Stand on Xiguan Street in Chengxi District and you have two of the city's museums within a hundred metres of each other, with the bus stop at Xining Square South feeding routes in from most of the centre. Xining sits in the Huangshui River Valley on the edge of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, at an average altitude of about 2,200 metres, and that height shapes everything about a visit: cool summers, cold nights, and a diurnal temperature swing that often reaches or exceeds 15 °C.
The city suits travellers breaking a journey between Lanzhou and the plateau, or anyone using it as a base before the Qinghai–Tibet railway carries them onward to Lhasa. It has been a commercial hub on the Hexi Corridor caravan route for over two thousand years, and it still holds sites of religious significance to both Muslims and Buddhists.
1. Qinghai Provincial Museum
A good place to learn about Qinghai's history and ethnic relationships, with coverage of the Silk Road in the Qinghai region and some English text available. The exhibition is arranged from Room 1 to 5, though you need to pay a bit of attention to the flow inside the hall.
An audio guide is available for ¥20. The nearest bus stop is Xining Square South, served by routes 12, 18, 22, 29, 35, 38, 41, 102 and 506, and the museum entrance is on the west side of the building. It closes on Mondays and no tickets are issued in the last 30 minutes of operation.
2. Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum & Tibetan Medicine Museum of China
Two museums in one: the Tibetan Medicine Museum occupies the north building and the Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum the south building, and both have unique exhibits. The medicine museum displays a large collection of medical thangkas, while the culture museum holds the world's longest thangka at 600m long, along with thousands of other Tibetan cultural artifacts.
Entry to the Tibetan Medicine Museum is free; the Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum charges ¥60. Both have large gift shops, there is a Tibetan restaurant between the two, and musical performances are sometimes held in a small concert hall inside the cultural museum. No entry in the last 30 minutes.
3. Dongguan Mosque
A site of religious significance to Muslims in the city, on Dongguan Street in Chengdong District. The mosque underwent an extensive renovation around 2021: the green dome has disappeared and the front looks completely different, though the main prayer hall remains the same as before.
Non-Muslims may not visit during Friday's prayer sessions, before 12.30pm, and must not enter the prayer hall at any time. Entry is free, and numerous bus routes serve the street.
4. Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Natural History Museum
As the name implies, this museum focuses on the natural history of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and you can learn about the origin of three big rivers from this region as well as its flora and fauna. Exhibition halls are on two floors and it can be explored in about two hours.
It sits across the road from the Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum, so the two pair naturally in one outing. Entry is ¥60, and there is no entry after 16:30.
5. Tsongkha Monastery
A small but historically significant Tibetan Buddhist monastery. In December 1951 the 10th Panchen Lama came here to meet Xi Zhongxun, then head of the Northwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee; the monastery hosts a special exhibition on their relationship and a monument commemorating the meeting.
The main hall retains a religious function and monks can be heard chanting sutras daily, from 08:00 to 10:00 in the morning and 14:00 to 16:00 in the afternoon. General opening hours are 08:00-18:00, with the main hall closing at 17:00. Entry is free.
6. North Mountain Temple
A shared complex for Buddhism and Taoism set in the hill, so be prepared for a climb. The first temple serving as a landmark is Tulou Temple, and a pagoda sits above on the hill with a great view over the city.
A lot of the complex is closed for safety reasons, including the walkways between the man-made caves in the mountain, and the path up the hill is closed due to erosion with no reopening date set. You can still visit Tulou Temple at the foot of the hill. Entry is free.
7. Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wildlife Park
A wildlife park in Chengxi District, reached by bus routes 14, k2 and Tourist Bus 1. General entry is ¥30, with children between 1.2 and 1.4 metres in height paying ¥15, and children under 1.2 metres and visitors over 65 getting in free.
Two optional extras carry their own charges: ¥50 to visit the aquarium and ¥23 for the panda house. Opening hours are 08:30-18:00.
8. Southern Chan Monastery
A monastery on Nanshan Road in Chengzhong District, open 09:00-17:00 and free to enter. Bus routes 16, 19, 21, 38, 49, 71, 103, 105, 601 and Tourist Bus 1 stop nearby.
9. Qinghai Art Museum
On Xiguan Street in Chengxi District, just over 100 metres west of the Qinghai Provincial Museum, which makes the two easy to combine. Opening hours are 09:30-16:30 and entry is free.
