Things to do in Urumqi
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Urumqi
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months with warm days, cool nights, green pastures and, in September, peak melons and grapes.
Hot, dry and lively with sunsets after 22:00, but peak domestic crowds, peak prices and extreme Turpan heat.
Early October has fine autumn weather but Golden Week in the first week brings maximum crowds and prices.
Long bitter winter, January near minus 13 on average, best only for deliberate ski trips from December to March.
Short, windy spring with possible dust, low prices and pastures not yet green, fine for a museum and food break.
What's on
- Nowruz around 21 March
Spring New Year across Turkic communities with music, dance and communal food, the most local festival moment.
- Eid al-Fitr end of Ramadan, moves about 11 days earlier each year
Major Xinjiang holiday with feasts, altered Ramadan hours before it and early transport booking needed.
- Eid al-Adha (Corban Festival) about two months after Eid al-Fitr, moves annually
Major Xinjiang holiday with shared feasts and family gatherings, and busy transport around the dates.
- Turpan Grape Festival August
Harvest celebration in Turpan, the natural pick for a Turpan excursion at grape peak.
- Tianchi Ice and Snow Programming January
Ice scenery and winter events at the frozen Heavenly Lake for travellers already coming to ski.
Best things to do in Urumqi
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum
Free museum with the Tarim mummies and Silk Road textiles that makes everything else in Xinjiang make sense.
Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar
A vast bazaar complex best at dusk for atmosphere and food, with tourist prices if you shop without bargaining.
Hongshan Park
A free red rock hill with a pagoda giving the classic panorama over the city toward Bogda Peak at sunset.
People's Park
The city living room of lakes and pavilions where locals dance, sing and play chess under the trees.
Shuimogou Scenic Area
A free green river valley of bridges, lakes and hot springs that has been the city retreat since Qing times.
Xinjiang Ancient Ecological Park
A park built around Akhal-Teke horses, petrified wood and wild horses, strange and impressive in equal measure.
Xinjiang Khan Blood Horse Base
China's largest Akhal-Teke base inside the Ancient Ecological Park, with equestrian shows and carriage parades.
Yamalik Mountain
A free, quiet hill where local photographers frame the whole skyline against Bogda snow peaks at dusk.
Where to stay in Urumqi
Youhao and Xinjiang Museum area
first trip, all round base
The museum is walkable, the Conrad sits here, and it is a lived in commercial district near the centre.
Hongguangshan and Convention Centre
business, families, facilities
The modern hotel cluster with big rooms and pools, a longer ride from the bazaar and old food streets.
People's Square and Hongshan
walking to dinner, value
The true centre with the densest metro coverage and the best spread of mid range and budget stays.
Wangjialiang
local upscale value
A business district near Xinjiang Medical University with a well reviewed local upscale hotel.
Urumqi Railway Station area
rail stopovers and early trains
Good hotels and Wanda Plaza food by the high speed station, but far west of the sights and taxi dependent.
Think twice about
- Grand Bazaar immediate perimeter
Prices spike up to three times in season, streets are congested and checkpointed, and better rooms cost less nearby.
- Urumqi Railway Station area as a sightseeing base
A modern rail and mall island far from the museum, bazaar and food streets, turning every evening into a taxi ride.
- Airport corridor
Affordable and shuttle served but pointless unless a flight leaves at dawn, since you commute past the city to reach it.
Best restaurants in Urumqi
Herembag
The upscale Uyghur banquet name, serving the full canon of polo, laghman and kebabs in polished form.
Ma Feng Hua Xinjiang Cuisine
A perfect scored celebratory Xinjiang house for a group night of roast lamb and big shared plates.
Eden Cafe
The Herembag cafe format near the bazaar, a gentle entry to Uyghur and Turkish dishes from a pictured menu.
Nurkan Restaurant
A perfect scored local Xinjiang restaurant for laghman, polo and kebabs done properly for regulars.
Chai Wo Pu No.22 Spicy Chicken
A top scored specialist in Chaiwopu spicy chicken, pepper forward and built for sharing with belt noodles.
Xuezhan Dapanji
The city's canonical cheap feast, a landmark big plate chicken finished with belt noodles in the sauce.
Hetian Second Street
The locals food street of nang bakeries, kebab grills and noodle shops without the bazaar markup.
