Stand on Danan Street in the Yuquan District and you are standing in the oldest part of Hohhot, where the temple that gave the town its name faces a mosque founded by Hui merchants a little over a century later. The city spreads out from here as a mix of Mongol, Han and Hui layers, with the Daqing Shan rising to the north and the museum quarter strung along Xinhua Street to the east.
Hohhot suits travellers who are interested in religious architecture, frontier history and museum collections rather than nightlife or resort comforts. Winters are long, cold and very dry, and spring brings strong winds, so build in indoor stops. This guide covers the sights worth your time, with practical notes on how to reach them and what to combine.
Top things to do in Hohhot
1. Da Zhao Temple
Da Zhao Temple is the oldest Buddhist monastery in the city, constructed in 1579, and among its most precious treasures is a 2.5-metre silver statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. The town that grew up around it was originally called Blue Town, which is where Hohhot's name comes from.
A lot of buses from almost everywhere in the city go here, so it works well as the anchor of a day in the old town. Xilitu Zhao sits opposite, and the Great Mosque of Hohhot is about ten minutes' walk north along the main road, so you can see all three in one stretch. If your visit coincides with a festival, the temple holds Songjing Da Fahui on the 8th to 15th of the first and sixth lunar months, Songbalin on the 14th day of those months, Liang Dafo on the 15th day, and Mani Hui on the 14th to 17th day of the eighth lunar month.
2. Xilitu Zhao
Xilitu Zhao on Danan Street is the largest Buddhist temple in the city and the main seat of Buddhism in Inner Mongolia. It stands directly opposite Da Zhao Temple, which makes the two easy to visit as a pair without any transport in between.
Because it is the principal seat of Buddhism in the region, it is worth allowing more time here than a quick look. Pair it with Da Zhao Temple in the morning and walk north to the Great Mosque afterwards.
3. Great Mosque of Hohhot
The Great Mosque of Hohhot on Tongdao South Road in the Huimin District is the oldest and largest mosque in the city, built in 1693 in Chinese style. It is architecturally unusual and well maintained, with an active community.
Walk north for about ten minutes from Da Zhao along the main road and you will find it on the right side. Try to catch prayer at sunset, which is the most atmospheric time to see it. Adjacent to the mosque is a street with Muslim vendors and restaurants, so plan to eat here.
4. Inner Mongolia Museum
The Inner Mongolia Museum holds exhibitions on the flora and fauna and history of Mongolia from the stone age until modern times, as well as on minerals and mining, space exploration and dinosaurs. Not all captions are in English, but there is still plenty of information and the exhibitions are not difficult to follow.
Take bus 3 from Xinhua Square, or one of the various other buses from elsewhere in town. Entry is free. The Inner Mongolia Art Museum is diagonally opposite and the Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Museum is behind it, so you can group several free museums in one trip.
5. Temple of the Five Pagodas
The Temple of the Five Pagodas is an Indian-style temple constructed in 1732, famous for its frescos of 1,500 carved figures of Buddha, the inscription of the Diamond Sutra and an engraved Mongolian star chart.
It is about a 20-minute walk southeast of Da Zhao Temple, which makes it a natural addition to a morning in the old town. Entry is ¥35.
6. Tomb of Princess Zhaojun
The Tomb of Princess Zhaojun is the resting place of a Han princess who voluntarily married a nomad Hun chief to secure peace, and she is attributed with the ability to perform miracles. The site also contains a small but interesting museum about the Huns, including English captions.
Take bus No. 6 from Da Zhao Temple and switch to bus No. 44, which will take you there. Entry is ¥65. Because it sits outside the centre, give it a half-day rather than squeezing it between old-town sights.
7. Hohhot Museum
The Hohhot Museum is on Xinhua Street in the Xincheng District, next to the Hall of the People. It is free to enter and open 09:30–17:00, with no entry after 16:30, and closed on Tuesdays.
Take a metro train to the Renmin Huitang Station on Line 1, or bus no. 3, 4, 19, 29, 59, 82 or K1. Its central position on Xinhua Street makes it a convenient stop between the old town and the museum quarter.
8. Inner Mongolia Art Museum
The Inner Mongolia Art Museum is on Xinhua Street East in the Saihan District, diagonally opposite the Inner Mongolia Museum. Entry is free, opening hours are 09:00–17:00 with no entry after 16:00, and it is closed on Mondays.
Take a metro train to the Shizhengfu Station on Line 1, or bus no. 2, 3, 5, 12, 16, 27, 53, 59, 66, 80, 83, 92, 98, 113, K1 or S25. Since it faces the Inner Mongolia Museum, the two are best combined on the same day.
