Xining at night

Xining (西宁; Xīníng; Tibetan: Sulang) is the capital of Qinghai Province and the capital of Xining City District, a prefecture of Qinghai. It stands on the elevation of 2,270 m and has a population of around 2.5 million.

Understand

Xining is one of the major gateways to the Tibetan Plateau. It is an ancient highland city on the Yellow River which offers many scenic spots and historical sites. Although the city has a strong Islamic flavor, as it is home to many Hui people, you will start getting a more Tibetan feel as you move away from the city.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Xining Caojiabao Airport (XNN  ^IATA) (15 km south-southeast of the city). Hosts flights from Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Golmud, Guangzhou, Lhasa, Shanghai, Shenyang, Urumqi, and Xi'an. International flights are significantly more limited, so most likely you will need to transfer in another Chinese airport.  

The airport bus makes a run the long distance bus station next to the train station at regular intervals and heads back to the city centre whenever a flight lands. The return bus stand is directly in front of the airport exit door. The 30-min ride to/from the airport ¥21.

By train

• 2 Xining Railway Station (西宁站), 128 Huzhu Road, Chengdong District (城东区互助路128号) (public bus routes: 1, 5, 7, 9, 11, 16, 20, 27, 28, 31, 40, 103, 104 and 107). The station was renovated and is now fully operational with excellent connections to many destinations throughout Northwest China and the entire country, being connected to both the high-speed and conventional rail network. The station marks the start of the Qinghai–Tibet railway. It is large, clean, and well connected via the city's public bus system and is just a couple 100 meters away from one of the city's main long-distance bus stations (also brand new). Arrive well in advance when buying or picking up tickets because the lines are often very long  

By bus

Long Distance Bus Station is on Jianguo Road, on the other side of the river in view of the train station.

From March 2016, buses from Yushu was leaving passengers at another bus station, in the west of the city. So make sure to ask the driver where is the bus going to terminate, or you may find yourself quite lost.

• Lanzhou - takes about 5 hours
• Tongren - takes about 4 hours
• Xunhua - takes about 5 hours
• Yushu - takes about 14-18 hours
• Zhangye - takes about 9 hours
• Dunhuang - takes about 20 hours
• Jiuquan - takes about 10 hours
• Kanbula - takes about 2.5 hours
• Huatugou - There's a direct bus to Huatugou, but the town is closed to foreigners.

There are also buses for Golmud, Lhasa and Yinchuan at the western end of the square in front of the train station.

Nanchuan West Road Bus Terminal 南川西路客运站

If you are headed to any of the regional towns south of Xining, including Guide (贵德) and Guinan (贵南) there are regular buses from the West Bus Station (汽车西站). You don't need to book ahead, so an easy day trip might be to jump on a bus here and see a regional city before catching the last return bus.

If you are headed to Maduo 玛多 there is a bus that leaves at 8AM (there may be other times) it leaves from Nanchuan West Road Bus Terminal. You can buy tickets in advance from either bus station.

Get around

By bus

There are plenty of buses that get you around town. The most useful is bus #1 that runs through the centre of town along Dajie to the train/bus station. All fares are ¥1 regardless of distance.

By taxi

Taxis run on the meter (¥8 flagfall) but some drivers are open to negotiation, especially late at night.

