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Best Things to Do
Top 50 Best Things to Do near Guazhou [2025]
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Mingsha Mountain And Crescent Spring
4.6
/5
26174 reviews
8.9
From €13.37
Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring | >100 km from downtown
Phone 0937-8883388
Address: 6 km south of Dunhuang City, Jiuquan City
Recommended sightseeing time: 3-5 hours
Highlights:
Sand dunes and springs: A desert oasis
Desert dunes & spring coexistence
Saved by 623 users19566 positive reviews
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Sunset doesn't start until 9 PM, so go after 6 PM to see it. Going too early will get you sunburned.
After the concert, exit through the middle gate. During peak season, there's a free shuttle bus from the square outside the middle gate that takes you back to the night market.
When you arrive at Mingsha Mountain, you must experience camel riding. The army of camels at night is really spectacular, but there are too many people, and I was afraid of queuing with children. We arrived around 10 am, and there was no need to queue. You can come and go as you please. There were not many people, and the experience was great. The children liked it too!
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Mogao Caves
4.4
/5
9997 reviews
8.3
From €31.35
Based on 892 reviews
98.2 km from downtown
Phone 400-833-3715
Address: Yangguan Avenue, Dunhuang City, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province
Recommended sightseeing time: 3-4 hours
Highlights:
Guided tour of select grottoes
Watch two 20-minute Mogao films
Saved by 471 users5518 positive reviews
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As one of the four major grottoes in China, Mogao Grottoes have always been very mysterious. The reason for the mystery is that when you come here to play, he may not let you enter all the grottoes. There can only be a commentator to take you to a few grottoes. This is really a lot of money. Only a few places to see
I booked a regular ticket for the summer vacation about 20 days in advance, but even so, it was not within the originally planned time, so I adjusted the entire itinerary.
After checking the ticket at the visitor center. I watched two short movies first, and then took the scenic shuttle bus to the scenic area.
Regular tickets and emergency tickets are queued separately.
Regular tickets are for about 30 people in a group, and the guide will distribute wireless headphones. Visit eight caves one after another.
The explanation is still quite detailed, and non-professionals can only take a quick look.
To be honest, the real scene of the cave is not as good as the documentary, perhaps the real treasure-level cave is not open.
Also, the exquisite flying fairies are all waiters.
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Guan City of Jiayuguan
4.4
/5
14021 reviews
8.2
From €13.12
Based on 172 reviews
>100 km from downtown
Phone 0937-6396110
Address: Jiayuguan, Gansu, China, 735100
Recommended sightseeing time: 2-4 hours
Highlights:
Watch ancient military drills
Ancient military drills in season
Saved by 109 users9798 positive reviews
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I visited many years ago, and the core area remains largely unchanged. It's a small area, consisting primarily of Jiayuguan Pass. Outside the city walls, there are now camel rides and a large green plaza with numerous flowers, which is accessible by sightseeing bus. From the Jiayuguan Tower, you can overlook the desert and snow-capped mountains. The included ticket is the first pier, which offers a more desolate desert feel. The Taolai River Grand Canyon is also quite stunning.
I didn't arrive at Jiayuguan at sunset to experience its grandeur and magnificence, but since I was there, I still had to go. Cars used to drive right up to the ticket gate, but now they park at the visitor center, which didn't affect the experience at all. You can ride the electric cars with your ticket, and there's no need to queue. There were more cars than people on the way out, so the capacity was ample, and the service was excellent. The light show, however, wasn't what I wanted to see. I much preferred the grandeur of the daytime scene.
No.
4
Encore Dunhuang
4.3
/5
2875 reviews
7.5
From €39.85
Dunhuang Airport/Dunhuang Railway Station | 95.1 km from downtown
Phone 400-1829-777
Address: West side of the digital center of Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang City, Jiuquan City
Recommended sightseeing time: 1.5 hours
Highlights:
Desert theater near Mogao Caves
Silk Road stories at Mogao Caves
2185 positive reviews10K views in last month
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High cost-effectiveness, service quality exceeded expectations, highly recommended to friends who come here for tourism.
The hotel has good sound insulation, quiet and undisturbed at night, ensuring a good rest environment.
The hotel has beautiful green environment and fresh air, suitable for relaxation and leisure
The whole performance had no main plot, and I felt lonely. The first act was like a catwalk of ancient people. The second act was about Taoist Wang, which was a bit of a storyline. The third act was short and the space was small, dividing the audience into many groups. The audience was so panicked that they didn't know where to go or where to look. In the fourth act, there were finally seats... It felt chaotic, and the audience ran around like monkeys... This was my first time experiencing such a performance, and after watching it, I felt like I was watching a poetry recitation
No.
