Turpan Travel Guide

  Grapes downtown sheltering the streets
by sachara
  • Grapes downtown sheltering the streets
      Grapes downtown sheltering the streets
    by sachara
  • Building for drying the grapes in the countryside
      Building for drying the grapes in the...
    by sachara
  • Street scene close to the market
      Street scene close to the market
    by sachara
  •   Turpan
    by nepalgoods
  • Grapes
      Grapes
    by nepalgoods

Pro

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 pretty girls,pretty goods 


Con

SallyM profile photo

 Very hot 


In a nutshell

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 an absolute must for an visitor to Western China 

 

Explore Turpan

Things to Do  

Tuyoq Valley

Tuyoq Valley, Turpan

 SallyM Says:  There are several reasons for making a visit to the Tuyoq valley from Turpan.Firstly, it is a beautiful drive through the Flaming Mountains (assuming there are no mudslides en route).Secondly, there is a mosque that is considered particularly holy owing to a legend about a... 

Astana

Astana, Turpan

 SallyM Says:  This Tang dynasty burial ground is where important individuals from nearby Gaochang (see separate tip) are buried.There are three tombs open to visitors. One contains the mummified bodies of a man and a woman; the second has wall paintings of ducks, pheasants, peacocks etc.... 

Jiaohe

Jiaohe, Turpan

 SallyM Says:  The ruins of Jiaohe are situated on a rocky outcrop between 2 rivers. As we crossed a bridge to enter the site, we saw some ducks paddling in the inch or two of water of one of the ‘rivers’. The ruins are every eerie, almost like an alien planet, and date from the Tang... 

Gaochang

Gaochang, Turpan

 SallyM Says:  The city of Gaochang was founded in the 2nd century BC, and by the 7th century AD it had become the capital of the Kingdom of Gaochang.It is a very large site, of which not much that is recognisable remains (and it is very hot in summer) so most visitors take a donkey taxi... 

Flaming Mountains

Flaming Mountains, Turpan

 SallyM Says:  These mountains are so called because of their red colour, which is supposed to make them look as if they are on fire when the sun catches them at a certain time of day. Even when the sun is not in the right position, they are still fairly red, and look particularly stunning... 

Hotels  

Tuha Petroleum Hotel

 19 Opinions

Jiaotong Hotel

 13 Opinions

Restaurants  

First on the Right: Street Food

First on the Right: Street Food, Turpan

 John195123 Says:  Two little girls and their father seem to run this place on the corner just past the main section of the goods market/bazaar. They are to the right on the corner, where you'll see a large wok of plov (pilaf) and a lot of samsa. The food's quite good, but even better is the... 

Eat at the streets!

Eat at the streets!, Turpan

 SirRichard Says:  While walking around the local markets, you will find many food vendors, offering varied fried things and food to take away. I tried a few of them and all were delicious and really really cheap... though I never got to know what exactly was I eating, LOL!!! 

Transportation  

Trains

Trains, Turpan

 nepalgoods Says:  The trains from Urumqi to Kashgar, Urumqi to Lanzhou (and Xi'an, Beijing) are stopping in Turpan. Actually the trainstation is not directly located in Turpna but about 1 hours busdrive away. When I was there (June 2007) trains did not go to Kashgar due to a sandstorm. But in... 

Bus

Bus, Turpan

 nepalgoods Says:  There are many buses giong in all directions from Turpan. We saw a lot of socalled "sleeping busses". This busses have two storeys of beds. They also go in daytime. I think it very uncomfortable to be in such a bus during daytime: you cannot sit and look outside, but have to... 

Shopping  

Local markets

Local markets, Turpan

 SirRichard Says:  You can find a couple of local street markets in Turpan. Even tough you are not willing to buy, take a walk around the market to discover the local life and activity. First hour in the morning is the best time, as it is the hours when the market is more active. 

Local Customs  

Local Dances

Local Dances, Turpan

 nepalgoods Says:  Some of the restaurants show local dances. The Uygur music is very much like Turkish music and also the dances resemble dances I have seen in Turkey. When we had dinner in a restaurant near Oasis Hotel we saw this little girl dancing for us. The girl was 7 years old and... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Visiting Turpan in summer 2008?

Visiting Turpan in summer 2008?, Turpan

 Dougann Says:  Turpan is going under a major overhaul at the moment - if you visit in summer 2008 expect dusty rebuilding of all the roads, and the Turpan Museum is closed and being moved to another location - scheduled to reopen in early August 

Sandstorm

Sandstorm, Turpan

 nepalgoods Says:  The heat and the location in the depression of Turpan are often the reasons, that many storms appear in Turpan-Area. Between Urumqi and Turpan is one of the biggest windmills of the world. But this storms can also cause problems. Trains do not go in storms, Sandstorms are a... 

Tourist Traps  

Tourist Attractions around Turpan
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4 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

nepalgoods 1340 reviews
Flaming Mountain Foto Spot
2 more images

Clever Chinese businessmen make money out of nothing or out of desert and sand:

You'll see Flaming Mountain on the way to the Thousand Buddha Grottoes of Beziklik. A Chinese business man has now turned the best spot for taking fotos into a main attraction, where visitors have to pay entrance fee for taking pics.

Be careful, when you see nice ladies in traditional dress, or camels: they are normally dressed so that tourists can take a picture with them. and of course this cost some money!

Updated Jul 27, 2007

Related to:
 Photography
 Road Trip

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What to Pack  

Kitaro's "Silk Road" music

Kitaro's "Silk Road" music, Turpan

 SirRichard Says:   Silk Road is the soundtrack for the documentation of the japanese TV channel NHK made by japanese musician Kitaro.I saw the TV series and fell in love with the music, so I brought along the CD with me and played it while visiting the old cities ruins. I think is one of the... 

Kitaro's "Silk Road" music

Kitaro's "Silk Road" music, Turpan

 SirRichard Says:   Silk Road is the soundtrack for the documentation of the japanese TV channel NHK made by japanese musician Kitaro.I saw the TV series and fell in love with the music, so I brought along the CD with me and played it while visiting the old cities ruins. I think is one of the... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Turpan Museum

Turpan Museum, Turpan

 nepalgoods Says:  Turpan Museum is a small local museum, which most people skip, when visiting Turpan. But I recommend ot visit. Bets way to visit is to take a tourguide with you. I was very lucky, that I had an expert tourguide with me, who showed me aorund in the museum. Unfortunately all... 

Grape Valley and Raisin Houses

Grape Valley and Raisin Houses, Turpan

 nepalgoods Says:  As Turpan is mainly inhabitatet by Muslim people (Uygur) the wine, that is grown in and around Turpan, is not grown for the making of wine but for producing raisins. Turpan raisins are very sweet and a speciality which people know and cherish all over China.You can see... 

Favorites  

Sightseeing

Sightseeing, Turpan

 nepalgoods Says:  For your visit to Tupran I recommend the following day tours and combinations of visiting the most important places. You'll need at least 2 - 3 days:Day 1: Flaming MountainBeziklik Thousand Buddha GrottoesGaochangAstana NecropolisIn the evening: Emin MinaretDay... 

Climate

Climate, Turpan

 nepalgoods Says:  Turpan is a hot city: very hot indeed! You have to expect about 40° Centigrade from June to September. It is a very continental dry climate. But from November till February temperatures drop until far below zero!The heat and the location in this depression also are the... 

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Map of Turpan