Things to do in Hohhot
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hohhot
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Peak green grass from mid July to early September, with Naadam season, the highest prices and the need to book ahead.
Huitengxile wildflowers and fewer crowds, with cold nights and strong wind at altitude.
Mild, dry shoulder months that suit the city best, with September grass turning gold.
Dry, windy spring with dust, workable for the city but poor for the grassland.
Brutal cold and wind. The grassland experience shuts down and sightseeing is exposure management.
What's on
- Naadam mid July, dates vary by banner
Wrestling, horse racing and archery, best aligned with a grassland yurt night rather than a city demonstration.
- Dazhao Sunning of the Buddha Lunar New Year period, dates vary
Temple fair season in the old town at its most alive, in serious winter cold.
- Winter Naadam January, dates vary
Winter racing and wrestling on frozen ground, for travellers who want the cold itself as part of the appeal.
- Zhaojun Cultural Events autumn, dates vary
Performances and exhibitions at the Zhaojun site when the Green Tomb legend is seasonally apt.
Best things to do in Hohhot
Dazhao Temple
Hohhot's oldest temple, built in 1580, known for its silver Buddha, dragon carvings and murals, and still a living place of worship.
Inner Mongolia Museum
The free museum that explains the steppe peoples in sequence, and the one indoor sight to see before the grassland, not after.
Five Pagoda Temple
A quiet Qing temple whose rear wall carries an astronomical chart carved in stone and labelled in Mongolian.
Xilitu Zhao Temple
The largest Tibetan Buddhist temple complex in Hohhot, larger and calmer than Dazhao directly across from it.
Saishang Old Street
The restored old town street by Dazhao Temple, best used as an evening stroll and a graze rather than a destination.
Zhaojun Museum
The Green Tomb mound and Hun culture museum south of the city, with the best near city panorama from the top.
Great Mosque of Hohhot
The city's oldest and largest mosque, and the gateway to the Hui quarter's halal lamb kitchens around it.
General's Office Museum
The restored Qing general's yamen, the most informative building in Hohhot on how the empire governed the frontier.
Where to stay in Hohhot
Xincheng, Xinhua Square
all round base and one night staging stays
The metro crossing and the classic top end hotels, with the easiest connections to the museum, stations and airport.
Saihan, Wanda Plaza
newer hotels and onward trains
The eastern district with the Wanda Vista, malls, the museum area and Hohhot East Station for Beijing trains.
Think twice about
- Hohhot Railway Station perimeter
Noisy, transient and tout heavy at arrivals, with an unlovely walk home at night. Use the station, sleep a few streets away.
- Far eastern and airport edge new developments
Huge roads and empty blocks with nothing walkable and a car ride to every meal. Bleak as a sightseeing base.
- Xilamuren entrance strip
Only a bus stop cluster at the grassland edge. The camps worth sleeping at are further out on the grass.
Best restaurants in Hohhot
Maixiangcun
A loud local institution near Dazhao Temple for mutton shaomai at breakfast, plus offal soup and oat noodles.
Deshunyuan
A long established shaomai house known for coloured vegetable juice wrappers and vegetarian and wild onion fillings.
Lao Suiyuan Shaomai
Heritage shaomai in calmer modern rooms, the polished and bookable version of the old town breakfast classic.
Gerile Ama Milk Tea House
The easiest introduction to Mongolian food, with pot milk tea, hand grabbed mutton, roast ribs and yoghurt cake.
Xibei Youmian Village
Reliable naked oat noodles and north western dishes in clean mall branches with open kitchens and clear prices.
Little Sheep Hot Pot
Inner Mongolian hot pot where the chain and the lamb culture both come from, built on spiced broth and sliced lamb.
Muslim Restaurant
Halal lamb kitchens around the Great Mosque serving skewers, beizi and offal soup at the city's most forgiving prices.
Bayan Delehai
A Mongolian banquet restaurant for a whole roast lamb ordered ahead for a group, with dairy, milk tea and toasts.
Outdoor things to do in Hohhot
Xilamuren Grassland
The closest grassland to Hohhot with the best facilities, provided you drive past the first cluster of camps.
Huitengxile Grassland
A high alpine meadow with the best grass within reach of Hohhot, worth two nights and a well built heated camp.
Huanghuagou
A glacial valley of cliffs and birch forest at the western end of Huitengxile, named for its summer yellow flowers.
Gegentala Grassland
The spacious third famous grassland, but reported closed for maintenance, so confirm reopening in writing before booking.
Xiangshawan
A huge dune in the Kubuqi Desert run as a desert theme park, brilliant family fun if you skip the peak queues.
Chilechuan Grassland
Hohhot's restored backyard grassland at the foot of Daqing Mountain, good for a sunset walk on arrival day.
Hadamen National Forest Park
The accessible face of Daqing Mountain, a half day of forest paths and a panorama back over the whole city.
Wulanhada Volcano Geopark
A cluster of black and red volcano cones on the grassland, best built as an overnight with Huitengxile, not a day trip.
Best hotels in Hohhot
Shangri-La Hotel Hohhot
The long standing top address near Xinhua Square, with a strong breakfast and staff who help with sightseeing.
Wanda Vista Hohhot
The newer luxury hotel by Wanda Plaza, close to the museum and East Station, with a proper local breakfast.
Sheraton Hohhot Hotel
A reliable international hotel in Xincheng with large rooms and predictable systems, held to a mid tier expectation.
Inner Mongolia Hotel
The city's own flagship hotel, with a local character and a breakfast strong on Mongolian and northern dishes.
Juva Grand Hotel
A high scoring five star at lower prices near the university area, useful when central hotels spike in peak season.
Jinjiang Inn Hohhot Xinhua Avenue
A clean budget chain hotel opposite the Muslim quarter's shops and eateries, the reliable cheap base in Hohhot.
Is Hohhot expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥300 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥650 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥1,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Qian Gu Ma Song: a few days ahead
- Xilamuren Grassland: weeks ahead
- Huitengxile Grassland: weeks ahead
- Gegentala Grassland: weeks ahead
- Xiangshawan: a few days ahead
- Wulanhada Volcano Geopark: a few days ahead
- Bayan Delehai: a few days ahead
- Book grassland camps, rides and return transfers together in writing, weeks ahead in July, August and Naadam season.
- The Inner Mongolia Museum is closed on Mondays and Five Pagoda Temple listings show a Tuesday closure.
- Whole roast lamb and banquet dinners need advance ordering through your hotel.
Is Hohhot safe?
- January averages around minus 5 by day and minus 18 at night, with plateau wind on top. Dress for it from November to March.
- On the grassland, UV is extreme with no shade and nights are cold even in July. Pack sunscreen, a hat and a warm layer.
- Ride only with a reputable operator, a helmet, and a route and price agreed before you mount.
Hohhot travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The led horse circle at a big camp sold as riding, and the first yurt camp you reach on any famous grassland.
- Saishang Old Street shops for antiques, knives and cashmere at tourist prices.
- A Gegentala booking accepted without current written confirmation that it has reopened.
Getting around Hohhot: public transport and more
- Two metro lines cross at Xinhua Square. Line 1 serves the airport, East Station and museum area. Line 2 serves the old city.
- Use DiDi for everything else, with your destination in Chinese characters or a map screenshot ready.
- There is no practical public transport to any grassland, so book a private car or reputable tour and price the transfer in.
Who Hohhot suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Hohhot your trip
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