Turpan Itinerary for 3 Days : Ultimate Turpan Travel Guide

Day 1 | Morning

Grape Valley

Opening Hours: Open from 9:30am-7:30pm

Ticket Price: 60 RMB

Recommended Length of Stay: 3-3 Hours

Location: Gaochang, Turpan, Xinjiang, China

As a valley under the Flaming Mountain, Huoyan Grape Valley Resort is located at the northeast of Turpan. Grape Valley is a shady and cool oasis in the scorching Flaming Mountain area. It is also known for its grapes grown in the Grape Valley, making it one of the most famous scenic spots in Xinjiang. Scenic spots in the resort include the Effendi Garden and the Music and Art Hall of Wang Luobin. Here, visitors can enjoy hundreds of types of grapes, appreciate Uyghur singing and dancing, and experience the Uyghur dwellings.

Day 1 | Afternoon

Now we come to another great highlight in the city: Flaming Mountains.

Flaming Mountains

Ticket Price: 40 RMB

Recommended Length of Stay: 3-4 Hours

Location: Huoyan Mountain, Gaochang, Turpan, China

The Flaming Mountains is part of the Turpan area of Xinjiang. It is located next to Huogao Expressway, on the east side of Turpan City. It is a scenic geological landscape dominated by vibrant red sandstone landforms. Historically, it is where the ancient country Gaochang used to be. Visitors can see the majestic landforms and the historical exhibition of Gaochang. “Journey to the West”-themed statues can also be found here. The Flaming Mountain Scenic Area is divided into two parts: underground and above-ground. The underground part is a gallery-style exhibition hall. There are statues and written passages related to the ancient city of Gaochang. After passing through the underground scenic spot, visitors can go to the level above ground to see the beautiful, fiery red sandstones and cliffs.

Reviews from Real Guests:

Trip.com User: Hot but hot torfan I liked it〜 I want to be careful not to get heat stroke. This is a good view. Good desert. Let's hire a driver and efficiently go around.

Day 1 | Evening

Don’t forget to book Ruoshui Hotel in advance, because all the tourists head to Flaming Mountains love staying at it.

Ruoshui Hotel

The Ruoshui Hotel is one of the newest hotels in Shanshan, having opened in 2019.

The hotel is just 8km away from Shanshan North Railway Station. This hotel is located near many of Shanshan's attractions including Dongda Monastery, Shanshan County and 庫木塔格沙漠景區露營基地-夜遊沙漠.

In their spare time, guests can explore the hotel's surroundings. This Shanshan hotel provides parking on site.

If cleanliness is important to you, this hotel makes an excellent choice, as our guests consider this to be one of the cleanest hotels in the city. This hotel is a popular accommodation for guests traveling with families.

Day 2 | Morning

Kan'erjing Folk Custom Park

Opening Hours: Open from 01/01-04/20,10:00am-6:30pm;Open from 04/21-10/20,8:00am-8:00pm;Open from 10/21-12/31,10:00am-6:30pm

Ticket Price: 40 RMB

Recommended Length of Stay: 2-3 Hours

Location: Xincheng Rd, Gaochang Qu, Tulufan Shi, Xinjiang Weiwuerzizhiqu, China

The Kan'erjing Folk Custom Park is on the east side of Turpan. It is a scenic area displaying karez culture with karez, a karez museum, a folk custom street, and other spots. When entering the scenic area, the first thing you will see is the karez museum. The working principle and excavation process of the karez are showed systematically in the museum. It is also an ideal place to learn about karez culture.

Reviews from Real Guests:

Trip.com User: really interesting and you can learn a lot about the ancient irrigation system. the information provided in English was of very good quality and actually helpful. definitely recommended!

Trip.com User: inititally the name seemed strange and i wasn’t sure whether to go or not. it turned out to be one of the most interesting places in turpan!

Day 2 | Afternoon

Now we come to another great highlight in the city: Yarkhoto Ruins.

Yarkhoto Ruins

Opening Hours: 10:00-19:00

Ticket Price: 70 RMB

Recommended Length of Stay: 3-3 Hours

Location: Gaochang, Turpan, Xinjiang, China

Situated to the west of the city of Turpan, Yarkhoto (also called Jiaohe) is a city which flourished during the Southern and Northern Dynasties through to the Tang Dynasty. Later, due to years of war, the city was abandoned and became a ruin. It is a relatively complete urban relic. The ruins of Yarkhoto are divided into temples, houses, and government offices. All the structures are made with rammed earth. Today these ruins of once magnificent rammed earth buildings give Yarkhoto its sense of historicity. It is a good place for photography. There is no clear route to follow when visiting the Yarkhoto Ruins. Take a walk and take photos as you please.

Reviews from Real Guests:

Trip.com User: The intersection means that the two rivers intersect, the two-thousand-year-old culture, the earth wall hills left behind, can not imagine the bustling years! Looking back on old knowledge and new knowledge makes us cherish today's motherland rich and strong hard-won! The old city of Jiaohe is worth visiting.

Robert: Absolutely amazing place and simply a must visit if your in this part of the world. you could easily spend one for day here looking around and still not see it all. the other great thing is that unlike other Chinese tourist attractions there's almost nobody here!

Day 2 | Evening

For convenient access to more popular attractions, Yar's Garden Hotel is the best places.

Yar's Garden Hotel

The Yar's Garden Hotel was recently opened in 2019, making it a fantastic choice for those staying in Turpan.

In their spare time, guests can explore the hotel's surroundings. Guests of this Turpan hotel can make use of the parking facilities.

According to our guests, this hotel provides a very high level of service.

Day 3 | Morning

Ancient City of Gaochang

Ticket Price: 70 RMB

Recommended Length of Stay: 3-3 Hours

Location: Gaochang, Turpan, Xinjiang, China

Reviews from Real Guests:

The Sheriff: Wow, really awesome ruins of an ancient Silk Road city in the desert. We travelled here in the May holiday and there were virtually no tourists.

Day 3 | Afternoon

When time permits after visiting Ancient City of Gaochang, don’t forget pay a visit to Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves.

Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves

Ticket Price: 40 RMB

Recommended Length of Stay: 2-3 Hours

Location: 45 kilometers east of Turpan City in Turpan45 kilometers east of Turpan City in Turpan

Reviews from Real Guests:

Trip.com User: I was still in the New Uyghur Autonomous Region, but I chartered the driver and went. I think that in the afternoon evening, you can take a picture with a beautiful color to take a picture with a wonderful ruins. I want to go slowly again

* All reviews in the blog are machine-translated.