Lingguan Lane
A compact local lane for breakfast nang, milk tea and noodle shops, starting the day like a resident.
Outdoor things to do in Urumqi
Tianshan Tianchi
A turquoise alpine lake under Bogda Peak where walking the full shore leaves the tour groups behind.
Urumqi Tianshan Grand Canyon
The quieter mountain day of red rock, spruce forest and pasture, with a tenth of Tianchi visitor volume.
Nanshan Pasture
Kazakh grassland with yurts, waterfalls and horse riding, the cheapest full day out from the city in summer.
Silk Road International Ski Resort
Xinjiang's flagship ski area with a gondola to 2500m, dry snow and scenery reviewers rate above the terrain.
Baiyun Ski Resort
The smaller, cheaper ski option for a first or family ski day, with rentals and lessons and less ceremony.
Xinjiang Urumqi Xuelianshan Golf Club
The city's only golf course, an 18 hole par 72 by the Shuimogou hot springs with a full resort clubhouse.
Ancient City of Jiaohe
Mud brick ruins on a river bluff, the historic heart of a Turpan day trip by high speed train from Urumqi.
Karez Water Museum
The ancient underground irrigation channels that made the Turpan oasis possible, seen on the standard day loop.
Best hotels in Urumqi
Conrad Urumqi
The city's top hotel by the museum, with a 36th floor lobby, Tianshan views and malls directly connected.
Hilton Urumqi
The northern flagship with the city's best pool and gym, often priced below the Conrad despite higher scores.
Wanda Vista Urumqi
The highest scored hotel in the city by the high speed station, ideal for a stopover rather than sightseeing.
Four Points by Sheraton Urumqi
Reliable international mid tier rooms in the convention district at about a third of the Conrad price.
Universal Hotel Urumqi
A well kept local upscale hotel with pool and executive floor, popular with domestic business travellers.
Atour Hotel Urumqi Hongshan
China's best lifestyle chain in the true centre, with good beds and reliable bathrooms below brand prices.
Urumqi Stops Hostel
The backpacker base near Hongshan, clean and helpful, and the place to find day trip car shares.
Hanting Hotel Urumqi Beimen
A clean, quiet, predictable budget chain room by the metro for the price of a group lunch.
Is Urumqi expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥350 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥850 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥2,200 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum: a few days ahead
- Silk Road Travel: a few days ahead
- Tianshan Tianchi: a few days ahead
- Silk Road International Ski Resort: a few days ahead
- Xinjiang Urumqi Xuelianshan Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Reserve the free Xinjiang Museum slot early via WeChat with your passport, and note it closes on Mondays.
- Book hotels early for late July to August and Golden Week in early October when bazaar area prices spike.
- Visit Tianchi on a weekday with an early start, and book ski packages and golf about a week ahead.
- Arrange private drivers a few days ahead in peak season and Turpan trains as soon as booking opens.
Is Urumqi safe?
- Carry your actual passport at all times for frequent security and ID checks, and allow buffer time everywhere.
- Do not photograph police, checkpoints or security installations, and ask before photographing people.
- Carry water and layers for dry air, strong sun and day to night swings of 12 to 18 degrees.
- Install a VPN and link cards in Alipay and WeChat Pay before arrival, since Google and WhatsApp are blocked.
Urumqi travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Grand Bazaar main hall charges tourist prices, so buy silk, carpets and dried fruit in local markets instead.
- Skip the bazaar sightseeing tower fee and take the same style of view free from Hongshan Park.
- Never impulse buy jade on a first trip, and replace unmetered scenic taxis with a fixed rate hotel car.
- Avoid stacked multi stop group tours that combine Tianchi, the bazaar and a shopping stop in one day.
Getting around Urumqi: public transport and more
- Use the metro for the centre to airport spine and allow extra minutes for entry security screening.
- Taxis and DiDi are the real transport system, usually 10 to 20 yuan in the city, so show destinations in Chinese.
- Hire a car and driver or join a small tour for Tianchi, Nanshan, the Grand Canyon, skiing and golf.
- Confirm whether your train uses Urumqi Station or the older South Station, and use Turpan North for Turpan.
Who Urumqi suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Urumqi your trip
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