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Voykit pocket guide · China
Hami
哈密
Spend 1–2 days in Hami, see the tomb, museum and Ghost City, try melon; reach by train or 7–8 h bus from Urumqi.
Hami, a historic Silk Road town in Xinjiang, is known for its sweet melons, dry fruit and jade. Main sights cluster near the city centre and are reachable by short taxi rides. A short stay lets you sample local food and visit the tomb, museum and the natural Ghost City.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 哈密
- Best months
- check
- Avoid
- check
- 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 ¥200–¥300 excl. bed · Mid ¥350–¥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 and ambulance 119
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Raisins (dry fruit) | ¥10 /kg |
| Cheese (local) | ¥10 /½ kg |
| Dried jujubes | ¥80 /kg |
| Taxi start | ¥5 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HMI · Hami Airport
- Taxi from city centre about 20 min (check)
Typical fares
- Urumqi → Hami bus
- about ¥126, 7 h (check)
- Taxi airport → city
- ≈¥30
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
Taxis start at ¥5; most attractions are within 10 km (6.2 mi), reachable in 5–15 min by taxi.Taxis start at ¥5; most attractions are within 6.2 mi (10 km), reachable in 5–15 min by taxi.
See and do
Known for
- Hami melon
- dry fruit
- jade workshops
- Silk Road heritage
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tomb of Hami king | Taxi from city centre, about 10 min | ≈15 min total (check) |
| Hami Museum | Walk or short taxi, 5 min | ≈10 min total (check) |
| Ghost City | Taxi, 20 min | ≈30 min total (check) |
| Songshutang ski area | Car or bus, 2 h; ticket ¥12, ski ¥100 | ≈2 h 30 min (check) |
Sleep
- Local hotel (foreigners accepted)
- Rooms start around ¥300 per night (check)
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | 对不起duìbuqǐ |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxiè |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duōshǎo qián? |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kěyǐ shuākǎ ma? |
| Where is the toilet? | 厕所在哪里？cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? |
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
- Bus road is single‑lane, bumpy and dusty; keep windows closed on detours.
- Some attractions (e.g., tomb) may have limited opening hours – check locally.
Hami is generally safe for tourists, but watch for dust on bus detours and confirm taxi fares before starting the ride. Summer heat can be intense; carry water and sun protection.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hami yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Hami melon
- dry fruit
- jade workshops
- Silk Road heritage
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: Hami, revision 5113133 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5113133
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/hami). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.