Qinghai · China
Where to stay in Golmud
Golmud is a city in Qinghai, China, home to about 222,000 people.
- Best months
- June to August
- Nearest airport
- GOQ10 km · Golmud Airport
- Currency
- CNYrenminbi
- Time zone
- Asia/Urumqi
- Language
- Chinese, Putonghua, Standard Chinese
About
About Golmud
Golmud is a county-level city in the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, China. It is now the second-largest city in Qinghai and the third largest on the Tibetan Plateau (after Xining and Lhasa).
With more than 200,000 people, Golmud is the second biggest city in Qinghai province. The city is worth visiting only if you are en route to Tibet. Golmud is in the middle of dry desert without anything, built up just to mine natural sources as salt, magnesium etc. The population is more than 90% Han Chinese who moved here to work. The elevation of the city is approximately 2,890 meters. Altitude stress is not the major concern, but dryness is. In the city and surrounding areas, air is extremely dry and sunlight is very strong. Summer is the best season, and winter is excruciating.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Golmud
See
- Kunlun Mountains UNESCO Global Geopark
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Golmud to stay in
There are a few cheap hotels located around the train and bus stations, but they tend to be noisy and grubby. Hotel business in the city is seasonal.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Golmud
3 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| DoubleTree by Hilton Qinghai Golmud | 1.3 km | |
| Swisstouches Hotel Qinghai | 2.9 km | |
| Yellow River International Hotel | 0.7 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Golmud
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Golmud are June to August. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; July is the wettest, with about 24 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Golmud: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Golmud Airport (GOQ), about 10 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting in
Dunhuang (11 hours), Lhasa (30–42 hours), Mangya (=Huadugou) (10 hours), Delingha (5 hours) - city is closed to foreigners, you can get there from Tianjun, Xining, Ruoqiang (sleeper bus, if you want to enjoy the view on the way, make sure you get a window upper bed).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
GOQ · Golmud Airport
Questions
Golmud: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Golmud?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Golmud are June to August. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; July is the wettest, with about 24 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Golmud?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Golmud Airport (GOQ), about 10 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Golmud?
renminbi (CNY).
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.