Almaty Nightlife: Best Bars and Nightclubs - Kazakhstan
By
Tibs
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I spent around 10 days in Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. I was told it had the best nightlife in Central Asia, and it is probably true. While it is sometimes still rough around the edges, I can say that it is one of the most underrated party destinations I've ever been to. The city has at least 10 decent nightclubs and 30 bars worth visiting. It is generally cheap: Drinks costs between 2$ and 5$, even in nicer venues, with an entrance fee always below 10$. Foreigners are rare and they are treated like royalty. A few times, I was able to avoid queuing after the bouncers heard me speaking in English.
I stayed in Bishkek for a short week while visiting Kyrgyzstan in June 2017. Naturally, I was curious to discover its nightlife, which was recommended to me by several friends. Since I was there during Ramadan, I was afraid the bars and nightclubs would be closed, but everything was normal, albeit slightly quieter than usual. My first difficulty was the lack of information about partying in Bishkek. Almost everything you'll find online is outdated or in Russian (Retro and Golden Bull are closed for instance). Luckily, on my first night out I met an expat who lived in the city for 3 years and he took everywhere I needed to go. This review is a summary of everything I learned about Bishkek nightlife. I hope you can leave comments about your own experiences as well to make it more interesting and to keep it updated. Nightlife Areas + Recommended Hotels Nearby Most of the best bars and nightclubs in Bishkek are located within 500 meters from Ala Too square, and parti
I wrote this summary of Gili Trawangan nightlife (Lombok) after spending 3 nights there in May 2017. I had not visited the island in almost 10 years, and yet it didn't change much. It is just a bit more crowded, more expensive and dirtier. Most visitors are young Westerners between 20 and 30 years old. Among them, many are couples on their honeymoon or backpackers on a 6-month Southeast Asia tour. The latter aren't as numerous as in Bali or Thailand, probably because of the prices (overall you'll spend twice as much in the Gili's). They tend to stay for a short period of time only, on their way to other parts of Indonesia. The ones who stay longer usually work in diving centers and form the only real expat community on the island.