One-Day Tour Itinerary Recommendations for Urumqi

Urumqi has many interesting places worth visiting. It is also the largest city in the world farthest from the ocean. So, what are some attractions worth visiting in a day trip to Urumqi? Below, we have compiled a list of recommended one-day tour itineraries.

Silk Road Cultural Theme

Itinerary One: Autonomous Region Museum – Xinjiang Ancient Ecological Park – Naan Culture Industry Park – International Grand Bazaar (1 day tour)

【Autonomous Region Museum】Visit “Five Stars Appear in the East, benefiting China”. Experience the magnificent evolution of clothing on the Silk Road from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. Explore the prosperity of the Silk Road in terms of economy, culture, and people from the museum’s collection of over 30,000 precious relics.

【Xinjiang Ancient Ecological Park】This park integrates ecological tourism, cultural origin tracing, and folk customs experiences. It gathers the precious natural relics of Xinjiang and the essence of ancient and modern Silk Road humanities in one park. Currently, the park has become a famous Silk Road cultural tourism brand, a Xinjiang cultural tourism landmark, and a must-visit place to experience Xinjiang culture.

【Naan Culture Industry Park】Here, tourists can learn about the historical origins, production processes, nutritional value, and traditional and modern innovations of naan through models, exhibition boards, and other methods.

【Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar】The Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar is currently the largest bazaar in the country and is an important landmark building in Urumqi. It is known as the “Window to Central Asia,” “Window to the World,” and “Window to Xinjiang.” Here, there are thousands of shops selling Xinjiang handicrafts and souvenirs. There are a variety of goods, including handmade carpets, gold and silver jewelry, local dried fruits, and so on.

Itinerary Two: Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar – Tianshan Grand Canyon – Shuixigou Ice and Snow Town – Large-scale Real-scene Mythological Musical “The Promise of Kunlun” (1-day tour)

【Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar】The Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar is currently the largest bazaar in the country and is an important landmark building in Urumqi. It is known as the “Window to Central Asia,” “Window to the World,” and “Window to Xinjiang.” Here, there are thousands of shops selling Xinjiang handicrafts and souvenirs. There are a variety of goods, including handmade carpets, gold and silver jewelry, local dried fruits, and so on.

【Tianshan Grand Canyon】Here, there are mysterious snow-capped fir trees, emerald green valley grasslands, spectacular snow peaks and glaciers, deep mountain canyons, gushing valley streams, clear meltwater lakes, and other natural landscapes for tourists to admire. There are also outdoor activities such as adventure sports, skiing and skating, self-driving exploration, and hiking and photography for tourists to experience.

【The Promise of Kunlun】The play is based on historical records and tells the story of the Zhou Dynasty emperor’s westward journey through the world, overcoming hardships and finally realizing his appointment with the Queen Mother of the West in Kunlun. The production work was carried out by the well-known domestic artist team led by Mei Shuaiyuan. By combining various stage and film special effects techniques, it finally presents a large-scale real-scene drama that integrates the beauty of natural mountains and rivers, the charm of characteristic culture, and the wonders of modern technology.

Itinerary Three: Xinjiang Geological and Mineral Museum – Central Asia Gold and Jade Industry Park – Hetian Jade Cultural and Creative Industry Park (1-day tour)

【Xinjiang Geological and Mineral Museum】This is an important window to understand the changes in the geographical environment of Xinjiang, and to understand metal, non-metal, energy minerals, precious stones, and other mineral resources. It has a collection of more than 12,000 specimens of minerals, rocks, and animal and plant fossils, including over 100 first-class specimens.

【Central Asia Gold and Jade Industry Park】This is a regional gold trading center facing Central and Southwest Asia, mainly built around gold production and processing enterprises. It integrates areas such as financial derivative trading, gold and jade transportation, design and development, testing and inspection, display and trading, equipment manufacturing, and cultural tourism.

【Hetian Jade Cultural and Creative Industry Park】Located on Bazhou Road, here you can listen to jade carving masters talk about jade culture and watch the process of jade design and production.

Shopping, Food and Cultural Experience Theme

Itinerary One: Autonomous Region Museum – Youhao Commercial District – Ban’s Bookstore – BILI Valley Creative Street – Arslan Food and Dance Theater – 2020club (1 day tour)

【Autonomous Region Museum】Step into the treasure trove of Silk Road civilization. Read through the history and cultural veins of Xinjiang in one museum. Tour Xinjiang’s “National Treasure.”

【Youhao Commercial District】This is Urumqi’s old brand commercial district. It concentrates various commercial formats, including shopping, dining, commercial housing, movie theaters, and entertainment and leisure.

【Ban’s Bookstore】Ban’s Bookstore is not just a bookstore, but also a space for reading and communication. In addition to books, the store also has cultural and creative products from around the world, original life crafts, and more.

【Youhao Fashion Shopping Mall BILI Valley Creative Street】Located at No. 989, Xihuan North Road, Urumqi, Haoyuan Shangpin, it has become a popular destination for literary and artistic youth due to its wide variety of books.

