Why visit Xining
Townapedia lists 16 museums and landmarks, 24 parks and trails, 24 places to eat, 19 places to stay and 33 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Qinghai Normal University, Qinghai University for Nationalities, Ma Bufang Mansion and People's Park.
Weather in Xining
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Xining
Xining is the capital and most populous city of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. As of the 2020 census, it had 2,467,965 inhabitants (2,208,708 as of 2010), of whom 1,954,795 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of 5 urban districts. The city lies in the Huangshui River Valley, also known as Tsongkha (Tibetan: ཙོང་ཁ་), and owing to its high altitude, has a cool climate on the borderline between cool semi-arid and dry winter humid continental.
From the Wikipedia article Xining (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Xining on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do33
Qinghai Normal University
School · 2.2 km
University in Xining, Qinghai, China
Qinghai University for Nationalities
School · 7.4 km
University in China
21 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks16
Ma Bufang Mansion
Museum · 4.2 km
Building in People's Republic of China
China Tibetan Medicine Culture Museum
Museum · 7.1 km
May-Sep PH,Mo-Su 09:00-18:00; Oct-Apr PH,Mo-Su 09:00-17:00
4 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds24
People's Park
Park · 1.4 km
Urban public park in Xining, Qinghai, China
12 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes24
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12 more on the map.
History
Xining has a history of over 2,100 years and was a chief commercial hub on the Hexi Corridor caravan route to Tibet, handling especially timber, wool and salt in ancient times. The trade along the Hexi Corridor was part of a larger trade corridor along the Northern Silk Road, whose use was intensified in the 1st century BC after efforts by the Han dynasty to control this route.
Under the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), a county called Linqiang was established to control the local Qiang tribesmen. It was again a frontier county under the Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907) dynasties; during the 7th and early 8th centuries it was a center of constant warfare with Tuyuhun and Tibet. In 763, it was overrun by the Tibetans and while under Tibetan control was known to the Chinese as Qingtang cheng (青唐城). Recovered by the Song dynasty in 1104, it received the name Xining (meaning "peace in the west") and has been the seat of a prefecture or superior prefecture under that name since that time. The founder of Gelug Tsongkhapa (Tibetan: ཙོང་ཁ་པ་, meaning: "the man from Tsongkha". c. 1357–1419) was born in the 14th century, and on the site of his birthplace the Kumbum Monastery was founded in the late 16th century, establishing Xining as an important religious center for the Gelug School of Buddhists.
From the History section of Xining on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay19
Churches and places of worship12
Shopping10
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries37
Healthcare11
Map of Xining
190 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Xining Caojiapu International Airport (XNN) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 27 km away.
- Duoba 20 km west, about 20 min by car
- Lushar 23 km southwest, about 23 min by car
- Qiaotou 35 km north, about 35 min by car
- Nianbo 61 km east, about 1 h by car
- Sanjiaocheng 74 km northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Xihai 76 km west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Quankou 81 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Dongchuan 83 km north, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Haomen 84 km north, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Xihai Town 85 km northwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Xining Montage, Montage by Lzy881114, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Gan Lamian at a restaurant in Xining (20230927123211), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Laochao Paozhang at a restaurant in Xining (20230927123255), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Xining Hutai Primary School (20230925085928), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Buildings of the Qinghai University for Nationalities - May 2025, Michał Beim, CC BY 4.0
- Qinghai.Xining.Résidence.Ma Bufang.Cour1, Popolon, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Qinghai Normal University, Chengxi campus (20230927091724), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Xining People's Park (20011014), Mintchocicecream at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5
- Dongguan Mosque in Xining (2025), Michał Beim, CC BY 4.0
- 012-Tulouguan-BlickZurückAufDieGesamtanlage, ArishG, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Dongguan mosque, B_cool from SIN, Singapore, CC BY 2.0
- Eospalax baileyi (5), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eospalax baileyi (2), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eospalax baileyi (6), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 青海政协 qing hai zheng xie - panoramio, wanghongliu, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eospalax baileyi (7), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eospalax baileyi (8), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eospalax baileyi (4), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eospalax baileyi (13), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eospalax baileyi (12), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eospalax baileyi (10), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eospalax baileyi (9), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eospalax baileyi (3), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 西寧夜景 - panoramio, ping lin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eospalax baileyi (11), Xiao Sa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A01499D at Xiguan Ave, Xinning Rd (20230925092639), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A18666D at Xiguan Ave, Xinning Rd (20230925092834), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A09322D at Xinninglu Nankou (20230926084724), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 青海科技馆 qing hai ke ji guan - panoramio, wanghongliu, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 西寧夜景 - panoramio (1), ping lin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Qinghai Radio and Television Station headquarters (20230926072503), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A60651 at Hutai (20230925090828), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A02313D at Hutai (20230925092030), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A60891 at Hutai (20230925091455), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A60591 at Hutai (20230925092253), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A60583 at Hutai (20230925091239), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A08351D at Hutai (20230925090713), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A02386D at Hutai (20230925090947), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A60633 at Hutai (20230925085835), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Qing A60652 at Hutai (20230925090823), N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Page built November 3, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.