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From in front of the Alashun Hotel or at the bus depot hidden away down the street from the train station in the New Town (what once was the bus station entrance hall is a furniture store, the main station entrance looks like a small shop but is in the same building next door). Public buses going there do not have numbers but are white with blue lettering and travel between Yinchuan and Zuoqi, get off at Sanguankou (the wall is clearly visible from the highway; in fact, the highway goes through the wall). Just wait on the road and flag down any bus you see headed towards town to return. The last returning bus passes the wall daily at 17:50 (be on the road a few minutes early), locals may stop and offer you a ride back to town if you are waiting on the main road.
承天寺塔, 西塔, West Pagoda
A nice, medium sized garden area with classic Chinese buildings/architecture. The tower dominates the garden and the view from the top is one of the best you will get of Yinchuan.
海宝塔, 北塔, North Pagoda
Part of the Haibao Pagoda Temple (海宝塔寺). The pagoda has a murky history but is believed to have been built in the 5th century during the reign of Emperor Wulie of Xia. It was rebuilt twice during the 18th century due to damage caused by earthquakes.
西夏王陵国家公园, Xīxià Wánglíng Guójiā Gōngyuán
Western Xia Tombs. There are 193 tombs of high officials of the Xia Kingdom, with the three largest (5 km apart) highlighted.
贺兰山岩画
These carvings were done by Chinese nomads some 10,000 years ago. They run the gamut from portraits and totems to scenes of hunting, grazing, war and dance. Many of the trails accessing the rock art were destroyed in a flood in 2016 and have not been rebuilt as of 2018, leaving some of the most famous parts inaccessible, but there is still a lot to see. A museum displays photos of similar ancient artwork worldwide. This area is popular with wild mountain sheep (岩羊).
贺兰山国家森林公园, 苏峪口
This section of the Helan mountains features rugged rock ridges with a thick forest on one side. A concrete walkway hanging onto the cliff face ascends to the nearest peak in about 5.5 km. Near the entrance to this path, a network of trails accesses a lower ridge and some valleys and canyons. The ridge is also accessible by ropeway, and features two pagodas and a suspension bridge over a canyon. The bridge costs ¥30, or ¥50 with a "5D" film, and doesn't access any other trails or viewpoints. There are several basic hotels near the base of the ropeway, and a large artificial waterfall on the rock wall opposite. Maps are readily available, but do not generally include "you are here", and use terminology that differs from the signposts.
沙湖, Shāhú
A large, shallow lake that is in adjacent Shizuishan City, where it is also listed, the lake has sandy islands and tufts of grass growing out of it. Scenic but extremely overdeveloped in a few places (these places can be escaped). It takes about one hour to go there by bus, then an hour or two to see the scenery, or all day if you treat it like a picnic site or amusement park. Buses leave from the north gate tourist bus station regularly until about 10:30, and a one-way ticket costs ¥15. At Shahu it's easy to find a bus back to Yinchuan.