9. Inner Mongolia Museum of Natural History
The Inner Mongolia Museum of Natural History is on South 2nd Ring Road in the Saihan District. Entry is free and it is open 09:00–17:00, with no entry after 16:00, closed on Mondays.
Take bus no. 34, 37 or 78. Note that it closes on Mondays like the art museum, so if you are planning a museum day, check which day of the week you are travelling.
10. Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Museum
The Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Museum is on Beiyuan Street East in the Xincheng District, behind the Inner Mongolia Museum. It is free, open 09:00–17:00 with no entry after 16:30, and closed on Mondays.
Take a metro train to either the Bowuguan station or the Shizhengfu Station, both on Line 1, or bus no. 12, 27, 59, 80, 113 K1 or S25. Its position directly behind the Inner Mongolia Museum makes it the easiest third stop on a museum day.
11. Yili Health Valley
Yili Health Valley contains the main production points for the Chinese dairy company Yili Group, two of which are open to the public so you can see the production line for liquid milk and milk powder.
Take local bus 116 from the city centre on West Xinhua Street; the fare is ¥1, but the bus covers long distances and arrives at each station infrequently. Alternatively, take Hohhot Metro Line 1 to Yili Health Valley Station and then a taxi, which costs about ¥10.
12. People's Park
People's Park on Zhongshan West Road is a large park with lakes where you can drive a pedal boat, ride a giant wheel, or simply walk around. Parts of it feel like an amusement park and other parts like an ordinary park, and there is no entrance fee.
Pedal boats cost ¥50 for two people or ¥60 for four. It is a relaxed way to spend an afternoon, particularly in summer when the city is at its warmest.
13. Get to the mountains
The Daqing Shan encircles Hohhot to the north, and getting up into them is a straightforward half-day outing from the city.
Take bus 54 north until it ends at the edge of town; this bus can be easily caught along the north side of Xinhua Square heading west. Spring brings strong winds, so pick your day accordingly.
14. The Great Wall
The Great Wall is among the things to do from Hohhot. The city's history is bound up with the frontier: the old Yunzhong Commandery lay between the Great Wall and the Yin Mountains, and the wall marked the boundary between Han China and the Xiongnu.
Treat this as a day trip rather than a city sight, and combine it with the mountain outing if you have the time.
15. Wind turbines
The wind turbines around Hohhot are another way to see the surrounding landscape, and they pair naturally with a trip out towards the Daqing Shan.
Strong winds, especially in spring, are a feature of the local climate, which is precisely why the turbines are here. If you are heading out of the city by bus or car, keep an eye out for them on the ridgelines.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at Da Zhao Temple, the city's oldest monastery, and cross the street to Xilitu Zhao, the largest Buddhist temple in the city. Walk about 20 minutes southeast to the Temple of the Five Pagodas to see the carved Buddha figures and the Mongolian star chart.
Afternoon. Walk north from Da Zhao for about ten minutes along the main road to the Great Mosque of Hohhot, and eat on the street of Muslim vendors and restaurants beside it. Then take bus 3 from Xinhua Square to the Inner Mongolia Museum, and if time allows step diagonally across to the Inner Mongolia Art Museum or behind to the Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Museum.
Evening. Return to the Great Mosque of Hohhot to catch prayer at sunset, which is the most striking time to see it. Finish with dinner among the Muslim restaurants on the adjacent street.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time of year to visit Hohhot?
July is the hottest month, averaging 23.2 °C, and more than half the annual precipitation falls in July and August. Winters are long, cold and very dry, with January averaging −10.7 °C, and spring brings strong winds. Summer is the most comfortable season, but pack for rain.
Which sights cost money and which are free?
Da Zhao Temple, Xilitu Zhao and the Temple of the Five Pagodas charge entry, as does the Tomb of Princess Zhaojun. The Inner Mongolia Museum, Hohhot Museum, Inner Mongolia Art Museum, Inner Mongolia Museum of Natural History, Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Museum and People's Park are all free.
How do I get around the city's sights?
Da Zhao Temple is served by a lot of buses from almost everywhere in the city, and the Great Mosque is a ten-minute walk north of it. Metro Line 1 connects the Renmin Huitang, Bowuguan and Shizhengfu stations for the Xinhua Street museums, and buses serve the rest. Bus 54 north from Xinhua Square takes you to the edge of town for the mountains.
Which days are the museums closed?
The Hohhot Museum is closed on Tuesdays. The Inner Mongolia Art Museum, Inner Mongolia Museum of Natural History and Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Museum are closed on Mondays. All of them stop admitting visitors in the late afternoon, so arrive well before closing.
Work out which day of the week your museum stops fall on, check the lunar calendar for temple festivals, and you have everything you need to start planning a trip to Hohhot.