Astana shopping splits along the Ishim River: chaotic Soviet-era bazaars and wholesale halls on the Right Bank, glass megamalls and Kazakh designer boutiques on the Left. Between them sit tiny ateliers selling handmade shyrdak felt, camel wool and silver.
Astana's oldest and largest market, a warren of container rows and covered halls on the Right Bank. Dried apricots, kurt cheese balls, horse sausage kazy, camel-wool socks and knock-off outerwear. Open daily 08:00-18:00, busiest Saturday mornings. Cash strongly preferred.
A small artisan salon on the old Right Bank avenue stocking shyrdak and tekemet felt rugs, dombra miniatures, tumar amulets and hand-stitched korpe cushions from workshops across Almaty and Turkistan regions. Weekdays 10:00-19:00, Saturday until 17:00.
The city's produce market for Kazakh pantry staples: sacks of steppe buckwheat, barrels of pickled jusai garlic chives, sun-dried melon strips from Kyzylorda and vats of shubat camel milk. Vendors hand out samples freely. Daily 08:00-19:00.
A cluster of family stalls selling raw honey from Eastern Kazakhstan's Altai foothills, plus sea-buckthorn preserves, dried thyme and kumis in sealed bottles. Sellers decant from steel drums into your chosen jar, so bring one or buy on site.
Astana's biggest mall, built beside the EXPO 2017 grounds: 140,000 m² over three levels with Zara, Massimo Dutti, a large Kazakh designer corner and an indoor ice rink. Daily 10:00-22:00, free parking, metro-style shuttle from the centre.
A compact café on the Left Bank's embassy strip favoured by local designers, serving flat whites and open sandwiches. A useful reset point between the EXPO malls and the Nurzhol boutiques, with a small shelf of local ceramics for sale.
Left Bank ateliers where Kazakh labels sell modernised national dress: silk chapan coats with contemporary cuts, ikat-print jackets and camel-wool capes. Made-to-measure takes three to five days, so order early in a trip. Tuesday-Sunday 11:00-20:00.
Twin Left Bank malls facing the government quarter: Keruen holds mid-range international labels and a supermarket, while Keruen City adds cinemas and a food court with Kazakh chains like Del Papa and Bahandi. Both daily 10:00-22:00.
Right Bank jewellers working in the zerger tradition: hammered silver bracelets (bilezik), coral-set rings and syrga earrings with turquoise. Several masters take commissions and will engrave Kazakh ornament motifs while you wait. Weekdays 10:00-18:00.
The country's main book chain, with a strong Kazakh-language section, illustrated steppe photography books, Abai poetry in translation and a stationery floor selling ornament-printed notebooks. Open daily 10:00-21:00, English-labelled travel section upstairs.
A private gallery whose shop sells limited-run prints by contemporary Kazakh artists, hand-thrown ceramics glazed in steppe blues and small bronze casts of tulpar horses. Wednesday-Sunday 11:00-19:00; staff arrange crating and international shipping.
The factory outlet of Kazakhstan's century-old chocolate maker, stacked with Kazakhstan-branded gift tins, halva, and kaznak sweets sold loose by weight. Adjacent tea counters weigh out steppe herb blends and Uzbek green tea. Daily 09:00-21:00.