See

Museums

• 1 Qinghai Art Museum (青海美术馆), 64 Xiguan Street, Chengxi District (城西区西关大街64号) (just over 100 meters west of the Qinghai Provincial Museum; take bus no. 12, 18, 22, 24, 29, 35, 38, 41, 102, 106, 506 or T2), ☏ +86 971 6167589, qhmsgbgs@163.com. 09:30-16:30. Free. (updated Jul 2024)
• 2 Qinghai Provincial Museum (青海省博物馆), 58 Xiguan Street, Chengxi District (城西区西关大街58号) (the nearest bus stop is Xining Square South (新宁广场南), which is served by bus routes 12, 18, 22, 29, 35, 38, 41, 102 and 506. The museum entrance is on the West side of the building.), ☏ +86 971 6118691. Summer: 09:00-17:00, Winter: 09:30-16:30, no tickets issued in last 30 minutes, closed on Mondays. Nice place to learn about Qinghai's history and ethnic relationships. Covers the history of Silk Road on the Qinghai region. Some English text available. Exhibition nicely arranged from Room 1 to 5, although you need to pay a bit of attention of the flow inside the Hall. Audio guide available for ¥20. Free. (updated Aug 2024)
• 3 Qinghai Science and Technology Museum (青海省科学技术馆), 74 Wu Si West Road, Chengxi District (城西区五四西路74号) (bus routes 51, 59 and 63), ☏ +86 971 8083724. 09:30-16:30, closed on Mondays. Free. (updated Nov 2019)
• 4 Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum & Tibetan Medicine Museum of China (青海藏文化博物院, 青海藏医药文化博物馆), No.36 Jing'er Road, Biological Science & Technology Park, Chengbei District (城北区生物科技产业园区经二路36号) (bus routes 46, 65, 72, 538 (Beichuan Route), 651, and Chengbei Tourist Bus 2), ☏ +86 971 5317881, 12345678@qq.com. May to September: 09:00-18:00, October to April: 09:00-17:30, no entry in last 30 minutes. This is two museums in one. The Tibetan Medicine Museum occupies the north building and the Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum occupies the south building. Both museums have unique exhibits. The Tibetan Medicine Museum, for example, displays a large collection of medical thangkas while the the Qinghai Tibetan Cultural Museum is home to the world's longest thangka, at 600m long, not to mention thousands of other Tibetan cultural artifacts. Both museums also have large gift shops and there is a Tibetan restaurant in between the two museums. Musical performances are sometimes performed at a small concert hall inside the Tibetan Cultural Museum. Entry to the Tibetan Medicine Museum is free; the Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum charges ¥60. (updated Sep 2024)
• 5 Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Natural History Museum (青藏高原自然博物馆), 21 JIng'er Road, Biological Science & Technology Park, Chengbei District (城北区生物科技产业园区经二路21号) (across the road from the Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum; bus routes 46, 65, 72, and 504), ☏ +86 971 5226789. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30. As the name implies, this museum focuses on the natural history of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is said to be one of the largest natural history museums in China. You can learn about the origin of 3 big rivers from this region, as well as flora and fauna. Exhibition halls on two floors. Can be explored in 2h. ¥60. (updated Aug 2024)
• 6 Xining Museum (西宁市博物馆), 7-111 Xiaoqiao Street, Menyuan Road, Chengbei District (城北区门源路小桥大街111-7号) (bus no. 65, 651 (urban tourist route 2), and Chengbei Tourist Bus 2), ☏ +86 971 6361550. 09:00-21:00, no entry after 20:30, closed on Mondays. Free. (updated Jul 2024)

Parks and nature

• 7 Laoye Mountain (老爷山), Xiangyang Road South, Qiaotou Town, Datong County (大通县桥头镇向阳路南) (Buses to Datong County depart from the Xinning Road Bus Station. The park entrance is less than a kilometre from the Datong County Bus Station), ☏ +86 971 2722131, +86 971 2720166. April 16th to October 15th: 08:00-17:30. October 16th to April 15th: 08:00-17:00. ¥20. 
• 8 Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wildlife Park (青藏高原野生动物园), 9 Xingzhi Road, Chengxi District (城西区行知路9号) (Bus routes 14, k2 and Tourist Bus 1), ☏ +86 971 6307290, +86 971 6146648, +86 971 4313100. 08:30-18:00. General entry is ¥30. Children between 1.2 and 1.4 metres in height pay ¥15. Children under 1.2 metres in height and persons over 65 can get in free. There is an extra charge of ¥50 to visit the aquarium. The panda house charges ¥23. (updated Nov 2019)

Religious sites

Dongguan Mosque prayer hall

• 9 Dongguan Mosque (东关清真大寺), 34 Dongguan Street, Chengdong District (城东区东关大街34号) (bus routes 1, 2, 10, 14, 17, 22, 23, 25, 26, 33, 62, 81, 83, 101, 102, 103, 502, 1001 and 1002), ☏ +86 971 8177126. 08:00-18:00, Non-Muslims may not visit during Friday's prayer sessions (before 12.30pm) and must not enter the prayer hall at any time. The mosque underwent an extensive renovation around 2021. The green dome has disappeared and the front of the mosque looks completely different. The main prayer hall, however, remains the same as before. Free. (updated Aug 2024)

