A diary of a solo trip to the Hexi Corridor during the off-season
[Scenic] Tour route:
Chengdu-Lanzhou-Wuwei-Zhangye-Dunhuang-Lanzhou-Chengdu
🕐️DAY 1 Lanzhou
[HighSpeedRail] Transportation: Chengdu-Lanzhou (high-speed rail about 8 hours)
🛏【️Hotel Guide】
Near Lanzhou West Railway Station (very close to the core scenic spots)
📝Note tips:
[Pushpin] The seats in the Chengdu-Lanzhou train are small, there are many tunnels on the way, and the signal is poor. Prepare activities to kill time in advance
[Pushpin] Lanzhou-Lanzhou West If the time is right, you can choose the high-speed train, transfer directly at the station, save luggage security check, high comfort, 10 minutes by car
🍽Dining recommendations:
As we arrived late, we casually had a bowl of beef noodles at "Ma Youbu Beef Noodles" outside Lanzhou West Station. The taste was okay, but the beef had to be ordered separately, otherwise there were only two small pieces.
🕐️DAY 2 Lanzhou
⛰【Attractions Guide】
[One] Waterwheel Expo Park Metro Line 1 Donggang direction Lanzhou West Station North Square Subway Station - Provincial Government Subway Station Exit A Walk
[Two] Zhongshan Bridge, take bus No. 25, get on at Green Park outside Waterwheel Expo Park - Zhongshan Bridge Bus Station
[Three] Baitashan Park is just across Zhongshan Bridge.
[Four] Xiaoxihu Park Walking
[Five] Gansu Provincial Museum Bus No. 32 West Lake Park Station - Provincial Museum Station
[Six] Lanzhou Center West Station Night Market
📝Note tips:
Gansu Provincial Museum is closed on Mondays. Admission is stopped at 16:30 on other days. Please make an appointment in advance through the mini program and enter by swiping your mainland China ID card.
🍽Dining recommendations:
[Tableware] Asia Northwest Mom’s Specialty Dishes
Stir-fried lamb meat is tender and juicy, and the vermicelli is chewy
[Tableware] Looking back at Lanzhou’s famous snacks
Spicy three kinds (potatoes, bean curd skin, vermicelli)
Gray beans
[Tableware] Fangha Gansu Specialty Tea
Sweet embryo milk tea
🕐️DAY 3: Wuwei (stay at Wuwei Station)
🚄Lanzhou West-Wuwei East 1h54min
[RoundNails] Sit on the left and you can see the Qilian Mountains
Wuwei East-Wuwei Station (Bus No. 28, about 40 minutes)
[Mountain] Check-in spots
[One] Leitai Han Tomb (Ticket 45)
[Two] Kumarajiva Temple
[Three] Wuwei Museum
📝Note tips: No reservation is required, enter by swiping your mainland China ID card, there will be a public welfare explanation at 15:00
[Four] South Gate Tower
🍽Dining recommendations:
[Tableware] Caiji Noodles Three Sets (Noodles + Braised Pork + Fu Tea)
[Tableware] Dough
🕙DAY4 Zhangye (stay near Drum Tower)
🚉Transportation strategy:
Wuwei-Zhangye Green leather hard seat 2h40min
[Mountain] Check-in spots
[One] Big Buddha Temple (Ticket 10 yuan)
[Two] Hsi Lai Temple
[Three] Zhangye Museum
📝Note tips: 15:00 public welfare lecture
🌟Highlights:
[Four] Zhangye National Wetland Park
🚉Transportation strategy:
Take bus No. 8 in the city to the terminal
❤Recommendation reason:
On a winter afternoon, basking in the sunshine, walking quietly on the plank road, watching the snow-covered lake and the blue sky merge into one, feeling the reeds swaying in the wind, watching white swans, black swans and various water birds playing and frolicking on the lake, every scene is so beautiful that it seems unreal.
