Astana: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan, 358 m (1,175 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ), 17 km (11 mi) from the centre. It has 2 railway stations on record, including Astana-1 station. Our booking partner lists 490 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Astana runs from about 7 h 57 min a day in late December to 16 h 39 min in late June (computed for 51.18° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Astana is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ), 17 km (11 mi) from the centre, whose 11,484-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft.
Flights to Astana: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Astana-1 station, Astana Nurly Zhol station. Trains to Astana
Buses to Astana · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 490 places to stay in Astana. Of the 242 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (124), and 13 are five-star. Across 108 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.4 out of 10. Guests have left 72,152 reviews in total.
Hotels in Astana: the full picture, and book
Our booking partner lists 19 hostels in Astana, out of 490 places to stay of every kind — 3.9% of everywhere it lists in the city, an above-average share: hostels here compete with each other rather than filling a gap. Across 9 hostels with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.4 out of 10, level with the city’s hotels. Guests have left 3,393 reviews across them.
Hostels in Astana: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Karagandy, 193 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Pavlodar, 399 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Temirtau, 165 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Kokshetau, 273 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Ekibastuz, 275 km — buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Ankara, Moscow, Pittsburgh, Kyiv, Saint Petersburg, Amman, Sarajevo, Riga, Gdańsk, Warsaw, Tbilisi, Hanoi, Seoul, Bangkok.
Common questions
Which airport serves Astana?
Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ), 17 km (11 mi) from the centre.
How big is Astana?
About 1.5 million people live in Astana, across 710,200,000 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Astana in?
Asia/Almaty, currently UTC+5.
What currency is used in Astana?
The Tenge (KZT). Traffic drives on the right.
Are there hostels in Astana?
19 of them, bookable on this site. Hostels in Astana.
How many hotels are there in Astana?
Our booking partner lists 490 places to stay in Astana, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Astana?
Karagandy (193 km), Pavlodar (399 km), Temirtau (165 km), Kokshetau (273 km), Ekibastuz (275 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.