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Plan your China Silk Road Tour? The Silk Road is the most well-known trading route of ancient Chinese civilization.
The Silk Road started in the ancient city Chang’an (Xian), passed Tianshui, Lanzhou, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang Mogao Caves and Loulan ancient city, then at last reach Xinjiang. As a major tourist route in Northwest China, the infrastructure of the Silk Road is improving after ten years of development and construction. It has become an attractive theme tour route in many of the tourism products.
The ancient Silk Road starts from Xi'an in the East and goes West to the Pamir Plateau. Since the Western Han Dynasty, it has been the main way to link trade and cultural exchanges between the East and the West. It is also a well-known world heritage site, Zhang Qian, Xuanzang, Marco Polo and other cultural celebrities were born on this road, but also left behind Baima Temple, Jiayuguan pass, Yangguan pass, Mogao Grottoes, Gaochang Ruins and other cultural relics with a long history, as well as Zhangye Danxia Landform, Echoing sand Mountain and Crescent Lake, Taklamakan Desert, Xinjiang Tianshan Mountain, Pamir Plateau and other magnificent and magical natural scenery. Every spring to Autumn is the best time to Silk Road,The months of May and October are the best time to travel the Silk Road. The scenery is most beautiful and the weather is comfortable during this time. The summer can be extremely hot.
The winter is freezing. During May, the average temperature along the route is around 15C. The scenery is most beautiful during May. The accumulated winter snow on the tableland is melting.
Xi'an Shanxi:
Xi’an is the cradle of the Chinese civilization, and the starting point of the Silk Road. It has a history of over 7000 years, most of the tourists to Xi'an have two purposes: admiring the historical sites and tasting the delicious food. So when is the best time to travel to Xi’an? It’s a question that pop up in the mind of every tourist who’s planning the silk road travel in the future.
Xi'an is a humanistic tourist destination. It can be said that all the seasons are suitable for tourism. But considering the weather, the best time to travel to Xi’an is from March to October.
Spring blossoms and pleasant climate from March to May are the best time to visit the Big and Small Wild Goose Pagoda, and some palaces. From September to October, the autumn sky is clear and the air is crisp,melons and fruits are fragrant. At this time you can enjoy the unique autumn scenery of Big and Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Daming Palace and some beautiful scenery, in the evening you can go to the Beiyuan men Islamic street to taste some traditional Xi’an cuisine.
From March to November is the peak season of tourism in Xi'an every year. Although June to August is also included in this period, however the weather will be very hot during this period and there will be a lot of tourists.
Xian's off-season tourism is from mid-November to March of next year. At this time, the climate of Xi'an is cold and dry, the cold wind penetrate one’s bones, and the temperature is really low, so there are fewer tourists. Although it is not the peak season of tourism, most scenic spots carry out off-season prices. Considering the economic factors, it is a good time to travel to Xi'an. of course, if you would like to enjoy a magnificent scene of the north.
Urumqi Xinjiang:
As one of the Autonomous regions in China, Xinjiang is the homeland of unique cultural highlights and the most exciting places in Asia. The climate of Xinjiang belongs to the continental. The best season to visit this vast land are Spring and Summer.
The spring in Xinjiang is quite short, from Mid-March to May. Because of the invasion of the cold weather, usually with strong gale. The average temperature of this season is between 10 and 22 degrees Celsius. So it is the best time to look at the green foliage around the trees.
In Tianshan Mountain, especially in spring, when the snow just melted the small sprout grow with full energy. The blue sky,white clouds, and green grass makes visitors feel cozy and exciting.
From June to August, this time is considered to be the peak tourist season and hottest season in Xinjiang, with an average temperature that is over 22 degree Celsius, therefore, in this season, you can enjoy the beautiful natural landscape and explore the local customs and practices here.
Naraty Grassland is located in Ili, it is one of the most attractive grassland in the world. Naraty always knows how to attract more visitors to come here and will not let them leave immediately. According to Turks, Naraty means the first place to see the sun. The water from the surrounding large rivers provides the meadows to be always fresh in the summer.
Autumn is the most comfortable and beautiful season, the temperature range from 10 to 22 Degree Celsius, thus cool weather has made the tourists come here to enjoy the warm atmosphere of this city.
Furthermore, visiting Urumqi will be the best choice when you travel to Xinjiang in Autumn. Urumqi is the largest city in north west of China. In addition it is an important stop along the Silk Road leading to Europe.
