China by region

Northwest China

Silk Road cities and desert horizons

Provinces & municipalities

Shape the route from here.

These groupings are an editorial starting point. We connect cities around real journey time, interests and season.

2 city guides

Gansu

Dunhuang, Lanzhou

Guide in progress

Ningxia

Set between the Yellow River and desert margins, Ningxia tells a story of irrigation, Hui food culture and arid-land communities.

1 city guide

Qinghai

Xining

1 city guide

Shaanxi

Xi’an

4 city guides

Xinjiang

Altay Prefecture, Ili Prefecture, Kashgar, Urumqi

City guides

Places to know in Northwest China.

Shaanxi · 2–3 days

Xi’an

Where the Silk Road begins

Xinjiang · 4–5 days

Altay Prefecture

Alpine lakes, taiga valleys and villages beneath the Altai

Xinjiang · 4–5 days

Ili Prefecture

River-valley history and grasslands inside the Tianshan

Xinjiang · 4–5 days

Kashgar

Living old-city lanes at the meeting point of oasis and Pamir routes

Xinjiang · 2–3 days

Urumqi

Silk Road histories beneath the Tianshan

Gansu · 1–2 days

Lanzhou

Yellow River walks, Silk Road history and a city built around noodles

Gansu · 3–4 days

Dunhuang

Cave art, oasis life and the desert edges of the Silk Roads

Qinghai · 2–3 days

Xining

Plateau museums, living religious traditions and a practical gateway to Qinghai Lake

Northwest China

Shape the route from here.

Gansu

Ningxia

Qinghai

Shaanxi

Xinjiang

Places to know in Northwest China.

Xi’an

Altay Prefecture

Ili Prefecture

Kashgar

Urumqi

Lanzhou

Dunhuang

Xining

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