North China · 8 days
Xinjiang in 8 Days: Urumqi, Turpan and Kashgar
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.
The route
What this trip actually feels like
- The Tarim mummies and Silk Road textiles at the Xinjiang Regional Museum
- Jiaohe, a Tang city of mud walls left standing on its plateau
- The Sunday livestock market outside Kashgar, where the Pamir herders still trade
- Karakul Lake at 3,600 metres, under the 7,546-metre Muztagh Ata
Best for
- Travellers who have covered the classic east and want the far west
- Photographers interested in people and markets rather than skylines
- Anyone building a Silk Road trip that starts in Xi’an and ends here
Along the way
The places this route passes through
Day by day
The plan, as it would actually run
Arrive in Urumqi
Fly into Diwopu and check in. The late afternoon goes to the Grand Bazaar and the food street behind it — cumin lamb, hand-pulled noodles, and samsa straight out of the tandoor. Eat early; the city runs two hours behind Beijing time in practice.
- Morning
- Arrive Urumqi
- Afternoon
- Grand Bazaar and Erdaoqiao lanes
- Evening
- Kebab dinner
- Meals
- Dinner included
Night 1 Conrad Urumqi
Note. Xinjiang uses Beijing time officially but schedules in local time — always confirm whether a time quoted to you is "Beijing time" or "Xinjiang time".
The museum, then Tianchi
Morning at the Xinjiang Regional Museum for the Tarim mummies and the Silk Road gallery — the single best briefing on the region. Afternoon drive up to Tianchi, the alpine lake under the Bogda peak, returning to the city for dinner.
- Morning
- Xinjiang Regional Museum
- Afternoon
- Tianchi (Heavenly Lake)
- Evening
- Return to Urumqi
- Meals
- Breakfast included · Lunch included
Night 2 Conrad Urumqi
Note. The museum requires a passport scan at the gate and closes on Mondays — build the itinerary around that.
Turpan: the city below sea level
The 8am HSR to Turpan, then a full day in the depression: Jiaohe’s mud-brick city on its plateau, the karez channel museum, and the Emin Minaret in the late light. Back on the evening train to Urumqi.
- Morning
- HSR to Turpan (1 hour), Jiaohe
- Afternoon
- Karez museum and Grape Valley
- Evening
- Emin Minaret, return to Urumqi
- Meals
- Breakfast included · Lunch included
Night 3 Conrad Urumqi
Note. Turpan in July is genuinely dangerous heat — this day works from April to June and September to October, not in high summer.
Fly west to Kashgar
Morning flight to Kashgar, two hours across the Tarim basin. Afternoon in the old town: the Id Kah Mosque square, the copper-beating lanes, and a tea house where the conversation is the entertainment.
- Morning
- Flight Urumqi to Kashgar (2 hours)
- Afternoon
- Id Kah Mosque and old town lanes
- Evening
- Tea house on the square
- Meals
- Breakfast included
Night 4 Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar
Note. Old-town lanes are numbered inconsistently — take a photo of your hotel entrance the first time you leave it.
The livestock market and the craft streets
If it is a Sunday, the morning belongs to the livestock market twenty minutes out of town, where Pamir herders trade sheep, cattle and camels. Otherwise the animal market runs daily in a smaller form. Afternoon for the atlas silk and hat makers.
- Morning
- Livestock market
- Afternoon
- Handicraft streets and the hat makers
- Evening
- Uyghur dinner with live music
- Meals
- Breakfast included · Dinner included
Night 5 Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar
Note. The Sunday market is at its best between 9 and 11am. Ask the driver to go to the animal section first, then the produce.
Karakul Lake and Muztagh Ata
The Karakoram Highway south: three hours of switchbacks to a lake at 3,600 metres, with the 7,546-metre Muztagh Ata across the water and Kyrgyz herders’ yurts along the shore. Back to Kashgar by evening.
- Morning
- Drive the Karakoram Highway
- Afternoon
- Karakul Lake, yurt tea
- Evening
- Return to Kashgar
- Meals
- Breakfast included · Lunch included
Night 6 Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar
Note. This crosses a checkpoint where the passport is registered — carry it plus a photocopy. Altitude at the lake is 3,600 m; walk slowly for the first hour.
The old town in slow motion, then east
A morning without a schedule: the flower-brick houses, the bakery ovens, the last of the souvenir shopping. Afternoon flight back to Urumqi, and a final dinner in the city.
- Morning
- Free morning in the old town
- Afternoon
- Flight to Urumqi
- Evening
- Farewell dinner
- Meals
- Breakfast included · Dinner included
Night 7 Conrad Urumqi
Note. Buy dried fruit and raisins at the Urumqi bazaar rather than in Kashgar — better prices, and it packs better.
Depart
Transfer to Diwopu for the onward flight. If the flight is late, the museum shop has the best printed material on the region.
- Morning
- Transfer to airport
- Afternoon
- Depart
- Evening
- Meals
- Breakfast included
Note. Allow three hours at Diwopu for a domestic flight: security in Xinjiang is thorough.
In pictures
Scenes from the Xinjiang Silk Road route
Where you sleep
Handpicked stays on this route
Conrad · Luxury
Conrad Urumqi
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.
- Room upgrade at check-in, subject to availability
- Daily breakfast for two
- Club lounge access
- Late check-out to 2pm
From US$220 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Radisson Blu · Luxury
Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar
Kashgar’s most reliable international-standard hotel, fifteen minutes from the Id Kah Mosque and the old town lanes. Air conditioning that works in July, and a breakfast that starts before the livestock market run.
- Room upgrade at check-in, subject to availability
- Daily breakfast for two
- Late check-out to 2pm
- Airport transfer on arrival
From US$180 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Practicalities
The things to get right before departure
Visa and entry
A mainland China visa is required, and Xinjiang is treated as a sensitive region: some nationalities face extra registration at hotels. Carry your passport at all times — it is checked at checkpoints on the Karakoram Highway.
Getting between the cities
Distances are the constraint. Urumqi to Turpan is 1 hour by HSR each way, so Turpan works as a long day. Urumqi to Kashgar is a 2-hour flight (the sleeper train takes 16 hours). Karakul Lake is a 3-hour drive each way from Kashgar on the Karakoram Highway, doable in a day with an early start.
Questions
Asked by travellers on this route
Do I need a special permit for Xinjiang?
Not for Urumqi, Turpan or Kashgar. A border permit is required if you continue past Karakul Lake toward Tashkurgan on the Karakoram Highway — the driver can arrange it in Kashgar with a day of notice.
Is it safe and easy to travel there?
Security is heavy and visible, with checkpoints on main roads; violent crime against tourists is rare. The practical frictions are hotel registration for some nationalities and the passport checks, not safety.
How is the food for vegetarians?
Harder than elsewhere in China — lamb is the default protein. Uyghur restaurants do excellent vegetable dishes (aubergine, peppers, tomato salads), and naan and pilaf can be ordered meat-free with notice.
What is the best month?
October. The markets are full, the heat has broken, the light is clear, and the fruit — grapes, pomegranates, melons — is at its peak.