In winter, Xinjiang has a lot of snow with an average temperature that is less than 10 Degree Celsius, You can experience the wonderful snow bergs such as Tianshan Mountain and Karakul lake.
Karakul lake is locating in the Pair Plateau, is one of the top 10 largest meteorite pools in the world and an attractive destination for Xinjiang tourism, the lake is famous for its fanciful landscape and clear waters.
By the way, if you go to Xinjiang in the second half of the year, you will see a lot of differences in this area.
Xining Qinghai:
The climate in Xining is characterized as having an arid climate with little rain and has plenty of sunshine; it is dry and windy in spring, and has a short summer season and a long and cold winter. The best time to visit Xining is from May to September.
Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Zhangye and Lanzhou:
Zhangye Danxia Landform is a paradise of photographers, every April to the Mid-November is the best time to travel to Danxia Landform. As the sunset, the mountains in the scenic area show bright red and reddish-brown, it looks like streaky pork, which is quite gorgeous.
The ancients said: ‘Why should the Mongol flute complain no willows grow? Spring breeze has never been to Yumen pass’. It is the best description of Jiayuguan pass, every April to December is the best time to visit Jiayuguan pass.
Jiayuguan City is located 5 kilometers west of Jiayuguan City, it is the west section of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty, and is also an important town on the ancient Silk Road. Since ancient times, it has been known as "Shanhaiguan in the East and Jiayuguan in the west". And Guancheng is back to the Qilian Mountains. In winter and spring, you can take pictures of the magnificent scenery at the foot of the snow mountain. Every April to November is the best season to enjoy the stupendous Mogao Caves and the spectacular Echoing-Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake.
In Mogao Caves, you can enjoy the large-scale and rich content of grottoes and mural art, but also through explanations and movies to show the development history of Buddhism in Dunhuang for thousands of years, is the first choice for tourists to visit Dunhuang.
In Echoing-Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake scenic spots, you feel the desolate vastness of the Northwest desert. Climbing and riding a camel, viewing the sand sea and sunset on the top of the mountain, feeling the pleasure of flying down from the height of the sand mountain, and the rumbling sound ringing in my ears.
Lanzhou Located inland, Lanzhou is a typical temperate, semi-arid continental monsoon climate. It is dry with sufficient sunshine. The best season may be from May to October when the temperature is most suitable.
Major Destinations to Go: Xian, Luoyang, Dunhuang, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Lanzhou, Qinghai, Urumqi, Turpan, Kashgar, Kucha, Hotan, Tianshui, Ningxia...
Top Tourist Attractions to Visit: Xian Terracotta Warriors, Dunhuang Mogao Caves, Zhangye Danxia Landform - Rainbow Mountains, Qinghai Lake, Heavenly Lake, Jiaohe Ancient City, Kashgar Old Town, Karakul Lake...
Best Time to Go: Generally, months from April to October are the best time, because the temperature is moderate and pleasant, the weather is good and the natural scenery is the most beautiful during this period.
The ancient Silk Road is a long tourist travel route involving lots of Chinese destinations, mostly located in Northwest China. A Silk Road travel can be flexibly customized according to travelers’ length of vacations, departure city, individual preferences and budget. It can take a few days to a few weeks and months.
Travelers with 7 ~ 8 days can visit more Silk Road destinations. You can explore the Hexi Corridor with neighboring Qinghai, enjoy beautiful Qinghai Lake and other stunning landscapes and cultures, or travel farther to Xinjiang, unveil the mysterious Western Regions in top destinations - Turpan, Urumqi and Kashgar. Depending on your pace, you can even take some side trips, such as travelling to Karakul Lake from Kashgar.
holiday of 10 ~ 15 days and a longer length is suitable to cover major destinations along the Silk Road in China. You can flexibly arrange an itinerary based on your interests. The most classic Silk Road tour covers Xian, main destinations in Hexi Corridor and Xinjiang, and takes just 10 days. Qinghai and Ningxia are popular regions for an in-depth Silk Road adventure. If time allows, you can visit the holy land of Tibet (Lhasa, Shigatse, Mount Everest, Mt.Kailash...) which has impressive Buddhist and Tibetan culture and plateau vista, and other destinations in China to experience the vast and diversity of China.
TTC has served thousands of customers to discover the nature, culture and history of China. With our one-to-one trip planning help, considerate and professional services of tour guide, accommodation, tickets and transfer arrangement, your Silk Road travel will go smooth and conveniently with better travel experiences. You can choose from our most popular Silk Road tour packages below, or contact us to customize an ideal one by yourself.
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