North Mountain Temple Cliff

• 10 North Mountain Temple (北山寺 Beishan Temple, 北禅寺 Northern Chan Monastery, 土楼观 Tulou Temple), 38 Qilian Road West, Chengbei District (城北区祁连路西38号) (north of the city, Take bus no. 10, 11, 19, 21, 66, 80, 84 or 107 to Beishan Market (北山市场), then walk down Beichan Road (北禅路) until you get to the temple), ☏ +86 971 5507110. 08:00-18:00. An shared complex for Buddhism and Taoism in the hill, be prepared for a climb. The first temple serving as a landmark is Tulou Temple. A lot of it is closed for safety reasons. This includes the walkways between man-made caves in the mountain. There is a pagoda above, on the hill. From here there is a great view over the city. As of Aug 2024, the complex is closed for renovation. Free. (updated Aug 2024)
• 11 Southern Chan Monastery (南禅寺), 79 Nanshan Road, Chengzhong District (城中区南山路79号) (Bus routes 16, 19, 21, 38, 49, 71, 103, 105, 601 and Tourist Bus 1), ☏ +86 971 8586071. 09:00-17:00. Free. 
• 12 Tsongkha Monastery (Hongjue Temple, 宗喀大慈宏觉寺, 宏觉寺, 洪觉寺), 26 Hongjuesi Street, Chengzhong District (城中区宏觉寺街26号) (bus nos. 3, 24, 31, 32, 39, 85, 86 and 103), ☏ +86 13209712665. General opening hours are 08:00-18:00; the main hall closes at 17:00. A small but historically significant Tibetan Buddhist monastery. In December 1951, the 10th Panchen Lama came here to meet with Xi Zhongxun, the father of Xi Jinping, who at that time was head of the Northwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. A few months later, Xi Zhongxun was appointed to be the Chinese government’s main liaison officer for communications with the 10th Panchen Lama, and the two men formed a friendship which lasted a lifetime. The monastery hosts a special exhibition on the relationship between Xi Zhongxun and the 10th Panchen Lama and there is also a monument commemorating their meeting at the monastery in 1951. Of course, the main hall of the complex still retains a religious function and monks can be heard chanting sutras every day. Chanting sessions are from 08:00 to 10:00 in the morning and from 14:00 to 16:00 in the afternoon. Free. (updated Sep 2024)

Outside the city

• Dangaer Ancient Town (55km away from Xining). Previously serving as a key stop on Tang-Tibet Ancient Road for tea-horse trade route. (updated Aug 2024)
• Qinghaihu National Park (青海湖 - also called Lake Koko Nor) - this 5,694 km lake is the largest lake in China.
• Chaka Salt Lake (Train ride from Xining Train Station to Chaka Train Station around 8am for 4h. Return train around 6pm. The train only runs during peak tourist season (around July-September) but bus services are available year-round. The bus departs from the bus terminal outside the train station.). 'Chaka' means 'salt pond' in Tibetan language. It was used to be salt mining, but now it is known for photography for the the reflection of its shallow lake surface. There are several hotels nearby if you want to stay overnight. If you want to walk on the lake you must rent a rubber boots shoe cover for ¥10. ¥60 for entrance. ¥50 for one-way ride of scenic train ride.. (updated Aug 2024)
• Kanbula Forest Park - about a 2-3 hr bus ride from Xining, great for a day trip or overnight. Spectacular mountains and danxia landscapes, and beautiful Lijia Reservoir. ¥240/person entrance fee.

Do

• 1 Qinghai Grand Theatre (青海大剧院), Wu Si Road, Chengxi District (城西区五四西路) (A short distance east of the Qinghai Science and Technology Museum. Bus routes 51, 59 and 63), ☏ +86 971 7329988 (ticket enquiries), +86 971 7329992 (show enquiries), theatreinfo@126.com. Ticket office opening hours: 09:00-17:30 (weekdays), 10:00-16:30 (weekends and public holidays). (updated Nov 2019)

Buy

Xining is home to numerous factories making Tibetan carpets.

• 1 Amdocraft (安多手工), Lenghulu 2, JiesenHuaYuan South Gate 冷湖路2号杰森花园西南门 (West side of Xining), ☏ +86 18997231050, sales@amdocraft.com. 10AM-8PM. Handicraft produced by Tibetan nomads and farmers - felt bags, knit scarves, sheepskin gloves, yak milk soap and the like. ¥30. (updated Oct 2020)

Eat

Xining's main minority groups provide a large portion of the food on offer. The Hui, a broad term for Chinese Muslims, serve up spicy noodles, lamb kababs and flatbread (bing). Tibetan food choices are concentrated around the train station, mostly small places the serve momos and noodles and seat guests on small coaches.