5
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Yangguan Pass Relic tourism District
4.5
/5
2518 reviews
7.2
From €6.08
Based on 59 reviews
>100 km from downtown
Phone 0937-8833089
Address: Yangguan Scenic Spot, Yangguan Town, Dunhuang City, Jiuquan City
Recommended sightseeing time: 2-3 hours
Highlights:
Gobi views & distant mountains
Spectacular ancient beacon tower ruins
1538 positive reviews10K views in last month
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Dunhuang Yangguan, an ancient pass carrying thousands of years of history and profound cultural heritage, shines brightly in the long river of time. Today, Yangguan Scenic Area has become a place for people to explore history and feel the charm of culture.
From the perspective of historical events, Yangguan was built during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and is an important pass on the southern route of the Silk Road. Zhang Qian was sent to the Western Regions and took a key step in the communication between Chinese and Western civilizations from here. Countless caravans, messengers, and monks traveled back and forth along this ancient road, bringing silk, porcelain, and tea from the Central Plains, and also bringing back spices, jewelry, culture, and art from the Western Regions. It witnessed the strength and tolerance of the Han Dynasty and the prosperous scene of the exchange of Eastern and Western civilizations. During the Tang Dynasty, Yangguan was still a military stronghold and a trade hub. Countless soldiers were stationed here to resist foreign enemies and defend their country. "I advise you to drink another glass of wine. There will be no old friends when you go west of Yangguan." Wang Wei's poem fully expresses the special meaning of Yangguan as a place of farewell in people's hearts, and also makes its name spread through the ages with poetry.
On the cultural level, Yangguan is an important symbol of frontier culture. Many literati and poets have left immortal poems for it. These poems not only describe the magnificent scenery of Yangguan, such as "Yangguan Road in the remote area, Hu sand and frontier dust", but also express people's complex emotions about war, separation, homesickness, etc., and have become a shining pearl in the treasure house of ancient Chinese literature.
When you walk into the Yangguan Scenic Area in Dunhuang today, the first thing that comes into view is the quaint and majestic Yangguan Duwei Mansion, where you can seem to see the heroic figures of the soldiers ready to go. Going further, the ruins of the former site of Yangguan stand quietly in the desert. Although they have experienced vicissitudes, they can still make people feel the majestic momentum of the city at that time. Those pieces of ancient bricks and stones seem to be telling the story of the former golden weapons and iron horses, beacon fires and wolf smoke. There is also the iconic "Yangguan Avenue", which is spacious and flat, which makes people think of the prosperous scene of the endless stream of caravans in ancient times.
The rich historical relics and the carefully crafted cultural landscape in the scenic area complement each other, which not only preserves the profound sense of history, but also vividly shows the historical culture of Yangguan to tourists through sculptures, museum displays and other forms, allowing people to travel through time and space, touch history, and feel the unique charm of Yangguan. Whether it is to trace the footprints of history or to feel the influence of ancient culture, Dunhuang Yangguan Scenic Area is undoubtedly an excellent place worth visiting.
The scenery of Yangguan Scenic Area is very distinctive, the traces of history have been weathered, and the only remnants left are the ruins of the broken wall, but from the ruins of the broken wall, we can see the wisdom and efforts of the ancients, the importance of customs in ancient times and the danger of war...
No.
6
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Emerald Lake
4.3
/5
390 reviews
7.2
>100 km from downtown
Address: Dachaidan Town, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Recommended sightseeing time: 1-2 hours
Saved by 112 users326 positive reviews
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In summer, you should wear sunscreen, and in autumn and winter, you should wear wind and cold protection. You can walk or follow a tour bus. Self-guided tours are relatively relaxed and you can see more details. Taking a sightseeing bus has a fixed route but is convenient. It is best to go on a sunny day so that you can see the colorful colors of the lake and the flexible color matching of the blue sky, and there will be more surprises.
Dachaidan Emerald Lake is located in Dachaidan Town, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It is a magnesium sulfate subtype salt lake formed by salt lake mining in the original Dachaidan chemical plant. The lake water is rich in potassium, magnesium, lithium and other minerals and presents green, deep blue and other colors, like scattered emeralds, known as "God's tears". The scenic area is about 15 square kilometers, the lake is clear, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds and snowy mountains, the scenery is dreamy, is a paradise for photography lovers. Visit on a sunny day, you can take a small train to go deep into the lake area to punch in and take pictures. Very beautiful 😄
No.
