Things to do in Jiayuguan

Best time to visit Jiayuguan

• a note or something on   ✦ an occasion worth the trip

• May and June and September and October

  Best months, mild temperatures for exposed wall walking, with a crowd spike in the early October holiday week.

• July and August

  Hot and dry with highs into the mid 30s, long evenings, fort night opening and barbecue at its best.

• March and April

  Spring warming with wind and sandstorm risk in the corridor, so bring layers and eye protection.

• November to February

  Properly cold winter, January lows around minus 21 Celsius, short days, empty sites and cheaper hotels.

What's on

• Jiayuguan Fortress Night Visit May to October evenings

  Separate night ticket with lit walls, roughly 19:30 to midnight in season on current listings.

Best things to do in Jiayuguan

• Jiayuguan Fort

  Southwest of downtown · $$

  The best preserved Ming pass fort, layered walls and gate towers between Qilian snow peaks and the Gobi.

• Great Wall Museum of Jiayuguan

  Fort scenic area · Free

  Free museum inside the fort area that turns a photogenic fort into a legible Great Wall defence system.

• Xincheng Mural Tombs of Wei and Jin Dynasty

  Xincheng, northeast of the city · $

  A descendable Wei-Jin tomb of painted bricks showing farming, feasting and daily life on the frontier.

Where to stay in Jiayuguan

• Downtown Jiayuguan

  one night fort stop, all round base

  Dinner, barbecue streets and taxis in every direction, about 15 minutes by car to the fort.

Think twice about

• Fort scenic area perimeter

  Food thins to scenic area restaurants and banquet places at scenic area prices. Visit by day, sleep downtown.

• Jiayuguan South Station area

  Practical for an early train and dead at night, with few dinner options. Stay downtown and taxi to the station.

Best restaurants in Jiayuguan

• Datang Food Street

  Central Jiayuguan · $$

  The one stop evening graze for huguo, cuoyu noodles, liangpi, skewers and apricot drinks in one walk.

• Xiaodang Jiayuguan Barbecue

  Shengli Road · $$

  The sit down Jiayuguan barbecue night, skewers and ribs in rounds with apricot drink, about 80 yuan a head.

• Yanjing Barbecue

  Fuqiang Market area · $

  The cheap late night skewer institution, lamb skewers at a couple of yuan a stick around Fuqiang Market.

• Fuqiang Market

  City centre · $

  The local market start to a fort day, huguo stalls from 6am, noodle shops, bakeries and fruit stalls.

Outdoor things to do in Jiayuguan

• Overhanging Great Wall

  Heishan, northwest of the fort · $$

  A steep 45 degree wall climb on Heishan, rebuilt in 1987 on the Ming line, with views over fort and desert.

• First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall

  Taolai River, south of the fort · $$

  The Ming wall's westernmost beacon, an eroded earth tower on a cliff over the Taolai River gorge.

• Donghu Ecological Tourism Scenic Area

  East side of the city · $

  A snowmelt lake park with a landmark tower, the calm dusk walk a one night Jiayuguan stay needs.

• July 1 Glacier

  Qilian Mountains, southwest of the city · $$$

  The Qiyi Glacier at over 4,300 metres, famous but shrinking, with tourism closed in 2017, so check locally first.

Best hotels in Jiayuguan

• Nuojin Hotel

  City centre · $$$

  The top of the local market, a polished mall connected hotel with strong breakfast and mountain view rooms.

• Jiu Gang Hotel

  Downtown · $$

  The established downtown business hotel about 4 km from the fort, reliable for groups and drivers.

• Jinjiang Inn Jiayuguan Lanxin Road

  Lanxin Road · $

  A clean, efficient budget chain inn, exactly right for a one night fort stop at well under 200 yuan.

Is Jiayuguan expensive? What a day costs

A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room

What to book ahead

• July 1 Glacier: a few days ahead

• Book downtown hotels ahead for the early October holiday week, the only period that fills up.
• Carry your passport for scenic area tickets and hotel registration.
• Confirm the July 1 Glacier is open with your hotel and a local operator before planning around it.

Is Jiayuguan safe?

• Carry water on the Overhanging Wall climb, where none is sold, and wear a hat and sunscreen year round.
• Spring sandstorms and winter cold are severe, and drones are prohibited in the fort scenic area.
• The glacier trip jumps to over 4,300 metres in a morning, a real altitude risk, not a photo stop.

Jiayuguan travel tips: tourist traps to skip

• Scenic area banquet meals and novelty drinks near the fort at inflated prices.
• Station taxi package offers that bundle the three wall sites well over meter plus waiting cost.
• Expecting untouched Ming brickwork at the Overhanging Wall, which was largely rebuilt in 1987.

Getting around Jiayuguan: public transport and more

• Bus 4 links the centre to the fort scenic area, and taxis downtown should run on the meter.
• The fort, Overhanging Wall and First Beacon sit about 30 minutes apart by road, so keep your driver at the two outer sites.
• Bullet trains run Jiayuguan South to Dunhuang in about 2.5 to 3 hours and to Lanzhou in about 5.5 to 6 hours.
• A chartered car for the wall sites and tombs costs around 300 yuan on recent itineraries.

Who Jiayuguan suits

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