Local food

There is a restaurant area right next to the Shuijing Xiang Bazaar, in the center of the city, and throughout the evening and into the night there are many street stalls serving good food around Ximen and on the western side of Jianguo Road.

• Mojia Market, Mojia Lu (off Dong Dajia). 6AM-whenever. The front end of the market has many small snack stands selling spicy ground meat birds egg pizza-style bing (¥3), spicier Liangpi noodle (¥4.5) and mouth cooling bowl-set yoghurt with a creaming texture and slightly sour/citrus flavour (¥3). Further into the market mounds of dried fruit and nuts from the region can be bought by weight. 
• XiNanGuanJie Market, XinNanGuanJie (Just outside Dongguan Mosque). 6am to whenever. lively street market outside Dongguan Mosque. You can get tea, street food, fruits, bread, and other Muslim (Hui) delicacies here. (updated Aug 2024)

Western food

Western food options are very slim, but not bad for a city so remote.

• KFC (肯德基), Near the Wangfujing Shopping Mall, Xi Dajie, ☏ +86 971-8227987. 6AM-10PM. There are a few KFCs in the city, but this is by far the most centrally located. (updated Aug 2024)

Drink

Coffee

The city is littered with small coffee shops, especially around the newer apartment complexes that are being developed. See below for some of the better ones.

• Will's Coffee Shop (大杉咖啡店), 11-21 Beiyuejing Alley / 北玉井巷11-21号(玉树办事处家属院沿街商铺) (Central Xining), ☏ +86 139 09733156. 12:00-19:00, closed Wednesdays. Minimalist, hipster cafe serving excellent, freshly brewed coffee. English spoken. ~¥35. (updated Oct 2020)
• Cafe Java, 47 Haiyan Road (海晏路47号9-1号铺) (Opposite of Culture Park), ☏ +86 971-6314012. 8:30AM-9:30PM. Expat couple from the UK opened this cafe in 2009. Excellent coffee and home-made food at a great price. Favourite dishes include Mexican wraps, chilli, bagels of all kinds, pancakes & waffles with sweet or savoury toppings. Also a great place to meet other foreign residents or expats in Xining. Free Wi-Fi. 
• Green House Cafe, Xiadu Avenue, Near Yangshan Villas, ☏ +86 971-8202710. Great little cafe opened up by an American expat in Xining. Relaxed atmosphere, good Wi-Fi, and, some say, the best coffee in the city. They have desserts and sandwiches as well. 

Alcohol

A number of bars are located at the end of the city's main snack street. These tiny places each have only a dozen tables, and all offer extensive drink specials. Beer starts at ¥6 for a Tsingtao, but expensive imported liquor is also available. There is usually no cover charge.

• Qilin Bay Bar Strip (Qilin Wan), Intersection of Kunlun West and Huanghe Road. A complex of bars by the riverside, built around an atrium. You can't see them from the road, but just below the bridge you will see a number of cars parked, with steps down into the park. About a half dozen or so small bars. 
• Culture Street Bar Strip (文化街酒吧), Culture Street (Wenhua Jie). A large complex with about two dozen bars over three different floors with an open center atrium. You can choose between more relaxed lounge bars, live music venues, or one or two bars that have dance floors on the ground floor. 

Night clubs

• Soho (苏荷酒吧), 116 Nanguan Street (West Side of Xining Stadium), ☏ +86 971-8252991. 9PM-late. Soho is Xining's most popular nightclub, usually busy past 2AM most nights. Lots of tables and a bar, but there is no dancing. Music is mostly live. Soho is a nightclub franchise in China, but this one apparently is an "unofficial club." 
• No. 88 Bar (88号酒吧), 7-1 Road, Across from the TCM Hospital (七一路中医院斜对面). Similar to Soho bar, but a larger dance floor. Crowded on the weekends, but a bigger crowd at Soho. 

Sleep

Budget

There are dozens of small guesthouses near the train and long distance bus station. Look for the characters "招待所," which in this part of town are on every other building. Most places seem aimable to taking foreigners, and prices range from ¥10 in a grimy four-room bunk (expect the other occupants to smoke in the room all night long) to ¥100 for a deluxe double. More guesthouses can be found around the town's West Gate, or Ximen.

