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Capital and largest city of Qinghai, China
Photo: Aine Hickey, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Xining (西宁; Xīníng; Tibetan: Sulang) is the capital of Qinghai Province and the capital of Xining City District, a prefecture of Qinghai. It stands on the elevation of 2,270 m and has a population of around 2.5 million.
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青海美术馆
青海省博物馆
Nice place to learn about Qinghai's history and ethnic relationships. Covers the history of Silk Road on the Qinghai region. Some English text available. Exhibition nicely arranged from Room 1 to 5, although you need to pay a bit of attention of the flow inside the Hall. Audio guide available for ¥20.
青海省科学技术馆
青海藏文化博物院, 青海藏医药文化博物馆
This is two museums in one. The Tibetan Medicine Museum occupies the north building and the Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum occupies the south building. Both museums have unique exhibits. The Tibetan Medicine Museum, for example, displays a large collection of medical thangkas while the Qinghai Tibetan Cultural Museum is home to the world's longest thangka, at 600m long, not to mention thousands of other Tibetan cultural artifacts. Both museums also have large gift shops and there is a Tibetan restaurant in between the two museums. Musical performances are sometimes performed at a small concert hall inside the Tibetan Cultural Museum.
青藏高原自然博物馆
As the name implies, this museum focuses on the natural history of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is said to be one of the largest natural history museums in China. You can learn about the origin of 3 big rivers from this region, as well as flora and fauna. Exhibition halls on two floors. Can be explored in 2h.
西宁市博物馆
老爷山
青藏高原野生动物园
东关清真大寺
The mosque underwent an extensive renovation around 2021. The green dome has disappeared and the front of the mosque looks completely different. The main prayer hall, however, remains the same as before.
北山寺 Beishan Temple, 北禅寺 Northern Chan Monastery, 土楼观 Tulou Temple
An shared complex for Buddhism and Taoism in the hill, be prepared for a climb. The first temple serving as a landmark is Tulou Temple. A lot of it is closed for safety reasons. This includes the walkways between man-made caves in the mountain. There is a pagoda above, on the hill. From here there is a great view over the city. As of June 2026, the path up the hill is closed due to erosion. No reopening date has been set. You can still visit Toulou Temple at the foot of the hill.
南禅寺
Hongjue Temple, 宗喀大慈宏觉寺, 宏觉寺, 洪觉寺
A small but historically significant Tibetan Buddhist monastery. In December 1951, the 10th Panchen Lama came here to meet with Xi Zhongxun, the father of Xi Jinping, who at that time was head of the Northwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. A few months later, Xi Zhongxun was appointed to be the Chinese government’s main liaison officer for communications with the 10th Panchen Lama, and the two men formed a friendship which lasted a lifetime. The monastery hosts a special exhibition on the relationship between Xi Zhongxun and the 10th Panchen Lama and there is also a monument commemorating their meeting at the monastery in 1951. Of course, the main hall of the complex still retains a religious function and monks can be heard chanting sutras every day. Chanting sessions are from 08:00 to 10:00 in the morning and from 14:00 to 16:00 in the afternoon.
Previously serving as a key stop on Tang-Tibet Ancient Road for tea-horse trade route.
'Chaka' means 'salt pond' in Tibetan language. It was used to be salt mining, but now it is known for photography for the reflection of its shallow lake surface. There are several hotels nearby if you want to stay overnight. If you want to walk on the lake you must rent a rubber boots shoe cover for ¥10.
青海大剧院
安多手工
Handicraft produced by Tibetan nomads and farmers - felt bags, knit scarves, sheepskin gloves, yak milk soap and the like.
The front end of the market has many small snack stands selling spicy ground meat birds egg pizza-style bing (¥3), spicier Liangpi noodle (¥4.5) and mouth cooling bowl-set yoghurt with a creaming texture and slightly sour/citrus flavour (¥3). Further into the market mounds of dried fruit and nuts from the region can be bought by weight.
lively street market outside Dongguan Mosque. You can get tea, street food, fruits, bread, and other Muslim (Hui) delicacies here.
肯德基
There are a few KFCs in the city, but this is by far the most centrally located.
大杉咖啡店
Minimalist, hipster cafe serving excellent, freshly brewed coffee. English spoken.
Expat couple from the UK opened this cafe in 2009. Excellent coffee and home-made food at a great price. Favourite dishes include Mexican wraps, chilli, bagels of all kinds, pancakes & waffles with sweet or savoury toppings. Also a great place to meet other foreign residents or expats in Xining. Free Wi-Fi.
Great little cafe opened up by an American expat in Xining. Relaxed atmosphere, good Wi-Fi, and, some say, the best coffee in the city. They have desserts and sandwiches as well.
Qilin Wan
A complex of bars by the riverside, built around an atrium. They cannot be seen from down the road, but just below the bridge you should see a number of cars parked, with steps down into the park. You will see several small bars.
文化街酒吧
A large complex with about two dozen bars over three different floors with an open center atrium. You can choose between more relaxed lounge bars, live music venues, or one or two bars that have dance floors on the ground floor.
苏荷酒吧
Soho is Xining's most popular nightclub, usually busy past 2AM most nights. Lots of tables and a bar, but there is no dancing. Music is mostly live. Soho is a nightclub franchise in China, but this one apparently is an "unofficial club."
88号酒吧
Similar to Soho bar, but a larger dance floor. Crowded on the weekends, but a bigger crowd at Soho.
理体青年旅舍
In 2011, the hostel changed management. Its cozy environment sits high on the 15th floor with beautiful views of the city and mountainous backdrop. It's within walking distance to many downtown shopping areas. There is a travel company upstairs that will organise trips in the local province and into the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
青海省水利宾馆; Qīnghǎishěng Shuǐlì Bīnguǎn
如家快捷酒店 (西宁中心广场店); Rújiākuàijiéjiǔdiàn (Xīníngzhōngxīnguǎngchǎngdiàn)
Three stars
Good hotel, near the railway station, heated in winter. Good restaurant, good American breakfast.
以勒美居酒店
Comfortable rooms, centrally located.
青海银龙酒店; Qīnghǎi Yínlóng Jiǔdiàn
Five star hotel with rooms with free internet. Business center, beauty salon, ticket office, disco, billiards, fitness, massage and sauna available. Chinese and Western restaurants, coffee shop, bar and room service.
青海宾馆
Rooms are spacious and clean. Good facilities and restaurants. A cheaper alternative to the Yinlong Hotel.
By train
By bus
The new train has two useful locations either side — one is the local bus depot, the other the long distance bus station.
By taxi
Taxis run on the meter (¥8 flagfall) but some drivers are open to negotiation, especially late at night.
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Haidong (Huzhu Tu Autonomous County) · International · XNN
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