Kashgar Transportation, China Travel Guide

With a history of more than 2000 years, used to be a important hub on the Old Silk Road, Kashgar is the most westerly city in China. A visit to Kashgar is like going back in time, to the era of the Silk Road. The majority of the people in Kashgar are Uighurs who still wear their traditional costumes and lead a centuries old way of life. Every Sunday, thousands of people throng in from far and wide to buy and sell or simply for a day out at Kashgar´s famous Sunday Market. Its narrow maze of alleyways and open air markets display all the myriad faces of Central Asia with Uighur, Kirghiz, Tajik and Kazakh merchants and locals, all busy haggling over camels and sheep, brightly colored fabrics, fur hides and hats, handmade carpets and knives. Other sights in Kashgar include the 15th century Id Kakh Mosque, the largest in China which sometime attracts up to 10,000 worshipers and the Abakh Hoja Mausoleum, also known as the Mausoleum of the Fragrant Concubine.

By plane

There are daily flights between Kashgar and Urumqi. The flight takes one and a half hours and costs around RMB 1,300. Leaving Kashgar for Urumqi is no easy task. It is a good idea to book tickets as far in advance as possible. This can be done at the Xinjiang Airline Office on Jiefang Nan Lu, south of the People´s Hotel. Local travel agencies charge RMB 50 to book each plane ticket. The airport is 11 km from the city center and there are regular bus services from the airport to the city for RMB 6. A taxi should cost approximately RMB 30.

By train

The railway has reached town and Kashgar (or Kashi, in Chinese) has become China´s westernmost railway station. Everyday at 14:42, K888 starts from Kashgar and arrives at Urumqi at 14:52 the next day. K886 leaves Urumqi at 13:22 and arrives at Kashgar at 13:16 the next day.

By bus

The bus between Urumqi and Kashgar goes via Aksu, Kuqa, Korla and Toksun. The trip takes about 36 hours and costs RMB 200. Sleeper buses are more comfortable and cost RMB 400. Some people hire jeeps and drivers and cover the distance this way. The best place to find out more information about this is in John´s Information Cafe opposite the Seman Hotel. Foreigners are often asked to pay 100 per cent more for bus tickets than the Chinese. This is technically illegal, but it is difficult to do anything about. There are also buses from Kashgar to Tashkurgan, which is the last town along the Karakoram Highway that heads to Pakistan.
By the way, it is illegal for foreigners to set off from Kashgar to Lhasa.

17 Days Splendid Silk Road & Classical Architectures and Historical Ruins Tour

Tour Code: PC11

Price from: USD 3482

Trip Overview:
Come to explore and discover the ancient and mysterious Silk Road with us in this 17 days tour. Follow us to go through China´s history by visiting the historical wonders, Buddhism temples, beautiful Chinese classical architectures and historical ruins. Experience the Moslem style weekly Great Sunday Bazaar, known as "the pearl on the Ancient Silk Road". Finish this wonderful trip by visiting the biggest and modern city Shanghai.

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Tour Code: PCSL11

Price from: USD 0

Trip Overview:
Welcome to this classic Silk Road tour covering most of the scenic spots on the ancient Silk Road. During this tour you can not only experience the ancient and mysterious Silk Road in person, but also have good chance to enjoy the beautiful nature scenery in northwest China.

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Tour Code: PCSL15

Price from: USD 1116

Trip Overview:
This one week tour will lead to Dunhuang, Urumqi, Kashgar, which covers most of the sightseeing on the Silk Road, such as Mogao Grottoes one of the three famous rock grottoes and regarded as a storehouse of the Buddhist art in the world, Roaring Mingsha Hill, Yumenguan, Yangguan, Heaven Lake, Heavenly Mountain, Fragrant Concubine Tomb, Id Kah Mosque and Sunday Bazaar.