By evening, the lanes of Kashgar's Old Town settle into a slower rhythm: shopfronts close, tea and food stalls stay lit, and families and travellers drift through the streets around the Idkah mosque area. The city's night scene is modest and low-key rather than a late-night clubbing destination, and much of it revolves around eating, walking and tea rather than bars.
That makes Kashgar best suited to visitors who want an easy, early evening — a meal, a stroll through the old lanes, a coffee or a drink in one of the small number of places that serve alcohol — rather than a long night of venues. If you are looking for a dense bar or club district, this is not that kind of city.
Where to go out in Kashgar
1. The Old Town lanes
The Old Town is the natural focus of an evening: narrow lanes, low lighting and street life that continues after dark. It suits a slow wander rather than a fixed destination, and it is also where you will find agencies offering trips out of the city.
As a practical point, various agencies around the Old Town offer day trips to Baisha Lake and Karakul Lake on the Karakoram Highway, so this is the area to arrange those if you want to sort out a trip while you are out.
2. The area around the Idkah mosque
The streets leading towards the Idkah mosque form another natural stretch for an evening walk, with the Gallery Cafe on Jie Fang Bei Lu reachable from the DaShiZi direction by heading towards the mosque and taking the first right turn. It suits anyone wanting a coffee or home-style western food in a calm setting.
The Gallery Cafe is foreign-owned and, per the source, opened in October 2009; it also acts as a showcase for local artists' oil paintings and a tourist information centre. Note that the source does not confirm current opening hours.
3. Cafes serving alcohol and coffee
Kashgar has noticeably fewer places serving alcohol than other parts of China, so if a drink is part of your plan, you are choosing from a small pool rather than a strip of bars. This suits travellers who want one relaxed stop rather than a crawl.
John's Cafe, in the Qiniwak Hotel (the former British consulate), is named in the source as offering backpacker hospitality, priced at about 1.7 times other locations, and popular with single travellers; it was managed by Jack, who spoke fluent English, and appeared to close in the off-season. The source does not confirm that it is currently operating.
4. Tour-operator offices as an evening errand
Several operators named in the source are based at fixed addresses, which makes them useful stops if your evening out doubles as trip planning. Kashgar Silk Road Expeditions is listed at 144 Seman Road and offers several types of tours in the area, including mountain treks; Kashgar Guide's Shipton's Arch Trekking is listed at 407 Wusitang Boyi Rd, a one-day trek through steeply walled canyons and rocky river-bed terrain.
If you are heading for the Karakoram Highway, note that a free permit for the area is obtained from the office just north of the airport, and that in April 2025 a private SUV with a Chinese-speaking driver cost 1,000 RMB with entrance tickets to both lakes included.
How a night out unfolds
The sources do not describe evening timings, meal times or how late venues run in Kashgar, so plan around what you can confirm: the Old Town and the streets near the Idkah mosque are walkable in the evening, alcohol is available in only a small number of places, and at least one named cafe has been known to close in the off-season. Check locally on the day rather than relying on fixed hours.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- National Day and the National Day Golden Week holiday — early October
- Double Ninth Festival — October
- Christmas Day — December
- New Year's Day — January
- Spring Festival Eve and Chinese New Year — early February
Frequently asked questions
Is there much nightlife in Kashgar?
Not in the bar-and-club sense. The sources note there are not as many places serving alcohol in Kashgar as in other areas of China, so evenings tend to centre on the Old Town, the streets near the Idkah mosque, and a small number of cafes.
Where can I get a drink in the evening?
The source names John's Cafe in the Qiniwak Hotel and the Gallery Cafe on Jie Fang Bei Lu. It does not confirm current opening hours for either, and John's Cafe appeared to close in the off-season, so verify before setting out.
Can I arrange a trip out of the city during an evening out?
Yes — agencies around the Old Town offer day trips to Baisha Lake and Karakul Lake on the Karakoram Highway, and two operators are listed at fixed addresses: Kashgar Silk Road Expeditions at 144 Seman Road and Kashgar Guide at 407 Wusitang Boyi Rd.
Do I need a permit for the Karakoram Highway?
Yes. According to the source, you should get a free permit for the area from the office just north of the airport before setting off.
Decide before you go whether your evening is a walk through the Old Town, a coffee near the Idkah mosque or a planning stop at a tour office, and build the rest of the night around that.