In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · China
Cherchen
且末
Visit Cherchen for a quick 1‑day stop if you’re on a Silk Road itinerary; otherwise skip it and base in Kashgar or Hotan.
Cherchen is a small oasis town on the southern Silk Road with a handful of museums, a historic bazaar and nearby desert sights. Facilities are basic and transport limited, so a single day is enough for the main attractions, with extra time only if you plan remote trips such as the Molcha rock carvings.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 且末
- Best months
- Sep–Nov, Mar–May (cool, less sandstorm risk)
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (sandstorms, extreme heat)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥250–¥350 excl. bed · Mid ¥400–¥500 excl. bed · High ¥600+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Tea (local café) | ¥15–¥30 |
| Naan or flatbread | ¥10–¥20 |
| Taxi (meter start) | ¥20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- IQM · Qiemo Yudu Airport
- 2 weekly flights to Urumqi via Korla; may be cancelled if low demand
Typical fares
- Qiemo ↔ Urumqi (via Korla)
- ≈ ¥300–¥400 one way, 2‑day flight
- Bus Cherchen → Khotan
- ≈ ¥120, 11 h
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Taxi (metered) in town; hire 4WD for trips to remote sights. Buses connect to Khotan (11 h) and Ruoqiang (6 h).
See and do
Known for
- Ancient Tarim mummies
- Zaghunluq mummy tomb
- Uyghur bazaar and neighborhood
- Kunlun Square
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Khotan | Daily bus, 11 h, 605 km (376 mi)Daily bus, 11 h, 376 mi (605 km) | ≈12 h |
| Ruoqiang (Charklik) | Daily bus, 6 h, 351 km (218 mi)Daily bus, 6 h, 218 mi (351 km) | ≈7 h |
| Molcha River Rock Carvings | 4WD hire, 180 km (112 mi) east4WD hire, 112 mi (180 km) east | ≈5 h round trip |
Sleep
- Muztag Hotel
- Modern rooms, English‑speaking manager, limited water schedule
- Local guesthouses
- Basic amenities, cash‑only, no foreign currency exchange
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | ئىسىلامۇ ئەلەيكۇمIsilamu alaykum |
| How much? | قەدىر قەندەqedir qende |
| Do you speak English? | ئېنگلىزچە بىلىمسىز؟englizche bilimsiz? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Sandstorms in spring can delay travel; keep schedule flexible.
- English is rare; carry Mandarin and Uyghur phrasebooks.
- No ATMs or currency exchange in town; bring RMB.
- Water and hot water may be rationed; ask hotel for schedule.
Cherchen is generally safe for day visitors; main risks are sandstorms and limited medical facilities.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Cherchen yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Ancient Tarim mummies
- Zaghunluq mummy tomb
- Uyghur bazaar and neighborhood
- Kunlun Square
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Cherchen, revision 5073764 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5073764
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/cherchen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.