Urumqi is the capital and largest city of the remote Xinjiang Autonomous Region. It lies on China Highway 312, running between Gansu and the Kazakh border, and is home to over 1.6 million people.
Urumqi is a pretty big and modern city, despite its obvious remoteness. Few people here speak English, even in hotels, and it can be hard-going when taking a taxi.
The main Urumqi attraction is the Big Bazaar (or International Bazaar), which is locally known as Da Bazar. It is a traditional Islamic market and gets particularly lively during summer nights. Other sights worth checking out in Urumqi are the Xinjiang Silk Road Museum and the fun Red Mountain Park.
Getting There & Away
Urumqi Diwopu International Airport is a 4-hour flight from Beijing or a 5-hour flight from Shanghai and is the main gateway to Xinjiang. You can also get in by train, but long distances mean long journeys. Journey times by rail are 42 hours from Beijing and 44 hours from Shanghai.
Things to Do
Urumqi Attractions
- Big Bazaar (Da Bazar)
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Urumqi’s star attraction is huge and features stalls, food, and tightrope walkers.
Side trips from Urumqi
- Turpan
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3 hours to the east is one of the lowest places on earth; a silk road town with many interesting nearby attractions, such as flaming mountain and bizalkik thousand buddha caves.
- Kanas Lake Nature Reserve
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A day’s drive to the north of urumqi, this park is as remote as they come and boasts a stunning, large blue lake.
Events
- Corban Festival
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Urumqi’s most important local festival is also known as the sacrifice festival and is an islamic do, where locals dress up in traditional garb for a large ceremony at the great mosque (december 10).