $10, and a private room tops out near 15,000 KZT, about $30. Bathrooms are shared, the kitchen is stocked with the basics, and the common room is where you will meet the handful of backpackers who make it to Astana.
Hostels in Kazakhstan are small and family-run, and Americana is no exception. Bring earplugs and a padlock for the locker. Ask the owners about buses, since they know which routes go to Baiterek without a change. For a solo traveler spending two nights before the train to Almaty, it is hard to spend less.
Rush Inn Hotel
Rush Inn Hotel is a small mid-range place with 9 out of 10 from 27 reviews. Twenty-seven is not many, so treat the score as promising rather than proven. A night costs 20,000 to 35,000 KZT, about $40 to $70.
Rooms are compact and functional: a good mattress, a kettle, a working desk, a shower with real pressure. Nothing else is promised and nothing else is needed for a short business trip or a two-night stopover. Staff arrange taxis and know the bus routes. Book it when the chains are full during a forum week and prices there double.
SAAD Hotel Astana
SAAD Hotel Astana is the five-star with the most reviews in the city: more than 3,500, averaging 8 out of 10. Prices run 40,000 to 80,000 KZT a night, about $80 to $160. Khan Shatyr, the tent-shaped mall with an indoor beach on the top floor, is a few minutes on foot.
Volume is the point here. SAAD hosts tour groups, weddings and conferences at the same time, and the lobby is never empty. Rooms are big and well kept, the spa has a pool, and the breakfast hall seats hundreds. Cafes, shops and the riverside park are all within ten minutes. If you want to walk to dinner rather than order a taxi, this is the left-bank hotel that makes it possible.
Lion Hotel
Lion Hotel is a three-star with 8 out of 10 from more than 2,200 reviews and rooms at 18,000 to 30,000 KZT, about $35 to $60. It has a shared lounge, a restaurant, a bar, free private parking, Wi-Fi throughout and a front desk that works around the clock.
Distance is the trade-off. Baiterek is about 8 km away, so count on a taxi of 15 to 20 minutes and 1,500 to 2,500 KZT each way, or a bus from the stop outside. In return you get quiet nights and a rate a third below the left bank. Lion suits drivers passing through on the road to Karaganda and anyone who spends the day in meetings on the right bank.
Comfort Hotel Astana
Comfort Hotel Astana is a four-star with 8 out of 10 from more than 2,100 reviews. Rooms cost 28,000 to 50,000 KZT, about $55 to $100. It sits in Chubary, a low-rise residential district on the left bank where more than 15 embassies have their villas, so the streets are calm and well lit.
Guests get a free gym with a sauna, free parking and airport transfers on request. Business centers and the exhibition halls are a short drive. Restaurants inside Chubary are few, so plan dinner on Nurzhol Boulevard, ten minutes by taxi. Comfort Hotel is the sensible pick for a work trip of a week or more, when a quiet room matters more than a view of Baiterek.
Ramada by Wyndham Astana
Ramada by Wyndham Astana is a four-star with 8 out of 10 from more than 1,250 reviews and rates of 30,000 to 55,000 KZT, about $60 to $110. Its list of extras is the longest in this price range: free bicycles for guests, a fitness center, an indoor pool and a Finnish sauna. Parking is free and private.
Rooms have air conditioning, a flat-screen TV, a safe, a desk, a kettle and a minibar. Bathrooms come with a shower and toiletries. Breakfast is included in most rates and is a full buffet with hot dishes, fruit and pastries. In summer the free bikes are the best way to reach the riverbank path, which runs for kilometers along the Ishim and is flat the whole way.
Inn OZZ Astana
Inn OZZ Astana is a three-star with 8 out of 10 from more than 1,250 reviews. Rooms cost 15,000 to 28,000 KZT, about $30 to $55, which makes it the cheapest hotel on the list with a private bathroom. No frills, and none promised.
Each room has a fridge, a minibar, a kettle, air conditioning and a desk. Bathrooms have a shower and basic toiletries. A restaurant on site serves Kazakh and European dishes, useful in winter when nobody wants to walk to dinner at minus 30. Wi-Fi and private parking are free. Inn OZZ suits budget travelers who have outgrown hostels and anyone driving across the steppe who needs a clean bed and a locked car park.
Booking Tips for Astana
Prices in Astana move with the event calendar, not the season. During the Astana International Forum, EXPO-style exhibitions and state holidays in July and December, left-bank hotels double their rates and sell out weeks ahead. Check the dates before you book, and if they clash, look at the right bank or at Chubary.
Compare the aggregator price with the hotel’s own site. Kazakh hotels often list a lower direct rate that includes breakfast, and breakfast matters here: outside the malls, cafes open late and a hotel buffet at eight saves an hour. Take a rate with free cancellation in winter. Flights into Astana get delayed by snow, and a non-refundable night lost to a blizzard is a common story. Finally, arrange the airport transfer with the hotel in advance. A fixed 4,000 KZT beats negotiating with drivers at the arrivals door at two in the morning.
