Northwest China
Urumqi is the practical hinge of any Xinjiang trip: the flights, the museum, the Grand Bazaar, and the first proper plate of lamb kebabs. It is also a modern Chinese city of four million, so treat it as a gateway with good food rather than a destination in itself.
The case for going
The Tarim mummies and the Silk Road textiles — the single best introduction to the region, and free.
Rebuilt and touristy, but the food street behind it is genuinely good.
An alpine lake under the Bogda peak, 2 hours out; go early, the car park fills by eleven.
Kazakh herders’ summer grazing an hour south of the city, with riding and yurt lunches.
Cumin lamb, hand-pulled noodles, and the samsa baked in tandoor ovens on the pavement.
Practical
Continental desert. Hot dry summers, very cold winters, enormous day-night swings.
Diwopu (URC) is the hub for all of Xinjiang, with flights to Kashgar, Hotan, Yining and Beijing.
Airport. Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (URC)
Rail. Urumqi station runs HSR to Turpan (1 hour), Hami and Lanzhou; the Lanzhou–Xinjiang line continues west.
In pictures
Questions travellers ask
Two days: the Xinjiang Museum with the ancient mummies, and the Tianchi lake excursion. It is the hub of the northern loop rather than a destination in itself.
The downtown district around the International Grand Bazaar for the evening food streets. The airport is 20 to 30 minutes; the rail station connects Turpan and the west.
Fly into Diwopu (URC) from Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an or Chengdu, or the high-speed rail from Lanzhou. It is the rail head for Turpan, 20 minutes away.
For the museum and the bazaar, yes — the mummies of the Tarim basin are the most extraordinary collection in western China. The city is otherwise the logistics base for Xinjiang.
Routes through here
North China
8days
Xinjiang is a province the size of Western Europe with a Silk Road history to match. This route takes the southern arc: the museum and the bazaar in Urumqi, the desert oasis cities of Turpan, then the old trading city of Kashgar and the mountains that start at its edge.
From US$2,750per person
Combine it with
Where to eat
Where to stay
Conrad · Luxury
The most comfortable base in Xinjiang’s capital, and the practical one: a club lounge that opens early enough for the Turpan train, and a concierge who knows which flights to Kashgar actually leave on time.
From US$220 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
