Things to do & places to visit in Turpan, Xinjiang Uygur, China

Turpan city in Xinjiang Uygur, China. Timezone: Asia/Urumqi, current date and time: Thursday, May 16, 2024, 8:07.

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Top things to do (28)

• City Tours
• Ancient Ruins
• Monuments & Statues
• Mountains
• Sightseeing Tours
• Geologic Formations
• Hot Springs & Geysers
• Private Tours
• Historic Sites
• History Museums
• Caverns & Caves
• Day Trips
• Deserts
• Flea & Street Markets
• Bodies of Water
• Cemeteries
• Scenic Walking Areas
• Beach & Pool Clubs
• Architectural Buildings
• Nature & Wildlife Areas
• Forests
• Religious Sites
• Valleys
• Points of Interest & Landmarks
• Cultural Tours
• Parks
• Speciality Museums
• Multi-day Tours

Top places to visit (25 attractions)

1. 5.0 West China Expeditions (2 reviews)
   - Turpan and surroundings
   City Tours • Cultural Tours • Sightseeing Tours • Private Tours • Day Trips
   
   
   Our guide and driver was Adiljan. We took our 3 years old child and didn't regret about it. The car was air-conditioned and comfortable. During the trip Adiljan made several stops at our request. We visited Yanhu Salt Lake, Museum of Turpan, Old Karez, 1000 Buddha Caves, Jiaohe ruins, and stopped near Flame Mountain. All these places were very interesting and worth visiting. Adiljan was well-informed guide and experienced driver. Besides he speaks English, Chinese and Uigur languages, so tourists can be both from China and from other countries. We really enjoyed the trip and recommend Adiljan to everyone who would like to know the history of this area. See more..
   
2. 5.0 Desert Botanical Garden (1 review)
   - BCGI at work
   Thursday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Nature & Wildlife Areas • Parks
   The Desert Botanical Garden south of Turpan is mainly a research facility but we were able to get a quick tour through a friend of a friend who is part of the BCGI. Being avid gardeners we were keen to see the work they do here and even though our visit was brief it was informative and they do some great work with other worldwide gardens. It definitely is not your traditional Botanic Garden with long paths, benches and signs everywhere it is mainly there for seed testing and a range of other research. See more..
   
3. 4.5 Ancient City of Jiaohe (Yarkhoto) (223 reviews)
   - Extensive and Well-Preserved Ruins
   Thursday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins
   
   
   A wedge-shaped plateau between two rivers is the site of this old Silk Road city destroyed by Genghis Khan in the 13th century. There are enough ruins left to paint a good picture of what it was like and after seeing a number of cities like this, to have a fearful appreciation of the power of the Mongol invaders. See more..
   
4. 4.5 Turpan Museum (107 reviews)
   - All about the ruins and more
   Thursday: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Speciality Museums
   
   
   Though the mummy hall was under renovation and I was thus very disappointed, it was still quite an educational visit in 2 hours. There is so much information about the two ruins, Jiaohe (Yar City) and Gaochang (Qocho City), that was way more than at the ruins themselves, so I also recommend learning about them at the museum first before visiting the actual ruins, just to enhance your onsite experience. We also learned more about different animals living in he area from 20 some millions years ago. It was pretty cool! See more..
   
5. 4.5 Turpan Geyser (8 reviews)
   - Amazing Colors
   Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Hot Springs & Geysers
   
   
   Such a beautiful part of china, culture and sight seeing, So much to see, if you are fit and have a lot of time, hang around to see the colors change, it is far from a lot of places so do take food and water with you. do your research before you go and pay a translating guid, but don't trust or rely on them ….…. See more..
   
6. 4.0 Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves (146 reviews)
   - Nice to see the mountains around
   Thursday: 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM Points of Interest & Landmarks • Caverns & Caves
   
   
   Time have passed and not much are left to be seen but I enjoyed walking there. I prefer this more than the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang. In Bezeklik, some rooms were opened for visitors to view, some were locked. It was a very nice visit for the views around. Easy to go from Turpan town by taxi. See more..
   
7. 4.0 Ancient City of Gaochang (Kharakhoja) (90 reviews)
   - Loved it here
   Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins
   
   
   Maybe because we were told this site was much less impressive than the Jiaohe ruins, we had low expectations but were all very impressed by its grandeur. In my group, we all found it more spectacular than Jiaohe as we felt we could imagine life in the past when the city must have been a thriving place on the Silk Road. We opted to not take the rather expensive bus and walk the 6 km from the entrance to the ruins and around and back again with a nine-year-old child. If you have any mobility issues, of course take the bus, but if the weather is not too hot and you feel like stretching your legs, I recommend walking the full distance as you can stop and start wherever and whenever you want. See more..
   
8. 4.0 Turpan Kariz underground water system (82 reviews)
   - Unique and interesting waterways
   Points of Interest & Landmarks
   
   
   It was an amazing (and mind-boggling) ancient way of providing water in desert land, by using a series of wells supplying underground water for human consumption and for other uses. See more..
   
9. 4.0 Uygur Ancient Village (37 reviews)
   - A highlight
   Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Sites • History Museums
   
   
   I would totally recommend visiting one of the Uighur villages such as Tuyuk. The setting is beautiful in the desert mountains, the mud buildings are impressive to walk around and the locals are very friendly. Pick up some grapes if you come in season. See more..
   
