©Megan Eaves/Lonely Planet

Xining

Situated on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, this lively and hugely diverse provincial capital makes a good base from which to dive into the surrounding sights and on to the more remote regions of Qinghai and beyond. Though many travellers use Xining (西宁, Xīníng) as a jumping-off or landing point from the Qinghai–Tibet Railway, it’s also a wonderful place to encounter the province’s varied cultures – Muslim (Hui, Salar and Uyghur), Tibetan and Han Chinese – especially the rich culinary mix that these groups bring together. There's superb food and a scattering of tempting cafes as well as an outstanding museum of Tibetan culture, some beautiful temples and mosques, plus the remains of the old city wall, so try not to race through without putting aside some time to explore.

Explore Xining

T
Tibetan Culture & Medicine Museum
Exhibitions in the north hall focus on Tibetan medicine, astronomy and science. Many visitors come for the 618m-long thangka scroll in the south hall –…
N
Nanguan Mosque
This beautiful and recently constructed mosque is really quite an astonishing sight. Built from marble and a variety of other stones and carved tilework,…
D
Dongguan Grand Mosque
As becomes quickly evident to even the most casual observer, about one-third of Xining’s population is Muslim, and although the city's biggest mosque may…
N
Nánshān Gōngyuán
This park, which is also known as Fènghuáng Shān (凤凰山), rises above Xining south of town. The grounds are home to two Buddhist temples: Nánchán Sì and…
X
Xining City Wall
One or two isolated sections of Xining’s Tang dynasty city wall still remain, the most accessible being this short stretch within a park on Kunlun Zhonglu…
Q
Qinghai Provincial Museum
At the east end of Xinning Sq (Xīnníng Guǎngchǎng), this provincial museum looks like an ominous government building from afar. Once inside, galleries…
N
Nanchan Temple
Standing atop Phoenix Mountain, this Buddhist temple overlooks Xining from the south. The temple was built during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127),…
Q
Qinghai Art Museum
This vast, internally attractive and ambitious art museum on the south side of Xinning Sq displays art and calligraphy by artists from Qinghai and around…
B
Beichan Tulou Temple
This Taoist temple at the foot of a barren hill on Xining’s north side is nothing special but halfway up the steep climb to the top you pass cave temples…

T
Tibetan Culture & Medicine Museum
Exhibitions in the north hall focus on Tibetan medicine, astronomy and science. Many visitors come for the 618m-long thangka scroll in the south hall –…
N
Nanguan Mosque
This beautiful and recently constructed mosque is really quite an astonishing sight. Built from marble and a variety of other stones and carved tilework,…
D
Dongguan Grand Mosque
As becomes quickly evident to even the most casual observer, about one-third of Xining’s population is Muslim, and although the city's biggest mosque may…
N
Nánshān Gōngyuán
This park, which is also known as Fènghuáng Shān (凤凰山), rises above Xining south of town. The grounds are home to two Buddhist temples: Nánchán Sì and…
X
Xining City Wall
One or two isolated sections of Xining’s Tang dynasty city wall still remain, the most accessible being this short stretch within a park on Kunlun Zhonglu…
Q
Qinghai Provincial Museum
At the east end of Xinning Sq (Xīnníng Guǎngchǎng), this provincial museum looks like an ominous government building from afar. Once inside, galleries…
N
Nanchan Temple
Standing atop Phoenix Mountain, this Buddhist temple overlooks Xining from the south. The temple was built during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127),…
Q
Qinghai Art Museum
This vast, internally attractive and ambitious art museum on the south side of Xinning Sq displays art and calligraphy by artists from Qinghai and around…
B
Beichan Tulou Temple
This Taoist temple at the foot of a barren hill on Xining’s north side is nothing special but halfway up the steep climb to the top you pass cave temples…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Xining.

See
Tibetan Culture & Medicine Museum
Exhibitions in the north hall focus on Tibetan medicine, astronomy and science. Many visitors come for the 618m-long thangka scroll in the south hall –…
See
Nanguan Mosque
This beautiful and recently constructed mosque is really quite an astonishing sight. Built from marble and a variety of other stones and carved tilework,…
See
Dongguan Grand Mosque
As becomes quickly evident to even the most casual observer, about one-third of Xining’s population is Muslim, and although the city's biggest mosque may…
See
Nánshān Gōngyuán
This park, which is also known as Fènghuáng Shān (凤凰山), rises above Xining south of town. The grounds are home to two Buddhist temples: Nánchán Sì and…
See
Xining City Wall
One or two isolated sections of Xining’s Tang dynasty city wall still remain, the most accessible being this short stretch within a park on Kunlun Zhonglu…
See
Qinghai Provincial Museum
At the east end of Xinning Sq (Xīnníng Guǎngchǎng), this provincial museum looks like an ominous government building from afar. Once inside, galleries…
See
Nanchan Temple
Standing atop Phoenix Mountain, this Buddhist temple overlooks Xining from the south. The temple was built during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127),…
See
Qinghai Art Museum
This vast, internally attractive and ambitious art museum on the south side of Xinning Sq displays art and calligraphy by artists from Qinghai and around…
See
Beichan Tulou Temple
This Taoist temple at the foot of a barren hill on Xining’s north side is nothing special but halfway up the steep climb to the top you pass cave temples…

Guidebooks

Learn more about Xining

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