Xining

Best time to visit

1. Jan
2. Feb
3. Mar
4. Apr
5. May
6. Jun
7. Jul
8. Aug
9. Sep
10. Oct
11. Nov
12. Dec

From the airport or station to the city

Where you land, the ways into the city centre, how long each takes and what it costs.

Getting around

Central Xining (Dongguan Mosque, Mojiajie, Shuijingxiang, the provincial museum) is easy by taxi, DiDi or city bus; there is no metro. Kumbum Monastery is 28 km south-west, and the big sights — Qinghai Lake (about 150 km), Riyue Mountain and Chaka Salt Lake (about 300 km) — are day trips by tour bus, a car with driver, or a group tour from your hotel. Altitude matters here: Xining is about 2,260 m, Qinghai Lake about 3,200 m, the Riyue pass about 3,500 m and Chaka about 3,060 m. Take day one easy, drink plenty of water, skip alcohol the first night and avoid hard exercise; headache and short breath usually ease within a day or two. Qinghai is outside the 240-hour visa-free transit stay area, so you need a visa (or another visa-free entry) to come here. Carry your passport: monastery and scenic-area tickets are real-name.

Book these before you fly

These sights need a reservation with your passport. Walk-ups are usually turned away.

• Xining Station: start of the Qinghai–Tibet RailwayForeigners need a Tibet Travel Permit, which only a licensed Tibet travel agency can arrange as part of a guided tour (allow 2–3 weeks). The agency usually books the train; the permit is checked when buying the ticket and at boarding.

Top sights

塔尔寺Kumbum Monastery (Ta’er Si)One of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, built at the birthplace of its founder Tsongkhapa: golden-roofed halls, eight white stupas and famous yak-butter sculptures.Booking recommended3 hours (half a day from Xining)青海湖二郎剑景区Qinghai Lake (Erlangjian scenic area)China’s largest lake, a vast blue saltwater lake on the grassland at about 3,200 m. Erlangjian, a long spit on the south shore, is the main managed area closest to Xining, with a lakeside walk and boat trips.Booking recommendedFull day from Xining (2–3 hours at the lake)东关清真大寺Dongguan MosqueQinghai’s largest mosque, founded in the 14th century and the heart of Xining’s Hui Muslim quarter; the vast courtyard fills with worshippers at Friday prayers.About 1 hour茶卡盐湖Chaka Salt LakeA working salt lake at about 3,060 m whose thin layer of water mirrors the sky on calm days, walked on salt paths or crossed by a small train.Booking recommended2–3 hours at the lake; a 12-hour day from Xining青海省博物馆Qinghai Provincial MuseumA free museum on Xinning Square covering the plateau’s history: Neolithic painted pottery, finds from the Tibetan-plateau Silk Road and Tibetan Buddhist art.Booking recommended1.5–2 hours青海藏医药文化博物馆Tibetan Medicine Culture MuseumA museum of Tibetan medicine — medical thangkas, instruments, herbs and minerals — whose highlight is a 618-metre painted scroll of Tibetan history and culture.1.5–2 hours北山土楼观Beishan Temple (Tulou Temple)Shrines, cave chapels and plank walkways clinging to the red cliffs of the North Mountain above Xining, with wide views over the city.1.5–2 hours日月山Riyue Mountain (Sun and Moon Pass)A 3,520-metre pass on the road to Qinghai Lake, the old boundary between farmland and Tibetan grassland, with Sun and Moon pavilions, prayer flags and the legend of Princess Wencheng.1 hour (stop on the way to Qinghai Lake)丹噶尔古城Danggar Old Town (Huangyuan)A restored Ming-era walled trading town where Han, Hui and Tibetan merchants once swapped tea for horses, with a city gate, old shopfronts and small museums.2–3 hours莫家街Mojiajie Food StreetA busy old lane off Dongdajie in the centre, lined with Hui and Qinghai snack shops: yogurt, niangpi cold noodles, hand-held mutton and noodles.1–2 hours水井巷Shuijingxiang MarketA crowded pedestrian market lane near Ximen with snack stalls and shops selling yak jerky, highland barley treats, dried fruit and Tibetan goods.1 hour西宁站（青藏铁路起点）Xining Station: start of the Qinghai–Tibet RailwayThe train to Lhasa starts here: about 1,950 km and 21–22 hours over the plateau, past Qinghai Lake, Golmud and the 5,072-metre Tanggula Pass.Booking required21–22 hours to Lhasa青藏高原野生动物园Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Wildlife ParkA hillside zoo of plateau animals on Xining’s western edge, best known for its snow leopards, plus wild yaks and blue sheep.2–3 hours佑宁寺Youning Monastery (Gönlung)A 17th-century Gelug monastery in a wooded valley of Huzhu county, once called the “mother of monasteries north of the Huangshui”; quiet, with few tourists.1.5–2 hours (half a day from Xining)互助土族故土园Huzhu Tu Hometown ParkA large culture park in Huzhu, home county of the Tu people, with rainbow-sleeved costumes, song and dance, Tu farmhouses and a highland barley liquor distillery.2–3 hours坎布拉国家森林公园Kanbula National Forest ParkRed Danxia cliffs above the blue Lijiaxia reservoir on the Yellow River, with Tibetan villages and small monasteries; a long day trip south-east of Xining.Full day from Xining

Map

Further out, not on this map: Qinghai Lake (Erlangjian scenic area), Chaka Salt Lake

What to eat here

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