10. 4.0 Shanshan County (11 reviews)
    - Xinjiang guide‘s advice
    Deserts
    
    
    Kuntag desert borders Shanshan city In Turpan basin. Worthy for the desert and local Culture tour.库木塔格沙漠紧挨着鄯善县城，对于热爱沙漠和民族美食文化的朋友，是不错的选择，沙漠内沙丘壮观，可以选择徒步爬上山顶，感受一览无余的沙漠景观！From Xinjiang guide‘s advice See more..
    
11. 4.0 Shenhong Square (1 review)
    - Central park area
    Spent < 1 hour Bodies of Water • Parks
    
    
    Shenhong Square is in the central park area of Turpan. It is a pleasant walking area which is walking distance from many other attractions. The lake is probably the main attraction here, as it is a great way to take a break from the heat. We walked to the park from our hostel which was located nearby. Other nearby attractions include the Turpan Museum and Qingnian Road Pedestrian Street. See more..
    
12. 3.5 Flaming Mountains (Huoyan Shan) (190 reviews)
    - A must-see in Turpan
    Thursday: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Mountains • Geologic Formations
    
    
    Flaming Mountain is famous because of a well-known Chinese story book. It is worth seeing as it is quite unusual. All barren and brownish red. One has to go on a sunny day to see the glory of the all-red mountain. Slanting sunlight late in the day is better but it is hard to catch on a group tour. I took a walk from the entrance area all the way to the foot of the mountain; it takes about 20-25 minutes. It was quite hot on the day but tolerable. Fortunately there was a waiting donkey-cart to take me back to the entrance, at RMB50. See more..
    
13. 3.5 Karez System (146 reviews)
    - Another china engineering marvel
    Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Bodies of Water • Points of Interest & Landmarks
    
    
    rated the 3rd marvel after Great Wall n Grand Canal, this describe how a desert region can survive for the past 3000 years. Water from the snow capped mountains were directed through thousand miles of man made underground tunnels. Wells n tunnels were dug all the way from melting mountains to irrigate the crops at the desert lowlands. Really interesting n yet not well published like the Great Wall. This place is exceptionally hot in summer and you could see beds on rooftops. Cooler to sleep on rooftops. See more..
    
14. 3.5 Emin Minaret (Su Gong Ta) (116 reviews)
    - Lovely Minaret and Mosque
    Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Religious Sites
    
    
    While we were touring the sites in Turpan, one nice site to visit is the Emin Minaret. According to Wikipedia, this Minaret is 44 meters (144 ft.) in height and it the tallest Minaret in China. Adjacent to the Minaret, is a Uyghur (Muslim) Mosque structure. The mosque interior is nothing fancy - just plain and simple. The two structures - Minaret and Mosque - are nice looking structures together and is an interesting place to visit. The surrounding area and the structures themselves are well maintained and clean. See more..
    
15. 3.5 Grape Valley (96 reviews)
    - Beautiful vineyards & tasty grapes
    Thursday: 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM Valleys
    
    
    Great visit to the beautiful, well-maintained vineyards. Our group enjoyed the educational tour. The area is very scenic. Likely, best to come in September, while there are still lots of grapes. See more..
    
16. 3.5 Tu Lu Fan Qing Nian Lu Bu Xing Jie (7 reviews)
    - Great Vine Tunnels
    Thursday: 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Points of Interest & Landmarks • Scenic Walking Areas
    
    
    The Qingnian Pedestrian Street runs in a north and south direction between Wenhua Middle Road and Laocheng Middle Road. It is actually a tiled walkway which is covered by grave vines, and a great area to take a break from the heat of Turpan. There are two sculptures at the entrance on Laocheng Middle Road, on either side of a wide Uighur styled entrance gate. A short walk north on the street, and a left turn will lead to the Tourism Cultural Square. We thought that this area was very well done and beautifully maintained. There are not many green public areas in Turpan, so this is a must see. Other nearby attractions include the Turpan Museum and Shenhong Square. See more..
    
17. 3.5 Turpan Bazaar (7 reviews)
    - Local Bazaar
    Flea & Street Markets
    
    
    Small Bazaar centrally located in Turpan. This is very much a working market for the local Uyghur population, large entrance but soon becomes a maze of alleys packed full of locals buying clothes, household goods, carpets, food, toys and everything else under the sun. The meat section is worth seeing, but not for the squeamish !!! In front of the main entrance is a colourful "jumble" of fresh fruit vendors, we picked up some cheap fruit. Associated with / next to the bazaar is a partially covered street with tables and chairs and lined with small and cheap stalls selling cooked foods, great smells and sights indeed. Well worth a 30min look around if only to get a taste of how the locals live, A great place to watch the locals. See more..
    
18. 3.0 Astana-Karakhoja Tombs (47 reviews)
    - Urumqi Museum better to view the mummies
    Ancient Ruins • Cemeteries
    
    
    Only 3 tombs open, one contains 2 mummies and the other 2 paintings. Good to see them insitu but more to see in the Urumqi museum. Interesting but not worth going out of your way for. I must add though the new toilets here are the best in the whole of Xinjiang! See more..
    
19. 3.0 TuLuFan TuZiYuan ChenLieGuan (1 review)
    Speciality Museums
    
    
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20. 3.0 WangLuoBin YinYue YiShuGuan (1 review)
    Speciality Museums
    
    
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21. SilkRoadTrips-Turpan (0 review)
    Multi-day Tours • Private Tours • Day Trips
    
    
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22. Boshiha Qianfo Cave (0 review)
    Caverns & Caves • Religious Sites • Monuments & Statues
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23. Wudao Forest (0 review)
    Nature & Wildlife Areas • Forests
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24. Sand Treatment Scenic Resort (0 review)
    Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Beach & Pool Clubs
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25. Qiquan Lake Sayi Bongsudae (0 review)
    Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings
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