A fairy-tale castle in Almaty, nicknamed 'Hogwarts' by locals, is available for rent only for large events. Without such events, seeing this beauty is not only difficult but also expensive, according to social media posts. Kursiv LifeStyle investigated whether this is true and how much a rental or a one-time walk around the location would cost, as reported by infohub.kz.
The building, reminiscent of a medieval castle, is located on Nazhimedenov Street and is called 'Paradise Corner'. It is surrounded by a pond and a petting zoo. One Threads user posted a screenshot of a conversation in which she was quoted an astronomical sum of 234,000 tenge for a 1.5-hour walk around the grounds.
In the comments, people advised her to go to Disneyland or the medieval castles of Ireland instead, saying the entrance fee would be dozens of times cheaper. Many were outraged by the exorbitant price for entry.
Kursiv LifeStyle found the castle's contact number on 2GIS for booking. The number has an avatar, unlike the one in the user's screenshot. We were told that there is a specific time for walks: Wednesdays from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. During that time, entry for an adult costs 5,000 tenge, and for a child (under 12) 3,000 tenge. Additionally, the organizer was willing to allow an adult with children to walk for the same price on Tuesdays, but also at a strictly set time during the day.
The castle also offers photo shoots for small groups. The price is 25,000 tenge per hour for up to four people. If the shoot is for five or more people, the price rises to 50,000 tenge per hour.
As for renting the venue, the minimum price is 300,000 tenge, according to the price list on the castle's account.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle reported that a building resembling a knight's castle was put up for sale in Almaty for 450 million tenge.