Kashgar
Discover Kashgar
Kashgar (Chinese: 喀什 Kāshí; Uyghur: قەشقەر Qeshqer) is in the extreme west of China and the southwest extreme of Xinjiang. The city has been an important trading centre since the days of the Silk Road, and still is today; it is said to have the largest bazaar in Asia. The local population is a colourful mixture of Uyghurs, Han Chinese, Kyrgyz, Tajiks and Uzbeks, with ethnic Uyghurs forming the majority. It is considered by most people to be the main center of Uyghur culture in China.
What to Experience in Kashgar
Taste of Kashgar...
There are plenty of good local restaurants and street food. It may be wise to avoid anything with ice as the ice in Kashgar is usually carried in large blocks and frequently placed on the ground so they may not be clean, but there are places around Id Kah where the ice is clean and safe, and well-known all around Xinjiang. During the summer months there are huge heaps of melons and watermelons - cheap, tasty and refreshing. The going price for a hami melon (哈密瓜; hāmìguā) is around ¥1 per kilogramme, so in total, it costs ¥2-5 per melon depending on the size. Buying, washing and cutting it yourself is probably the most hygienic way to eat these fabulous tasty fruits. It would be wise to have the melon seller to cut the melon for you, as it will be hard to find a knife. There are not as many places serving alcohol in Kashgar as in other areas of China.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsTravelling in this area has several options, with a direct relationship between how much you are willing to pay and how fast you want to get to your destination. Trains are the slowest and only leave a few times a day, but are also almost always the cheapest option. A taxi to the city should cost about 30-¥100 by meter. Shuttle buses leaving from the International Hotel at People's Square are available for ¥10 per person. The airport has its own shuttle bus that goes from the airport into any location in town (just tell the driver where you are going) for ¥15. There is also a public bus that goes to/from the airport to most locations in town, the line 2, for ¥2. To get to the public bus, you must walk straight out of the front entrance of the airport, past the airport gates and turn left. The line 2 buses wait at the side of the street, about 20 metres to the left. If you want to visit Tashkurgan, you need a Border Area Pass....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Most of Kashgar including the bus station, bazaar, main square, downtown (with the notable exception of the animal market) can be reached on foot within 15–20 minutes of each other if you are not carrying huge amounts of baggage. The railway station is too far to walk but is reachable with public bus 28 which, among other places, stops at Renmin Square (人民广场; Rénmín Guángchǎng), the main square. The international bus station is near the city and walkable. The old town and narrow alleyways are pretty much only explorable on foot. Cross streets carefully in Kashgar as no pedestrian crossings are available. There are many electrical motorbikes, they have their special lanes (between car lanes and pavement). Be aware and careful of these bikes, because they run silently. Cycling is an option but the traffic is somewhat dangerous, so only do this if you are experienced with this kind of traffic environment.
Money & Budget
Kashgar, as probably the rest of China, is very computerised. Debit cards should work. If you need yuans, there are Bank of China ATMs in the center (near Mao statue) and in the airport. You can exchange US dollars into yuans in banks, but not so popular currencies, even neighboring like Tajik somoni, may be a problem. The price of everything is negotiable in Kashgar, adding to excitement of shopping. Be polite in bargaining, but be mindful that merchants will overcharge you as a foreigner especially if you do not speak Uyghur or Chinese; so bargain hard. Price differences between locals and foreigners can easily amount to several hundred yuan so be careful. Local specialties include kilims (carpets), and colourful Central Asian hats (doppa, kalpak).
Language & Talk
Due to its large ethnic Uyghur majority, Uyghur is the main language spoken in Kashgar. That said, younger people who have been to school generally speak Mandarin as well. In the airport, hotels, banks staff speaks some English. It helps if you have a smartphone with translator application, if not - persons who you speak with may use one on their phone. Taxi drivers won't understand English, so ask someone to write your destination place in Mandarin for you to show a driver. English and Russian speakers may find it hard to communicate, especially if they don't have a smartphone to help. Things simple elsewhere, like getting a taxi, may take a long time here in these cases - but people are very helpful. It always helps if you know someone local who also speaks a language you know.
Safety Information
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Kashgar
Muztagh Ata Pure lake and snow mountain
a large building with a green and white roof
喀什香妃园
an aerial view of a winding road in the mountains
a wall with a painting and clothes on it
a field with tall grass and mountains in the background
walking through the old city in Kashgar on the Silk Road and saw this door
Khujerab Pass PakChina Border
Snow at Khunjrab Pass
What should to do?
Muztagh Ata Pure lake and snow mountain
a large building with a green and white roof
喀什香妃园