Travel Guide

Xinjiang train travel runs on five real lines, not one. Here is how the Lanzhou to Urumqi, Ili, Kashgar, desert loop and Altay routes actually connect.

A Xinjiang private driver handles the long hauls, checkpoints and permits so you can watch the landscape. Here’s what it costs and how to book one in 2026.

Renting a car in Xinjiang as a foreign visitor means a temporary driving permit or a car with driver. Our 2026 guide covers licences, costs and routes.

Wensu walnuts are Xinjiang’s real walnut capital: when the harvest peaks, the paper-shell 温185 variety, what to buy now, and a short Aksu food trip plan.

Xinjiang entry in 2026 is mostly paperwork you can finish before you board: the arrival card, the 24-hour lodging rule, and what the desk will ask of you.

Kashgar vs Urumqi flights 2026: which airport to fly into, with routes, prices, connections and how to plan your Xinjiang arrival efficiently and well.

Turpan grape harvest runs late July to early October. Here is when each variety ripens, how to watch the picking, and where to buy the sweetest bunches.

A five-day eastern Xinjiang itinerary linking Hami, Barkol and Yiwu: the route we drove, where we slept, what it cost and the mistakes worth avoiding.

Xinjiang winter travel means planning around closures: which passes, parks, hotels and border crossings shut December-March, and what stays open to see.

Eating on Xinjiang trains: what to bring, buy and skip, plus how to eat well on long rail journeys across the region, with useful tips and what to avoid.