Zhangye

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

Zhangye is a compact oasis town: the Drum Tower, Giant Buddha Temple and night food streets in the centre are walkable. The Danxia areas are 40–50 km west and Mati Temple about 65 km south. Tourist buses run to Qicai Danxia, but the easiest way to combine Qicai at sunset with Binggou or Mati is to hire a car with driver for the day (ask your hotel) or use DiDi for single trips. Carry your passport: tickets are real-name and checked at the gate.

Book these before you fly

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

• Zhangye MuseumFree real-name booking up to 3 days ahead (including the same day) on the museum’s website or its WeChat account “张掖市博物馆”; one booking per person, and bring the passport you booked with.

Top sights

张掖七彩丹霞Zhangye Rainbow Mountains (Qicai Danxia)Hills striped red, orange, yellow and green by layered sandstone, seen from boardwalks and viewing platforms.Booking recommended3–4 hours冰沟丹霞Binggou DanxiaThe quieter Danxia area north of Qicai: sculpted cliffs, towers and canyons in paler colours, walked on long boardwalks.2–3 hours张掖大佛寺Giant Buddha TempleAn 11th-century wooden hall in the town centre holding a 35-metre reclining Buddha, one of the largest indoor Buddhas in China.1.5–2 hours马蹄寺Mati TempleBuddhist grottoes and chapels carved into a red sandstone cliff in the foothills of the Qilian Mountains, linked by narrow inner stairways.Half day including the drive平山湖大峡谷Pingshanhu Grand CanyonDeep red and orange canyons in the desert hills north of town, with viewing platforms on the rim and a walk down into the gorge.Half day including the drive张掖国家湿地公园Zhangye National Wetland ParkReed beds, ponds and boardwalks on the northern edge of town, with birds and a green contrast to the desert.1–2 hours张掖市博物馆Zhangye MuseumThe city museum next to the Giant Buddha Temple, covering Zhangye’s Silk Road history with Han-dynasty bamboo slips, pottery and Buddhist art.Booking required1–1.5 hours木塔寺（万寿寺）Wooden Pagoda Temple (Wanshou Temple)A nine-storey brick-and-timber pagoda of about 33 metres, rebuilt in the 1920s on an ancient site, standing in a quiet temple courtyard a few minutes from the Giant Buddha Temple.30–45 minutes张掖鼓楼（镇远楼）Zhangye Drum Tower (Zhenyuan Tower)A three-storey timber tower of 1507 (rebuilt in 1668) on a brick base at the crossroads of the four main streets, the landmark at the heart of town.15–30 minutes甘州市场（甘州夜市）Ganzhou Market (night food market)Zhangye’s best-known food market since the 1980s, a covered lane of stalls a few minutes from the Drum Tower selling noodles, skewers and local snacks.1–1.5 hours黑水国遗址Heishuiguo RuinsCrumbling rammed-earth walls of two ancient walled towns and Han-dynasty tombs in the Gobi northwest of town; a wild, empty site rather than a developed attraction.1–2 hours including the drive山丹县博物馆（艾黎捐赠文物陈列馆）Shandan Museum (Rewi Alley Collection)A museum built around the collection of New Zealander Rewi Alley, who ran a school in Shandan from the 1940s, with ceramics, bronzes and paintings, plus a memorial exhibition on his life next door.1–1.5 hours焉支山景区Yanzhi MountainA forested mountain park in the Qilian foothills with pines, springs and small temples, where a Sui emperor received envoys from 27 western kingdoms in 609.Half a day (full day from Zhangye)山丹马场旅游景区Shandan Horse RanchVast high grasslands under the snow peaks of the Qilian range, home to a horse-breeding ranch said to date back over 2,000 years; horse riding and big-sky views.Full day from Zhangye扁都口生态休闲旅游区Biandukou (rapeseed fields and mountain pass)An old Silk Road pass into the Qilian Mountains, famous for huge yellow rapeseed fields in July and August below snow-capped peaks.Half a day (full day from Zhangye)山丹汉明长城景区Shandan Han and Ming Great WallSome of the best-preserved rammed-earth Great Wall in China, where Han and Ming walls run side by side for kilometres along the old Silk Road, with the Xiakou fort ruins and a small wall museum.Half a day from Zhangye中华裕固风情走廊（康乐草原）Kangle Grassland (Yugur culture corridor)Rolling alpine meadows in Sunan county, home of the Yugur people, visited by shuttle bus with stops at viewpoints, herders’ tents and a culture village.Half a day (full day from Zhangye)

Map

Further out, not on this map: Yanzhi Mountain, Shandan Horse Ranch, Biandukou (rapeseed fields and mountain pass), Shandan Han and Ming Great Wall

What to eat here

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