🍽Dining recommendations:
[Tableware] Fried Bo La (Shandan specialty, fried offal with a barbecue flavor, with onions, green peppers, and steamed buns as side dishes. Large portion is 118, small portion is 98. The boss saw that I was alone and fried a single portion, 68)
[Tableware] Qi Saozi Spicy Hot Pot
Available in sweet and spicy flavors
I eat sweet and spicy, the taste is good, but if you eat too much, you will feel sick and it will be too sweet
🕙DAY5 Ma Ti Temple, Colorful Danxia Day Tour (Group Fee 73 Yuan)
08:00 The driver will pick you up at the hotel and drive to Mati Temple in about 1 hour
📝Note tips:
The first ticket is free in the off-season, and the ticket for the must-see attraction Thirty-three Days Grottoes is 35 yuan
There are no sightseeing buses in the scenic area. Vehicles entering the scenic area must pay a parking fee of 10 yuan per vehicle.
Thousand Buddha Caves
[Pushpin] The passages in the cave are narrow and steep, and require a certain amount of physical strength. The Medicine Master Hall in the Thousand Buddha Caves is the most dangerous.
[Pushpin] At noon, the driver took us to a place called "Bai Fu" for dinner. It was like a Northwestern specialty food city for tourists. There were many varieties of food, and the taste was quite satisfactory.
Go to Qicai Danxia in the afternoon, the journey takes about 1 hour, and the ticket price is 92 yuan
Enter from the north entrance, and the sightseeing bus will arrive at Qicai Xianyuan Terrace, Yunhai Terrace (the popular S-curve road), Jinxiu Terrace, and Hongxia Terrace (for watching the sunset and the Little Potala Palace) in turn.
[1:00]DAY6 00:13 Zhangye-07:16 Dunhuang (green hard sleeper)
After checking in at the hotel, take a taxi to Mogao Grottoes
📝Note tips:
Book tickets in advance through the official account. The off-season ticket price is 140, and you can see 10 caves.
First watch two movies at the visitor center, then take the scenic sightseeing bus to the caves to queue up in groups of 25 and follow the tour guide.
Go to Mingsha Mountain in the afternoon. Tickets are free in the off-season. Camel ride costs 100 yuan.
🍽Dining recommendations:
[Tableware] Chen Kee Mutton Restaurant
The set meal is 88 yuan, including stewed mutton pancake, cold alfalfa, fried lotus root, milk and egg fermented glutinous rice soup
Lots of variety, big portions, good taste
DAY7 Dunhuang West Line One-Day Tour (Group Fee 76 Yuan)
08:00 Driver picks you up at the hotel
[One] Silk Road Heritage City (Ticket price: 60 yuan) [×]
👎Least recommended: All the scenic spots are man-made, and there is no other meaning except taking photos and checking in.
[Two] West Thousand Buddha Caves (Ticket 30)
4 caves to visit
[Three] Yangguan (Ticket 50, Shuttle Bus 10)
[Four] Yumen Pass (free ticket, shuttle bus 50)
[Five] Yadan Ghost City (free ticket, shuttle bus 70)
Tips: There are 3 ways to play in Yadan Ghost City
1. Ordinary shuttle bus
Get off at each scenic spot and get on the bus to the next scenic spot at the designated spot. Do not go deep into the desert.
2. Beach surfing car 60/person, non-enclosed car, cold in winter
3.Off-road vehicle: 800/vehicle, 4 people per vehicle, form your own team.
Both 2 and 3 go deeper into the desert. 3 goes longer in the desert than 2, but both eventually reach the same platform to watch the sunset.
[Six] Watching the stars in Dunhuang Ancient City The travel agency is equipped with professional astronomical telescopes, and teachers will explain simple astronomical knowledge and teach you how to set the parameters for shooting the stars.
DAY8 Dunhuang-Lanzhou
Lanzhou - Chengdu
📝Note tips: You will rest and eat at a restaurant on the way at noon. The price is expensive and the taste is not good. It is recommended to prepare two meals for lunch and dinner.
💰️Total cost: 4150.2 yuan
Transportation: 1551.5 yuan
Accommodation: 767 yuan
Play (tickets, tour fees, sightseeing bus, etc.): 903.7 yuan
Food and Beverage: 661.5 yuan
Other miscellaneous items (purchase of cultural and creative souvenirs, etc.): 266.5 yuan
💗Other tips: