Urumqi (乌鲁木齐) is the capital of Xinjiang which was called Dihua (迪化) and nowadays is often abbreviated to Wu City (乌市). The word - Urumqi means "beautiful pasture" in Mongol. Located in the central Xinjiang, the north foot of middle section of Tianshan Mountains and south edge of the Junggar Basin, the city once was a trade town on the ancient Silk Road, and now it has developed into the biggest city in Xinjiang as well as the economic, cultural and transportation center of Xinjiang. It is the furthest city from the ocean in the world and also the geographic center of Asia. Thanks to the convenient transportation, Urumqi is frequently visited as the first stop for a Xinjiang travel.
With the majestic Bogda Peak in the east, magnificent Tianshan Mountains in the south and Xishan Mountain in its west, Urumqi has a vast and flat plain in the north. Lush grasslands, primitive forests, waterfalls, snow mountains... all these wild and stunning scenery can be seen in Urumqi. Beyond those natural sights, Urumqi is a window to catch a glimpse of Xinjiang’s multi-ethnic culture and customs.
Urumqi is normally the first top of a Xinjiang tour. By visiting the major attractions in and around Urumqi, you can catch a glimpse of Xinjiang’s amazing natural landscape and diverse ethnic culture. In the downtown area, you can visit famous landmarks like Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar to buy unique handicrafts, taste local snacks and feel Uygur’s bazaar culture, pay a visit to the Xinjiang Regional Museum to better understand the culture and history of Xinjiang and have a leisurely walk in the Red Hill Park, overlook Urumqi City and the faint snow-capped Tianshan Mountains. Nature lovers can get out of the city and visit the fairyland Tianchi Lake of Tianshan Mountains and the refreshing Nanshan Pasture if time allows.
Read more about the Top Things to Do & Tourist Attractions in Urumqi.
It is a calabash-shaped turquoise lake Bogda Peak, northern Tianshan Mountains, with charming reflection of surrounding magnificent mountains and lush primitive forests. A truly pearl fallen from the sky and a must-go in Urumqi.
With hundreds of thousands of cultural relics, the museum is a good place to learn about the previous history and diverse ethnic culture of Xinjiang. The ancient mummies are the highlights and most famous treasures.
The pastureland lies in the southern suburb of Urumqi, covers many mountain areas. During May to August, the pasture stands out with lovely grasslands, woods and coolness. An excellent summer resort and good place for hiking, horse riding near Urumqi.
A landmark of Urumqi and the biggest bazaar in the world. Tourists can walk around, view characteristic Islamic architecture, shop interesting handicrafts, try diverse local snacks and experience market culture on the ancient Silk Road.
The park with Hongshan Pagoda is a symbolic attraction and a popular local park in central Urumqi. It’s a leisure to see the local daily activities, see greens among modern buildings and overlook Urumqi city from the top.
Urumqi is a landlocked city in northwest China with the furthest distance to the sea in the world. It has a Temperate Semi-arid Continental Climate, which features in dry air, little rainfall, hot summer, cold winter, short spring and autumn and big temperature difference between day and night. The annual average precipitation of Urumqi is 236 mm, most falls between April and August. Besides, the city is surrounded by mountains on three sides, so different temperatures and seasonal scenery happens in the downtown and suburbs.
Spring comes later in Urumqi. When the northern suburb starts to get warm in late March, the city center usually enters spring in early April and the southern outskirt is in late April. Spring often ends from early June in Urumqi.
Urumqi in summer is hot, not stuffy and has very big temperature difference between day and night. During this period, the trees in city center is lush and green and so are the grasslands in the suburbs. The hottest months are July and August with an average temperature of 31 °C in the day and around 20 °C in the evening. But Nanshan Pasture in summer is very cool, it is frequently visited as an ideal summer resort.
Urumqi turns to autumn from late August. Afterwards, the weather is stable, moderate and pleasant. Grasslands, forests and trees begin to change to yellow colors. Temperature drop sharply since late September. In October, the daytime temperature is 10~20 °C while it falls to a few degree centigrade at night.
Urumqi experiences freezing cold winter from November to March of next year, up to 5 months. Temperature even can go down to -20 °C in the coldest January and heavy snow occurs everywhere. Road condition is not well and scenic lakes will be frozen.
Generally, the best time to visit Urumqi is from May to October, when the weather is comfortable, cozy with more good-quality air and green natural scenery. Shutterbugs can make a photography tour in the surrounding natural spots during September and October, because autumn is quite colorful. December to February is a good time to appreciate the stunning and magnificent snow scenery, go skiing and other winter activities in Urumqi.
Read more about Urumqi Weather, Climate and Seasonal Things to Do.
