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Voykit pocket guide · China
Linxia
Spend a half‑day walking the market, mosques and Red Park; add a night in a budget hotel if you arrive late from Lanzhou.
Linxia is a compact mountain town in Gansu, the cultural heart of China's Hui Muslims. Most sights are within walking distance, so a day is enough for the basics; an overnight lets you catch a bus to nearby attractions.
- Country
- China
- Best months
- Apr–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, possible snow)
- 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 ¥150–250 excl. bed · Mid ¥250–400 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 |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a local café | ¥10–15 |
| Lamb kebab (Islamic stall) | ¥20–35 |
| Taxi short ride | ¥5 |
| Museum entry | Free |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LHW · Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport
- about 2 h by bus
Typical fares
- Lanzhou → Linxia bus
- ≈ ¥70, 2.5 h (check schedule)
- Taxi short ride downtown
- ¥5 per trip
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
Town is walkable; taxis cost ¥5 for short rides. Fixed‑fare minibuses depart West Bus Station for nearby villages.
See and do
Known for
- Red Park
- Gong Bei Mausoleum
- Mosques and Islamic mausoleums
- Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture Museum
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Liujiaxia Reservoir | Minibus from West Bus Station, about 30 min | ≈1 h total |
| Bingling Temple | Private boat from Lianhua Tai, 45 min | ≈2 h total |
| Xiahe (Labrang Monastery) | Bus from Linxia, about 2 h | ≈2 h 30 min |
Sleep
- He Huang Pearl Hotel
- Three‑star, central, ¥190/night
- Hezhou Hongrui International Hotel
- Four‑star, ¥220/night
- Linxia Duyoufu Hotel
- Two‑star, ¥110/night
- Xuehe Manbo Hotel
- Three‑star, ¥220/night
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? |
| Where is the bus station? | 汽车站在哪里？qìchē zhàn 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 from Lanzhou runs every 30 min, 7 am–5 pm, 2.5 h travel (check schedule).
- Taxi drivers collect passengers individually; confirm fare before boarding.
- Some attractions close on Mondays (e.g., museum).
Generally safe for tourists; respect local customs, especially at mosques, and keep valuables secure in crowded markets.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Linxia yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Red Park
- Gong Bei Mausoleum
- Mosques and Islamic mausoleums
- Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture Museum
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: Linxia, revision 5234376 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5234376
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/linxia). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.