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Voykit pocket guide · China
Ordos City
鄂尔多斯市
Give Ordos City 1–2 nights: one for the Kangbashi civic axis and museum, one for the desert at Xiangshawan or the Genghis Khan mausoleum.
Ordos City is a prefecture in Inner Mongolia whose name covers three separate places: the old city Dongsheng, the new city Kangbashi, and Altan Xire across the river. Kangbashi was built fast in the 2000s and drew the "ghost city" label; it now has residents and daytime life but stays quiet at night. Sights are far apart, so pick a base and plan transport before you arrive.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 鄂尔多斯市
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (severe cold), Jul–Aug (rain peak)
- Stay
- 1–2 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 ¥250–450 excl. bed · Mid ¥450–900 excl. bed · High ¥900+ 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 |
|---|---|
| Food-court meal | ¥25–50 |
| Noodle or lamb dish in a restaurant | ¥30–80 |
| Beer, restaurant / convenience store | ¥10–25 / ¥5–10 |
| Taxi flag drop | ¥7 |
| Ordos Museum entry | Free |
| Genghis Khan mausoleum entry | about ¥25 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DSN · Ordos Ejin Horo Airport
- In Ejin Horo Banner; hourly shuttle to Altan Xire, Kangbashi and Dongsheng.
Typical fares
- Airport shuttle to Kangbashi
- about ¥15, hourly or better (check)
- Airport shuttle to Altan Xire
- about ¥10 (check)
- Kangbashi → Dongsheng taxi
- over ¥80
Get around
Bus K22 links Kangbashi and Dongsheng, roughly 06:30–18:50, so it does not cover evenings. Taxis are plentiful in all three towns; flag drop is ¥7 and a Kangbashi–Dongsheng run costs over ¥80. Distances between the towns are 30 km or more, so group your day by area.Bus K22 links Kangbashi and Dongsheng, roughly 6:30 AM–6:50 PM, so it does not cover evenings. Taxis are plentiful in all three towns; flag drop is ¥7 and a Kangbashi–Dongsheng run costs over ¥80. Distances between the towns are 30 km or more, so group your day by area.Bus K22 links Kangbashi and Dongsheng, roughly 06:30–18:50, so it does not cover evenings. Taxis are plentiful in all three towns; flag drop is ¥7 and a Kangbashi–Dongsheng run costs over ¥80. Distances between the towns are 19 mi or more, so group your day by area.Bus K22 links Kangbashi and Dongsheng, roughly 6:30 AM–6:50 PM, so it does not cover evenings. Taxis are plentiful in all three towns; flag drop is ¥7 and a Kangbashi–Dongsheng run costs over ¥80. Distances between the towns are 19 mi or more, so group your day by area.
See and do
Known for
- Kangbashi new city and its civic axis
- Ordos Museum
- Xiangshawan desert resort
- Mausoleum of Genghis Khan
- Cashmere wholesale
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Xiangshawan | Taxi or a booked transfer from Kangbashi or Dongsheng | About 1–1.5 h each way |
| Yinkentala | Taxi or a booked transfer | About 1–1.5 h each way |
| Mausoleum of Genghis Khan | Taxi or bus south from Dongsheng | About 1–1.5 h each way |
| Baotou | Train, about 2 h | About 3 h |
| Hohhot | Train, 2–5 h depending on service | 3–6 h |
Sleep
- Dongsheng
- The old, busy city; most hotels and the airport shuttle stop. Best for food and everyday life.
- Kangbashi
- New city on the civic axis; a handful of business hotels, walkable to the museum and monuments.
- Altan Xire
- Across the Wulan Mulun River; often about 30% cheaper and closest to the airport.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duō shao qián |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ |
| Please use the meter | 请打表qǐng dǎ biǎo |
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 name "Ordos" means both the prefecture and the new city: say Kangbashi to be clear.
- K22 buses stop early in the evening; plan a taxi back if you stay out.
- Xiangshawan is run as a family amusement park; without children a full day there can feel thin.
- Winter is very cold and windy; summer is the wettest stretch.
Ordinary precautions apply: watch traffic, keep to lit streets at night, and agree taxi fares or use the meter. Winter cold and summer storms are the real hazards.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ordos City yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Kangbashi new city and its civic axis
- Ordos Museum
- Xiangshawan desert resort
- Mausoleum of Genghis Khan
- Cashmere wholesale
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: Ordos City, revision 5243790 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5243790
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Ordos City鄂尔多斯市
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Ordos City; most are in Beijing. The US, UK and others keep consulates in larger Chinese cities (check).
Say Kangbashi, not Ordos, when asking for the new city.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ordos-city). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.