【Arslan Food and Dance Theater】At the Arslan characteristic cultural restaurant, you can experience food culture, dance culture, and folk customs culture.

【2020club】Located in Wujie YOHO, Nanhu East Road, Urumqi, the music here is dynamic and the activities are rich and varied. It is a gathering place for male gods and goddesses.

Itinerary Two: Saiwai Shui Xiang – Xinjiang Ancient Ecological Park – KL Star Product Collection – Tianjin Road Gourmet No. 1 Street – iShang Huatian Movie Town (1 day tour)

【Saiwai Shui Xiang】Located in Anningqu, Urumqi, this is a large-scale ecological organic farm that integrates planting, picking, breeding, fishing, dining, and parent-child leisure.

【Yema Ancient Ecological Park】This park integrates ecological tourism, cultural origin tracing, and folk customs experiences. It gathers the precious natural relics of Xinjiang and the essence of ancient and modern Silk Road humanities in one park. It has become a famous Silk Road cultural tourism brand, a Xinjiang cultural tourism landmark, and a must-visit place to experience Xinjiang culture.

【KL Star Product Collection】This is Urumqi’s first cultural shopping center themed on love constellations. It is a fashion and trend base built for urban young people.

【Tianjin Road Gourmet No. 1 Street】There are over 30 specialty restaurants, including hot pot, Korean cuisine, seafood, and other delicacies. It is a major gathering place for young people.

【iShang Huatian Movie Town】Come to the flower town under the starry sky and embark on a romantic and novel movie journey.

Itinerary Three: Anningqu Cultural and Tourism Town – Saiwai Shui Xiang Resort – Central Asia Gold and Jade Industry Park (1 day tour)

【Anningqu Cultural and Tourism Town】Located in Anningqu Town, it is part of the airport air economic zone and is a 15-minute drive from the Railway Bureau business district. Anningqu Cultural and Tourism Town takes culture as its guide and always revolves around the theme of “fashionable creativity, urban memory.” Currently, it has cultural resources such as non-heritage exhibition halls, folk craft studios, and master studios. Through the organization of rich and colorful research activities, the town has been shaped into the first choice brand in the capital’s research field.

【Saiwai Shui Xiang Resort】Organic planting, breeding, specialty dining, free picking, fishing, adoption, leisure and entertainment are all part of a large-scale ecological organic farm. It is a national five-star leisure agriculture and rural tourism park.

【Central Asia Gold and Jade Industry Park】It has achieved the aggregation of a full industrial chain, mainly including gold and jade transportation, design and development, testing and inspection, display and trading, financial trading, and cultural tourism. Here, you can visit, shop, and learn about the history of gold development in Xinjiang. You can also enter the processing workshop to see the artisans’ handcrafted gold jewelry and learn about the cultural origins and production processes of gold processing.

Itinerary Four: Children’s Park – Hetian Jade Cultural and Creative Industry Park – Youhao Commercial District – Flower Hat Street – Yamalik Mountain (1 day tour)

【Children’s Park】Xinjiang’s only comprehensive children’s park that integrates science education, entertainment, and garden viewing.

【Hetian Jade Cultural and Creative Industry Park】Located on Bazhou Road, Urumqi, at the Xinjiang Hetian Jade Cultural and Creative Industry Park, you can listen to craft masters talk about jade culture, watch jade design and production as well as appraisal processes, and choose your favorite jade.

【Youhao Commercial District】Youhao Commercial District is a rapidly developing commercial area in Urumqi. The major shopping malls in Youhao Commercial District have gathered 41 international first-line brands and all domestic well-known brands. The daily flow of people in the commercial district exceeds 200,000. It has become an important commercial district in Urumqi with the most contemporary characteristics.

【Flower Hat Street】Located on the 6th floor of Shenzhen Book City, 500 meters from Meimei, it is a retro, Xinjiang-style food street that is modeled after the Xinjiang night market of the 1980s and 1990s. Here, there are special foods from all over Xinjiang. It is a popular TikTok destination. Not only can you eat Xinjiang-style food, but you can also learn about the customs of the Xinjiang ethnic minorities.

【Yamalik Mountain Scenic Area】Locals call it Yaomo Mountain, named after a legend that there are demons on the mountain. This is the Urumqi Urban Forest Park. With its unique advantage of blending natural scenery and human environment, it is Urumqi’s ecological landscape feature area.

Itinerary Five: Xiaolu Valley – Shengda Plaza – Jingkai Wanda Plaza (1 day tour)

【Xiaolu Valley】Xiaolu Valley combines the functions of a large-scale ecological leisure green space and a business leisure green space. It is the “back garden” of the headquarters park, administration, and finance center. It is not only an important part of the extended area’s landscape features, but also the “ecological name card” of the extended area to the entire development zone facing the outside world.

【Shengda Plaza】It combines cultural creativity, 77 Street District characteristic culture, and street culture, bringing food and cultural enjoyment to tourists.

【Jingkai Wanda Plaza】It fully meets the needs of Urumqi residents for a one-stop new consumer experience of leisure, entertainment, and shopping.