10. Xining Museum
On Xiaoqiao Street in Chengbei District, served by bus no. 65, 651 (urban tourist route 2) and Chengbei Tourist Bus 2. It has unusually long hours, 09:00-21:00 with no entry after 20:30, and closes on Mondays. Entry is free.
11. Qinghai Science and Technology Museum
On Wu Si West Road in Chengxi District, reached by bus routes 51, 59 and 63. It opens 09:30-16:30, closes on Mondays, and entry is free.
It sits a short distance west of the Qinghai Grand Theatre, so the two can be paired if you are heading to a show.
12. Qinghai Grand Theatre
On Wu Si Road in Chengxi District, a short distance east of the Qinghai Science and Technology Museum and served by the same bus routes, 51, 59 and 63. The ticket office opens 09:00-17:30 on weekdays and 10:00-16:30 on weekends and public holidays.
Check the programme before you travel if a performance is the reason for your visit, and use the ticket enquiry line rather than turning up on spec.
13. Laoye Mountain
In Qiaotou Town, Datong County, with buses to Datong County departing from the Xinning Road Bus Station; the park entrance is less than a kilometre from the Datong County Bus Station. Entry is ¥20.
Hours run 08:00-17:30 from 16 April to 15 October, and 08:00-17:00 from 16 October to 15 April. This is a half-day or full-day trip out of the city rather than a stop you can slot between two museums.
14. Qinghaihu National Park
Also called Lake Koko Nor, this park is home to the largest inland saltwater lake in China. Trips from Xining travel agencies offer apparently cheap ¥60 day trips, but that price does not include entry to Dangaer old town (¥50), 赞普林卡 (¥40), 日月山 (¥40) or the wharf at Qinghaihu (¥100), and you are expected to pay these.
Expect a couple of forced shopping stops, including a minimum 30-minute wait at a jade and crystal sales outlet. Budget for the add-ons rather than the headline price.
15. Chaka Salt Lake
The train from Xining Train Station to Chaka Train Station leaves around 8am and takes about 4 hours, with a return train around 6pm; it only runs during peak tourist season, around July to September, though bus services are available year-round from the bus terminal outside the train station. Entrance is ¥60 and a one-way ride on the scenic train is ¥50.
Chaka means salt pond in Tibetan. It was used for salt mining and is now known for photography of the reflections on its shallow lake surface. If you want to walk on the lake you must rent rubber boot shoe covers for ¥10, and there are several hotels nearby if you want to stay overnight.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at Qinghai Provincial Museum on Xiguan Street, arriving well before the last 30 minutes of ticket issuing, and work through the rooms on Qinghai's history and the Silk Road in the region. Walk just over 100 metres west to Qinghai Art Museum before it closes at 16:30, or reverse the order if you prefer to begin with the art.
Afternoon. Take bus routes 46, 65 or 72 north to the Biological Science & Technology Park and spend the afternoon at Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum & Tibetan Medicine Museum of China, seeing the 600m thangka and the medical thangkas, then cross the road to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Natural History Museum, allowing about two hours and arriving before the 16:30 entry cut-off.
Evening. Return to the centre and visit Dongguan Mosque on Dongguan Street, keeping in mind that non-Muslims may not visit during Friday's prayer sessions before 12.30pm and must not enter the prayer hall at any time. If a performance is on, finish at Qinghai Grand Theatre on Wu Si Road, checking the ticket office hours before you go.
When is the best time of year to visit Xining?
The city has a cool summer and is dubbed the Summer Resort Capital of China, with rainfall falling mainly from May to September. Nights are cold or cool throughout the year, so pack for a large swing between day and night temperatures whatever month you choose.
Which museums in Xining are free?
Entry is free at Qinghai Provincial Museum, Qinghai Art Museum, Qinghai Science and Technology Museum, Xining Museum and the Tibetan Medicine Museum. The Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum charges ¥60, and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Natural History Museum charges ¥60.
Can non-Muslims visit Dongguan Mosque?
Yes, but not during Friday's prayer sessions before 12.30pm, and you must not enter the prayer hall at any time. Entry is free.
How do I get to Qinghaihu National Park and what will it really cost?
Travel agencies in Xining offer day trips advertised at ¥60, but that excludes entry to Dangaer old town at ¥50, 赞普林卡 at ¥40, 日月山 at ¥40 and the wharf at Qinghaihu at ¥100. Expect forced shopping stops as well, including a minimum 30-minute wait at a jade and crystal outlet.
Check the opening days for the museums you want most, note that several close on Mondays, and start building your itinerary around the Xiguan Street cluster and the Chengbei museum park.