On my first trip I booked a hotel in Urumqi for a week and tried to day-trip everywhere. Big mistake – I spent more time on the road than in places worth seeing. Xinjiang is too spread out to use one city for everything. The trick is to pick a base that matches your style and treat the others as stops. Here’s how I’d choose now.
Urumqi – the hub you pass through
Urumqi is the transport nerve center: the main airport, the high-speed rail, and the bus stations all meet here. For most travelers it’s where you land and leave.
It’s a real city with good food and a fine regional museum, but as a base it’s weak. The best sights are hours away. I’d stay one or two nights to adjust, see the museum, eat at the night market, then move.
Where to stay: Near the train station or the Urumqi international bazaar if you want food within walking distance. Avoid the far industrial zones – they’re dull and far from everything.
Kashgar – the cultural deep dive
If your trip is about people, markets, and old Silk Road atmosphere, Kashgar is the base. The old town is walkable for days, the Sunday livestock market is unforgettable, and the Pamir Highway starts here.
I’d give Kashgar a solid 3-5 days. It’s the rare Xinjiang city where you can just wander without a plan and always find something.
Where to stay: Inside or next to the old town (the Kashgar ancient city area) for atmosphere, or near People’s Square if you want modern hotels and taxis. I prefer the old town guesthouses – you step out into the alleyways at dawn.
Altay city – the northern gateway
Altay city is the jumping-off point for Kanas and Hemu village. It’s small and a bit rough, but if you’re doing the north’s headline lakes, it saves a long drive from Urumqi.
Use it as a one- or two-night base, then push into the mountains. Don’t expect nightlife – expect a launch pad.
Where to stay: The city center near the bus station to catch morning shuttles into the Kanas area. Book ahead in autumn; it fills fast.
Yining / Ili – the grassland center
For a trip built around meadows, flowers, and Kazakh culture, Yining in the Ili valley is the natural base. From here you can loop Sayram Lake, the lavender fields, and several grasslands without ever doing a brutal drive.
I based here for a week and never repeated a view. It’s relaxed, green, and the food scene is underrated.
Where to stay: Yining city center is fine; some travelers prefer staying out toward the Sayram Lake side to catch sunrise, but that means fewer dinner options. I split it – two nights in town, one at a lakeside yurt.
Turpan – the short stop
Turpan is hot, historic, and compact. The grape valleys, the flaming mountains, and the Jiaohe ruins are excellent but you can see the core in a day or two. It works as a base only if the desert and oasis theme is your whole trip.
Where to stay: Turpan city or the Gaochang district. One or two nights is plenty; I treated it as a stop between Urumqi and Kashgar, not a home.
Matching the city to the traveler
- First-timer, scenery-focused: Base in Yining for the north, or Altay city for Kanas. Use Urumqi only as arrival.
- Culture and food lover: Base in Kashgar, plan 3-5 days.
- Short on time: One base max. North = Yining; South = Kashgar.
- Train or flight hub hopper: Urumqi as a one-night pivot, then fly out.
Getting between bases
The connections matter as much as the cities:
- Urumqi to Yining: High-speed rail, about 4-5 hours. Comfortable and scenic.
- Urumqi to Kashgar: Sleeper train (~24h) or a 2-hour flight. Fly unless you want the rail experience.
- Urumqi to Altay: Flight ~1.5h, or long drive. Most fly then rent locally.
- Yining to Kashgar: No direct fast link; route through Urumqi or take a multi-day drive via the south.
Plan your hops before booking hotels – a base only works if you can reach the next one easily.
A sample two-base plan
If I had ten days and wanted both nature and culture, here’s the shape:
- Days 1-2: Urumqi, adjust, museum, easy old-town walk.
- Days 3-6: Fly to Yining, base there for Ili grasslands and Sayram Lake.
- Days 7-9: Fly to Kashgar, old town and market.
- Day 10: Fly home from Kashgar.
Two bases, no marathon drives, a taste of north and south. That’s how I’d spend a first real trip.
A note on altitude and bases
If anyone in your group is altitude-sensitive, the bases split cleanly: Urumqi, Yining, and Kashgar are all low and easy. Altay city is moderate. The high Pamir routes from Kashgar go high, so treat those as day trips, not overnight bases, if altitude worries you.
Don’t over-base
The temptation is to book a different city every night. Resist it. Every check-out and check-in eats half a day and frays nerves. Two or three bases for a two-week trip is plenty; four starts to feel like moving house. I learned this the hard way on a trip where I changed beds seven times in nine days and remembered none of the hotels.
What I’d do
If I had ten days and wanted variety, I’d fly into Urumqi, take the morning train or flight to Yining, base there for the Ili grasslands and Sayram Lake, then fly south to Kashgar for the final stretch. Two bases, no marathon drives, and a real taste of both halves.
The mistake is treating Urumqi as home. It’s the front door, not the living room. Step through it and pick a room that actually fits the trip you came for.