7
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Site of Yumen Pass
4.4
/5
2117 reviews
7.1
Based on 117 reviews
>100 km from downtown
Phone 0937-8821984
Address: Dunhuang City, Jiuquan City, Gansu
Recommended sightseeing time: 1-2 hours
Highlights:
Hara Lake's reed spectacle
Gobi's Hala Lake & reeds
1044 positive reviews10K views in last month
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Amidst endless yellow sand and the boundless Gobi Desert, a lonely earthen fortress stands in the desolate northwest wilderness. This is Yumen Pass. Today, few visitors visit, and those who do often offer a fleeting glimpse, snap a photo, and then move on to the next attraction. Yet, this seemingly unassuming earthen fortress carries the deepest emotional codes of Chinese civilization—it serves as a geographical reference for frontier poems, a spiritual symbol of homesickness for soldiers stationed there, and a historical witness to the clash and integration of civilizations. Standing before the ruins of Yumen Pass, we encounter not only a lost military history but also a collective nostalgia that transcends time and space.
When Yumenguan just entered, those drums were very big, and they were super loud and very interesting. It was very big inside. I went to two attractions by sightseeing car. It was very sun-dried. The traces of history felt like they were about to weather. I wanted to see it as early as possible.
No.
8
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Dunhuang Museum
4.7
/5
1086 reviews
7.1
Based on 90 reviews
Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring | >100 km from downtown
Phone 0937-8818173
Address: 1390 Mingshan North Road, Dunhuang City, Jiuquan City
Recommended sightseeing time: 1.5-2 hours
Highlights:
Next to Mogao Caves Heritage
Experience ancient painting techniques firsthand
844 positive reviews10K views in last month
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Teacher Rong gave a very good lecture for three and a half hours. He gave a very thorough explanation of the history of Dunhuang. It was better to visit the Dunhuang Museum before going to Mogao Grottoes. Teacher Rong spent about half an hour explaining the Dunhuang murals in the corridor. Without his explanation, I basically couldn't understand anything. There are also replica caves. By comparing the replicas with the originals, I discovered the superb craftsmanship of ancient times.
It is worth going. For me who has only a limited understanding of Dunhuang history, it is very necessary to ask a professional teacher to explain. The teacher who explained to us today was Liu Xiaoying, who was knowledgeable and her explanation style was patient and persuasive. It was a very good experience. Highly recommended.
No.
9
Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark
4.6
/5
2733 reviews
7.1
From €7.05
>100 km from downtown
Phone 0937-5900110
Address: About 180 kilometers northwest of Dunhuang City, Jiuquan City
Recommended sightseeing time: 2-3 hours
Highlights:
Stunning Yardang views & perspectives
Wind-eroded formations & ship-like hills
Saved by 109 users1278 positive reviews
Verified User Reviews
It is farther from downtown Townsville and is interrupted when it reaches the park road. If you want to go towards Ruoqiang, you must turn back.
Sightseeing cars are a must, otherwise it is equivalent to survival in the wilderness.
The car is equipped with an instructor. Each attraction will be explained, introducing the cause of the Yadan landscape and how it was discovered.
The length of stay varies at each attraction along the way. A few large places have supply stations, and can do in-depth visits by bigfoot cars, however, for a separate fee.
Desert smoke, sunset glow, the journey is too long, arrived at 18:00, too hot and dry, watched the sunset at 21:00, returned to the city at 23:00, one less to see. A quick off-road trip. A total of 2 hours. The phone bill is 1000+. It depends on personal preference.
No.
10
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Silk Road Dreamland
4.8
/5
1969 reviews
6.7
From €34.02
>100 km from downtown
Phone 400-166-0006
Address: No.558 Boyuan Road, Xiongguan District, Jiayuguan City
Recommended sightseeing time: 0.5-1 day
Highlights:
Enjoy the Great Wall Love Song and Acrobatic Show
Giant screen showcases 5,000 years of Chinese civilization
1864 positive reviewsRecently viewed by 1,000+ people
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[Scenery] It is so beautiful, and it is unique to see the snow-capped mountains on a roller coaster.
[Fun] The big IP of Dunhuang is really awesome, the secret land is combined with 5D technology, and it is completely unfamiliar to Universal Studios.
[Value for money] If you want to enjoy the fun of playing multiple projects without queuing in the off-season, it is just right to go now. If you want night fireworks and parades, there are only holidays and winter and summer vacations.
Fantawild Silk Road Mythology is a must-see!
As soon as I entered the project, the full Western style came to my face. The architecture and decorations were very unique, instantly pulling me into the mysterious world of the Silk Road.
I sat on the cruise ship and started this fantasy journey. The scenes along the way were lifelike, as if I had traveled back to ancient times. I saw the bustling market, and the vendors' hawking seemed to be right beside my ears; there were also magnificent palaces, which were particularly stunning.
And the whole experience was particularly immersive, the sound effects and scenes were perfectly matched, and every detail was handled very carefully.
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