A shopping tour in Nur-Sultan: the city of malls

Shopping is a must-do activity on any trip! Some tourists might look for several activities to do in one place, and thus comes the idea of visiting a shopping mall. There you can find whatever you need starting from getting groceries, having some medicines from the pharmacy, repairing your phone, having a big choice list of where and what to eat, visiting the cinema and even more! Some shopping malls offer unique activities to do, like ice-skating, trampoline parks, rock climbing attractions, panoramic restaurants, and even indoor beaches! So, here is a shopping tour around Nur-Sultan city in order not to skip any of these cool things!

Keruen Shopping mall 

The Keruen Shopping mall is located in a very picturesque place of the left bank of Nur-Sultan city. If you are around visiting the city's symbol Baiterek tower, then you should check out this mall because it only takes 3-5 min walking to reach it. What is this mall proud and famous for? For now, this is the only mall that has a sufficient amount of brands in the luxury segment around the city. In this mall, you can find world-famous brands such as Heritage, Tiffany & Co, Chopard, Damiani, Bogner, Baldinini, Marc O'Polo, Montblanc, and many more. 

What to do around Keruen 

Keruen shopping mall is located on the Nurzhol boulevard. If you decide to check out this shopping center, you are very lucky, because there are many beautiful touristic attractions around it. You may start your small journey, including Keruen shopping mall, from the Presidential palace Ak orda, and go straight till you see the Khan Shatyr shopping mall. This is the most beautiful boulevard in the city. At the end of your walk through the Nurzhol boulevard, it is worth visiting the Khan Shatyr shopping mall, which is a very attractive tourist destination. This Shopping mall has its own indoor beach on the top of the building, which can be visited all year round! Its unique architecture attracts many people from all over the world! 

Mega Silk Way shopping mall

It is the biggest shopping center in the network of Mega shops located in different cities of Kazakhstan, like Almaty and Shymkent. It officially opened in March 2017, which means it is still brand new. The Mega Silk Way was constructed in accordance with the BREEAM, and what fascinates most of all is that 1.1 million people visit Mega every month, making this mall the most popular shopping and entertainment center in the city. The unique thing about this place is that it is the only shopping center that has an indoor ice-skating rink. Apart from that, the location of the mall has lots of beautiful things around that deserve your attention, like the Nur Alem Expo spherical museum and the Botanical garden. 

Keruen city (old Mega)

This mall changed its name to Keruen city just a couple of years ago. Locals acknowledge and call it 'Old Mega.' So whenever you ask how to reach it, you may mention it by both its names: Keruen city and Old Mega. Previously, when the new Mega Silk Way shopping mall did not exist yet, there was only one Megamall in Nur-Sultan city - which is now the Keruen city. It is located comfortably in the right bank of the town and in a close distance to different types of attractions, such as the most famous pedestrian bridges, the UFO-shaped circus, Keremet Sauna, and Duman Oceanarium. There is a ferries wheel, which can show you the whole city as if it was in your palms, and it is located right in front of the Keruen city mall. Like every average shopping mall, it has clothing shops, grocery shops, a pharmacy, cinema, and many other things.

Asia park and Saryarqa

Asia park mall and Saryarqa shopping mall are located closeby: they are between the Opera and ballet theater and the small park of Nur-Sultan city. Moreover, if we include the Khan Shatyr mall on the map, then you will see that these malls are placed in a triangle shape. It is very easy to walk from one mall to another! If Saryarqa can provide you with the list of services that a standard shopping and entertainment center can offer, then, Asia Park has even its very own GYM and a panoramic restaurant: Navat. It is highly recommended to dine in this restaurant in the evening and enjoy the city view. Also, in this restaurant, you can feel the Kazakh and Eastern culture, because of its interior and meals. 

It is easy to notice that many shopping malls somehow bear a name related to the 'Keruen' word. There is a very interesting explanation for that. Keruen in the Kazakh language means caravan. Many years ago, when the trading industry between countries and cultures had just started, caravans with goods were passing through Kazakhstan's territory. In history, it was called the Silk Way. Kazakh people traditionally like to give a specific name to anything with a deep understanding of the past. Since Keruen is a trading caravan, then all shopping malls are just meant to be called that way. An interesting thing to add is that Nur-Sultan city, among all Kazakhstani people, is called 'the city of Shopping malls.' Try to go for a shopping tour around Nur-Sultan city, and you will probably understand why.