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Voykit pocket guide · China
Kashgar
喀什 / قەشقەر
Give Kashgar 2–3 nights: one full day for the old town and Id Kah, one Sunday for the livestock market, and one long day on the Karakoram Highway to Karakul.
Kashgar is China's westernmost city and the meeting point of the Silk Road's northern and southern Taklamakan branches, about 4,000 km from Beijing. The old town was largely rebuilt after 2017, so the draw is now the Uyghur-majority street life, the bazaars and the mountain road south to Tashkurgan. Most travellers come for 2–3 nights, usually as the last stop before Kyrgyzstan or Pakistan.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 喀什 / قەشقەر
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (40 °C days), Dec–Feb (down to -10 °C)Jul–Aug (104 °F days), Dec–Feb (down to 14 °F)
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
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 ¥250–400 excl. bed · Mid ¥400–800 excl. bed · High ¥800+ 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 |
|---|---|
| Naan from a street baker | ¥2–5 |
| Lamb skewers (10) | ¥10–20 |
| Polo (rice pilaf with lamb and carrots) | ¥15–30 |
| Hami melon | ¥2–5 each |
| Taxi across the centre | ¥10–20 |
| Id Kah Mosque entry | ¥20 |
| Tomb of Apak Hoja entry | ¥30 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥80–150 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KHG · Kashgar Airport
- 18 km north of the centre; direct flights to Urumqi, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou. Bus 2 to town for ¥2, airport shuttle ¥15, taxi ¥30–100 by meter.11 mi north of the centre; direct flights to Urumqi, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou. Bus 2 to town for ¥2, airport shuttle ¥15, taxi ¥30–100 by meter.
Typical fares
- Airport → centre, bus 2
- ¥2, about 30 min
- Airport → centre, taxi
- ¥30–100 by meter
- Bus 28, railway station → Renmin Square
- ¥1
- Sunday market, bus 23
- ¥1
Get around
The centre is walkable: bazaar, old town, Id Kah and Renmin Square sit within 15–20 minutes of each other. Bus 28 links Renmin Square to the railway station (¥1). Taxis and Didi are cheap and the easiest way to the airport or the Sunday market. Cross streets carefully — no pedestrian crossings, and silent electric scooters use their own lane between cars and pavement.
See and do
Known for
- Id Kah Mosque
- Sunday livestock market (Mal Bazaar)
- Old Town alleys
- Karakoram Highway to Karakul Lake
- Uyghur food: lamb skewers, polo, naan
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Karakul Lake and the Karakoram Highway | Private car and driver or a group tour from the old town; Border Area Pass needed | Full day, 6–10 h |
| Tashkurgan | Bus from the international bus station, about 8 h, or a car on the Karakoram Highway | 8 h each way |
| Sunday livestock market (Mal Bazaar) | Bus 23 from near the international bus station, ¥1, or a ¥15–20 taxi | About 30–45 min each way |
| Shipton's Arch | Guided trek from the old town; steep canyon terrain | Full day |
| Apak Hoja Tomb (Fragrant Concubine) | Bus 20 from Renmin Square or a taxi, 3 kmBus 20 from Renmin Square or a taxi, 1.9 mi | Half day |
Sleep
- Old Town / Id Kah area
- Walk to the mosque, bazaar and food streets; guesthouses and small hotels, some in rebuilt lanes.
- Renmin Square / Seman Road
- Mid-range and Western-style hotels, cafés and the international bus station; 15–20 min walk to the old town.
- Near the railway station
- Cheap and practical for an early train, but 8 km east of the sights; bus 28 to Renmin Square for ¥1.Cheap and practical for an early train, but 5 mi east of the sights; bus 28 to Renmin Square for ¥1.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | ياخشىمۇسىز / 你好yahshimusiz / nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | رەھمەت / 谢谢rehmet / xièxie |
| How much is it? | قانچە پۇل؟ / 多少钱？qanche pul? / duōshao qián |
| Too expensive | بەك قىممەت / 太贵了bek qimmet / tài guì le |
| Where is the toilet? | ھاجەتخانا قەيەردە؟ / 厕所在哪里？hajetxana qeyerde? / cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ |
| I don't understand | چۈشەنمىدىم / 我不懂chüshenmidim / wǒ bù dǒng |
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
- The old town was torn down and rebuilt after 2017; expect wider streets and new facades, not the warren described in older guides.
- A Border Area Pass is required for Tashkurgan and the Karakoram Highway; get it free at the Foreign Affairs Office north of the airport (bring your passport, allow queue time).
- Prices are negotiable and foreigners are often quoted several hundred yuan high; agree the price before you buy.
- Avoid ice from street stalls; melons and fruit you wash and cut yourself are the safer buy.
- Alcohol is limited compared with the rest of China.
- Some areas and checkpoints are sensitive to photography; ask before pointing a camera at people or police.
Kashgar is heavily policed and street crime is low; the real friction is paperwork (Border Area Pass, permits) and checkpoints, plus summer heat and unlit scooters. Carry your passport at all times.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kashgar yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Id Kah Mosque
- Sunday livestock market (Mal Bazaar)
- Old Town alleys
- Karakoram Highway to Karakul Lake
- Uyghur food: lamb skewers, polo, naan
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- OpenStreetMap — Kashgar: www.openstreetmap.org/relation/2752692
- Wikivoyage: Kashgar, revision 5290180 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5290180
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Kashgar喀什 / قەشقەر
مۇشۇ ئادرېسقا / 请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Kashgar; most countries have embassies in Beijing and consulates in Urumqi or Chengdu (check).
Carry your passport — it is checked at hotels and at road checkpoints.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kashgar). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.