By Air: Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (IATA: URC) is the one and only airport serving Urumqi. It is located about 17 km (30 minutes’ drive) northwest of the downtown area. Currently, the airport operates nearly 200 airline routes with many domestic cities and some overseas destinations. Travelers who prefer a fast and comfortable air travel can fly to Urumqi from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xian, Shenzhen, Xining, Lanzhou, Lhasa, Ngari (Tibet), Harbin, Hohhot and other Chinese cities. Tourist in Kuala Lumpur, Alma-Ata, Baku, Dushanbe and a few Asia countries can also take a flight to Urumqi. Meanwhile, Urumqi Diwopu International Airport has regular regional flights, so you can conveniently fly from Urumqi to viist Kanas Lake, Kashgar, Yining, Aksu, Altay, Korla, Karamay, Tacheng and other destinations in Xinjiang.
>> Urumqi Diwopu International Airport & Flights
By Train: The Lanzhou-Urumqi High Speed Railway prefects links major tourist destinations in northwestern China. Therefore, tourist can take a fast high speed bullet train along the ancient Silk Road from Xian, Lanzhou, Zhangye, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan to get to Urumqi. The train journey is very scenic when the wild deserts, gobi and mountains successively appear out of the window. Moreover, there are intercity trains and normal trains running to Urumqi from other destinations in Xinjiang, like the Turpan, Kashgar, Khotan, Bortala, Korla, Karamay, Altay, Yining, Khorgos, Tacheng, etc.
>> High Speed Bullet Trains to/off Urumqi/ Urumqi Railway Station
In Urumqi city, there is one metro line, a few airport shuttle buses, BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) and Loop Express routes in service. And main bus stations have direct tourist buses to nearby destinations, like Tianchi Lake and Nanshan Pasture. But they are mainly used by the local citizens and usually take quite a long time. It’s convenient to get around Urumqi by taxi. When driving to Tianchi Lake and Nanshan Pasture in the suburbs, they’re unavailable.
If you travel with us, you can take advantage of our private transfer service to get around Urumqi and Xinjiang. We can pick you up at the airport, train station or from your hotel in downtown, and then escort you to the attraction by a safe, clean, comfortable, licensed and non-smoking private car. So you can save time and energy, have a good rest and focus on the sightseeing trip. Sometimes, you can stop and enjoy the scenery on the way.
Urumqi to Tianchi Lake of Tianshan Mountains: about 68 km, 1 hour by drive
Urumqi to Nanshan Pasture: about 62 km, 1.5 hours by drive
Urumqi to Kashgar: about 1,465 km, 2 hours by flight
Urumqi to Turpan: about 167 km, less than 1 hour by bullet train
As the capital city, tourist center and the biggest city in Xinjiang, Urumqi has the best accommodation among all Xinjiang’s destinations. The city provides a large section of accommodation choices, ranging from 5-star luxury hotels to budget hostel. Based on your trip itinerary and budget, you can easily find a place to stay during your Urumqi tour. The downtown Urumqi is the best and most recommended area to stay, because it has plenty of good hotels (top 5-star hotels: Hilton Urumqi, Sheraton Urumqi Hotel, Wanda Vista Urumqi, Grand Mercure Urumqi Hualing Hotel...), convenient transportation and accesses to city landmark like Red Hill Park, Xinjiang Regional Museum and Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. If you make a day trip to the Tianchi Lake or Nanshan Pasture, it is highly advised that you drive back to central Urumqi to accommodate, unless you want to experience the Kazak yurt and ranch life of the locals. Besides, you can lodge in hotels near the airport and train station in Urumqi to meet your schedule.
Read more about Where to Stay in Urumqi & Recommended Urumqi Hotels.
To help you have a better understanding of Urumqi, here we have collected some useful Urumqi maps for you. You can read the map to get the city’s location, major tourist attractions to visit and detailed Tianchi Lake tourist guide. Please feel free to use them.
Urumqi Tourist Attractions Map
Tianchi Lake Travel Map
Xinjiang is a vast land not only creates tremendous natural wodners like crystal blue Tianchi Lake, beautiful Kanas, majestic mountains, and vast grasslands, but also presents unique culture of diverse ethnic minorities and profound history of the ancient Silk Road. Besides Urumqi, the following are more destinations you can choose for an in-depth exploration of the natural and cultural sepctacles of Xinjiang.
The ancient Silk Road from Xian to Xinjiang is one of the mysterious and fantastic travel route in Northwestern China. Urumqi is a stop in the west part and there are more fascinating destinations along the road, including ancient capital - Xian, Dunhuang with Mogao Caves, Zhanye most known for rainbow-like Danxia mountains, Jiayuguan with Great Wall fortress. Check the following highlights on the Silk Road and select a great Silk Road adventure here.
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