• 1 Lete Youth Hostel (理体青年旅舍), 16th Floor, 5# Building, International Village Apartment, ☏ +86 971 8202080, xnlete@gmail.com. In 2011, the hostel changed management. Its cozy environment sits high on the 15th floor with beautiful views of the city and mountainous backdrop. It's within walking distance to many downtown shopping areas. There is a travel company upstairs that will organise trips in the local province and into the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Single room: ¥100, Double room: from ¥140. (updated Aug 2024)
• Qinghai Shuili Hotel (青海省水利宾馆; Qīnghǎishěng Shuǐlì Bīnguǎn), 18-8 Kunlun Road, Chengxi District (城西区昆仑路18-8号; Chéngxīqū Kūnlúnlù. Listed rates for doubles from ¥168, discounted from ¥128, no breakfast. 
• Home Inn (Xining Central Square) (如家快捷酒店 (西宁中心广场店); Rújiākuàijiéjiǔdiàn (Xīníngzhōngxīnguǎngchǎngdiàn)), Near west building of Ximen Gym, Chengzhong District (城中区西门体育馆西附楼; Chéngzhōngqū Xīméntǐyùguǎnxīfùlóu). Doubles from ¥199. 

Mid-range

• Jianyin Hotel, 55 West Street, ☏ +86 971 8261561, fax: +86 971 8261515. 
• Xining Tower, 61 Jianguo Road, ☏ +86 971 8419991, fax: +86 971 8419779. 
• Qing Hai Moslem Mansion (Three stars), 65 Qiyi Street, ☏ +86 971 8138011, fax: +86 971 8138900. Good hotel, near the railway station, heated in winter. Good restaurant, good American breakfast. ¥360. 
• Mercure Hotel (以勒美居酒店), 354 7-1 Road. Comfortable rooms, centrally located. From ¥300 for twin room. (updated Oct 2020)

Splurge

• Yinlong Hotel (青海银龙酒店; Qīnghǎi Yínlóng Jiǔdiàn), 38 Huanghe Road, Chengxi District (城西区黄河路38号; Chéngxīqū Huánghélù), ☏ +86 971 6166666, fax: +86 971 6167428, yinlonghotel@126.com. Five star hotel with rooms with free internet. Business center, beauty salon, ticket office, disco, billiards, fitness, massage and sauna available. Chinese and Western restaurants, coffee shop, bar and room service. Listed rates for doubles from ¥1,480, discounted from ¥1,080, including breakfast. 
• Qinghai Hotel (青海宾馆), No.158 Huanghe Road, ☏ +86 971-6148999. Rooms are spacious and clean. Good facilities and restaurants. A cheaper alternative to the Yinlong Hotel. ¥500-2,000. 

Go next

The new train has two useful locations either side - one is the local bus depot, the other the long distance bus station. The long distance bus station has a Tourism Information Desk and is geared up to help tourists - the staff are very helpful. Don't count on anyone speaking English however.

From the long distance bus station next to the train station you can purchase tickets for a direct tourist bus which will take you to Qinghai Lake, Kanbula Forest Park and Kumbum Monastery in one day. This government run service is around ¥100. Site admissions are extra. First bus leaves at 8:30AM with others put on with demand. Centre opens at 6:30AM and closes around 6PM (!)

• Kumbum Monastery (塔尔寺 Tǎ'ěrsì) - one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist sites in China, in the village of Huangzhong.
• Tongren
• Tu Minority Village - located at Weiyuanzhen (威远镇) Old Village, 32 km from Xining
• Guide (贵德) - Take a bus to this charming, predominantly tTbetan village, beyond the southern mountains from the west bus stop.

Note that China Rail has completely reformed its tickiet booking processes. It is now difficult for ticket scalper a to operate, despite what is reported about Xining elsewhere. In the middle of October Festival 2016 tickets were available a few days in advance to almost any destination available.

Trips from Xining travel agencies offer apparently cheap ¥60 day trips to Qinghaihu National Park. This price does not include entry to 丹噶尔 old town (¥50), 赞普林卡 (¥40), 日月山 (¥40) or the wharf at Qinghaihu (Much100) [the 'park' itself]. The last of these seems the most overpriced for what it is - but you are expected to pay. There may be a couple of forced shopping stops, including a minimum 30-minute wait at a jade/crystal sales outlet.

• Xining is also the northeastern terminus for the Qinghai–Tibet railway leading to Golmud and Lhasa.

Routes through Xining

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