Qinghai · China
Where to stay in Xining
Xining is a city in Qinghai, China, home to about 2,468,000 people.
- Best months
- June
- Nearest airport
- XNN26 km · Xining Caojiabao International Airport
- Currency
- CNYrenminbi
- Time zone
- Asia/Urumqi
- Language
- Chinese, Putonghua, Standard Chinese
About
About Xining
Xining is the capital and most populous city of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. As of the 2020 census, it had 2,467,965 inhabitants (2,208,708 as of 2010), of whom 1,954,795 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of 5 urban districts.
Xining is one of the major gateways to the Tibetan Plateau. It is an ancient highland city on the Yellow River which offers many scenic spots and historical sites. Although the city has a strong Islamic flavor, as it is home to many Hui people, you will start getting a more Tibetan feel as you move away from the city.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Xining
See
- Qinghai Art Museum
- Qinghai Provincial Museum
- Qinghai Science and Technology Museum
- Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum & Tibetan Medicine Museum of China
- Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Natural History Museum
- Xining Museum
- Laoye Mountain
- Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wildlife Park
- Dongguan Mosque
- North Mountain Temple
- Southern Chan Monastery
- Tsongkha Monastery
Do
- Qinghai Grand Theatre
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Xining to stay in
There are dozens of small guesthouses near the train and long distance bus station. Look for the characters "招待所," which in this part of town are on every other building. Most places seem aimable to taking foreigners, and prices range from ¥10 in a grimy four-room bunk (expect the other occupants to smoke frequently) to ¥100 for a deluxe double. More guesthouses can be found around the town's West Gate, or Ximen.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Xining
13 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Atour Hotel | 3.6 km | |
| Enraton International Hotel | 2.0 km | |
| Hampton by Hilton (Xining Jiaboyuan) | 5.8 km | |
| Hampton by Hilton Xining Kunlun Road | 5.5 km | |
| Mercure Hotel | 1.6 km | |
| Mercure XiNing HaiHu New District Hotel | 5.3 km | |
| Sapphire Hotel | 1.5 km | |
| Sofitel Xining | 5.7 km | |
| Vienna Hotel Xining Shengli Road Branch | 1.5 km | |
| Wanda Vista Xining | 5.6 km | |
| Wusi Hotel | 1.7 km | |
| Xining Mansion | 3.1 km | |
| Xining Sebel Serviced Apartments | 5.3 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Xining
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Xining are June. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 21 °C; July is the wettest, with about 95 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 Xining: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Xining Caojiabao International Airport (XNN), about 26 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting around
There are plenty of buses that get you around town. The most useful is bus #1 that runs through the centre of town along Dajie to the train/bus station. All fares are ¥1 regardless of distance travelled. Taxis run on the meter (¥8 flagfall) but some drivers are open to negotiation, especially late at night.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
XNN · Xining Caojiabao International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Xining
Eat
Xining's main minority groups provide a large portion of the food on offer. The Hui, a broad term for Chinese Muslims, serve up spicy noodles, lamb kababs and flatbread (bing). Tibetan food choices are concentrated around the train station, mostly small places the serve momos and noodles and seat guests on small coaches. There is a restaurant area right next to the Shuijing Xiang Bazaar, in the center of the city, and throughout the evening and into the night there are many street stalls serving good food around Ximen and on the western side of Jianguo Road.
Drink
The city is littered with small coffee shops, especially around the newer apartment complexes that are being developed. See below for some of the better ones.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Xining: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Xining?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Xining are June. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 21 °C; July is the wettest, with about 95 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Xining?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Xining Caojiabao International Airport (XNN), about 26 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Xining?
renminbi (CNY).
Nearby
Destinations near Xining
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.