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Major city · 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.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
CNY
Best months
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
avoid Jul–Aug (40 °C days), Dec–Feb (down to -10 °C)
Airport
KHG
Nights
2–3
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • China ↗Most nationalities need a visa, a unilateral visa-free entry (the list and end dates change) or the transit exemption below. Confirm your route on the official sites before you buy a ticket.
  • China ↗Transit stay without a visa: up to 240 hours (10 days) for citizens of about 55 listed countries who pass through China to a third country or region, with a confirmed onward ticket and a stay inside the permitted area (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei count as one area). It replaced the 144-hour rule in December 2024, which some older pages still quote. Use the transit lane at immigration, show the onward ticket, and check the current nationality list. Hong Kong and Macau count as separate regions; check whether your ticket qualifies.
  • China ↗Foreign visitors must register their address with the police within 24 hours; hotels do it at check-in with your passport. Carry the original passport at all times: hotels, trains, museums, Tiananmen Square and police checks ask for it.
  • China ↗Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you fly. QR payment is the default in shops, taxis and many stalls, and some places refuse cash or a foreign card. Carry cash as a backup.
  • China ↗Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and many news sites are blocked. Use an eSIM with roaming (it routes through your home network) or install and test a VPN before you fly; VPN sites and app stores are hard to reach inside China, and only government-approved VPNs are officially permitted.

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.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Kashgar, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Street or quick mealNaan from a street baker¥2–5 (≈ under US$1)
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTaxi across the centre¥10–20 (≈ US$2–3)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week¥80–150 (≈ US$12–25)
  • Museum or sight ticketId Kah Mosque entry¥20 (≈ US$3)
  • Budget bedHostel dorm bed, a night, per personCN¥60 (≈ US$9)
  • Mid-range bedDouble room, mid-range hotel, a night, per roomCN¥350 (≈ US$50)
  • High-end bedDouble room, mid-range hotel, a night, per roomCN¥700 (≈ US$100)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget CN¥300 (≈ US$45) · Mid CN¥600 (≈ US$85) · High CN¥1,200 (≈ US$170)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Id Kah MosqueSunday livestock market (Mal Bazaar)Old Town alleysKarakoram Highway to Karakul LakeUyghur food: lamb skewers, polo, naan
Airports
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.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Kashgar: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

0°C

−10°C

3 rd

Feb

6°C

−5°C

6 rd

Mar

15°C

3°C

6 rd

Apr

23°C

10°C

6 rd

May

27°C

14°C

14 rd

Jun

31°C

18°C

9 rd

Jul

32°C

20°C

11 rd

Aug

31°C

18°C

11 rd

Sep

27°C

14°C

8 rd

Oct

20°C

7°C

5 rd

Nov

11°C

−1°C

3 rd

Dec

2°C

−7°C

3 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting 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 & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Karakul Lake and the Karakoram Highway

go

Door to door: Full day, 6–10 h

Private car and driver or a group tour from the old town; Border Area Pass needed

A private SUV with driver ran about ¥1,000 including lake tickets in 2025; the pass is free but must be arranged in advance.

Tashkurgan

overnight

Door to door: 8 h each way

Bus from the international bus station, about 8 h, or a car on the Karakoram Highway

Too far for a day return; sleep one night and continue to the Pakistan border if you have the visa.

Sunday livestock market (Mal Bazaar)

go

Door to door: About 30–45 min each way

Bus 23 from near the international bus station, ¥1 (≈ under US$1), or a ¥15–20 (≈ US$3) taxi

Sundays only; go in the morning when the trading is busiest.

Shipton's Arch

caution

Door to door: Full day

Guided trek from the old town; steep canyon terrain

Rough walking and no facilities; only with a guide and proper shoes.

Apak Hoja Tomb (Fragrant Concubine)

go

Door to door: Half day

Bus 20 from Renmin Square or a taxi, 3 km

Entry about ¥30; closed to visitors on Friday prayer day.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

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.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥250–400 (≈ US$35–60) excl. bed
Mid
¥400–800 (≈ US$60–120) excl. bed
High
¥800 (≈ US$120)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Double room, mid-range hotel1 × 3 nights × CN¥350CN¥1,050
Food, local transport, entries2 × 3 days × CN¥600CN¥3,600
Airport bus 2 into town2 × CN¥2CN¥4
Taxi airport to centre1 × CN¥60 · metered, ¥30–100CN¥60
Private car and driver, Karakoram Highway day1 × CN¥1,000CN¥1,000
eSIM, about a week of data2 × CN¥120CN¥240
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeCN¥595
Trip total≈ CN¥1,092 per person per day, bed includedCN¥6,549≈ US$950

2026 estimate in yuan; flights and long-distance rail excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Naan from a street baker¥2–5 (≈ under US$1)
Lamb skewers (10)¥10–20 (≈ US$2–3)
Polo (rice pilaf with lamb and carrots)¥15–30 (≈ US$3–5)
Hami melonAbout ¥1 per kg; ask the seller to cut it.¥2–5 (≈ under US$1) each
Taxi across the centre¥10–20 (≈ US$2–3)
Id Kah Mosque entry¥20 (≈ US$3)
Tomb of Apak Hoja entry¥30 (≈ US$5)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week¥80–150 (≈ US$12–25)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

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.
  • 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.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire
119
Ambulance
120

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Kashgar喀什 / قەشقەر

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

مۇشۇ ئادرېسقا / 请到这个地址To this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire119
  • Ambulance120

Embassy

No embassies in Kashgar; most countries have embassies in Beijing and consulates in Urumqi or Chengdu (check).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Airport → centre, bus 2: ¥2 (≈ under US$1), about 30 min
  • Airport → centre, taxi: ¥30–100 (≈ US$5–14) by meter
  • Bus 28, railway station → Renmin Square: ¥1 (≈ under US$1)
  • Sunday market, bus 23: ¥1 (≈ under US$1)

Say or show

  • ياخشىمۇسىز / 你好 — Hello (yahshimusiz / nǐ hǎo)
  • رەھمەت / 谢谢 — Thank you (rehmet / xièxie)
  • قانچە پۇل؟ / 多少钱？ — How much is it? (qanche pul? / duōshao qián)
  • بەك قىممەت / 太贵了 — Too expensive (bek qimmet / tài guì le)
  • ھاجەتخانا قەيەردە؟ / 厕所在哪里？ — Where is the toilet? (hajetxana qeyerde? / cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ)
  • چۈشەنمىدىم / 我不懂 — I don't understand (chüshenmidim / wǒ bù dǒng)

Carry your passport — it is checked at hotels and at road checkpoints.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Kashgar. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct · avoid Jul–Aug (40 °C days), Dec–Feb (down to -10 °C) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 5 day-trips, door to door
  6. 6 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. An airport-to-bed path that says whether a late landing still works
  2. Walking clusters with bag rules
  3. Day plans checked against opening hours
  4. Field-verified times and fares

Meanwhile

Back to China

Sources