Dunhuang is an ancient historical and cultural city, the hometown of Feitian Art and the palace of Buddhist art. It is known as the "Gobi Oasis" and the "Pearl of the West" and is a golden tourist destination on the ancient Silk Road. It is known as "Dunhuang of the world" and "Dunhuang of mankind". If you want to experience the charm of Dunhuang in person, you may wish to refer to the following tour itinerary I designed for you:

Day 1: Mogao Grottoes - Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring - "Seeing Dunhuang Again" Performance

In the morning, take a bus from the city to the Mogao Grottoes. The distance is about 20 kilometers and the drive takes about half an hour. The Mogao Grottoes are the largest and richest Buddhist art site in the world. Together with the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, and the Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, they are also known as the four major grottoes in China.

The Mogao Grottoes were excavated in the second year of Jianyuan of the Former Qin Dynasty (366) during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Later, they were built in the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Xixia, Yuan and other dynasties, forming a huge scale. There are 735 caves built in the past dynasties, with 45,000 square meters of murals, 2,415 painted Buddha statues, and 5 wooden eaves of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Among them, the nine-story building rebuilt in the early Republic of China is the landmark building of Mogao Grottoes.

In the Mogao Grottoes, you can appreciate murals and sculptures of different styles from various periods, and feel the exchange and integration of Buddhist culture and Silk Road culture. You can choose to participate in a guided tour or a self-guided tour. Each cave has a number and introduction. However, it should be noted that due to the large number of caves, only some caves are open for tourists to visit every day. The specific opening information can be checked or consulted on the official website of the scenic spot. staff.

In addition, due to the dark light inside the cave, in order to protect the cultural relics, please do not take photos or use flash in the cave.

The ticket price for Mogao Grottoes is 238 yuan per person (180 yuan for the 8 physical caves of Mogao Grottoes, 48 ??yuan for digital movies, and 10 yuan for transportation to and from Mogao Grottoes). You can also choose Mogao Grottoes-Ming Shashan Crescent Spring--"Seeing Dunhuang Again" Performance Ordinary Seats: Coupon Ticket 646/person.

Peak season: April 1st - November 30th Opening hours: 07:30-18:00 Ticket sales time: 07:30-16:00

Low season: December 1 Opening hours from Sunday to March 31 of the following year: 09:00-17:30 Ticket sales time: 08:40-15:00

Reservations can be made through the official website of the scenic spot or platforms such as Ctrip. It is recommended that you make a reservation one day in advance and arrive at the entrance of the scenic spot half an hour before the opening time to exchange for a physical ticket. The tour takes approximately 3-4 hours.

At noon, take a bus from Mogao Grottoes back to the city. After a short rest, you can taste local specialties. The food in Dunhuang is mainly pasta and light food. The more famous ones include yellow noodles, beef noodles, yogurt noodles, camel hump soup, etc. You can find a restaurant with a good reputation in the city and try it.

In the afternoon, you can take a bus to Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area, which is about 6 kilometers away and takes about 10 minutes by car. The Crescent Moon Spring in Mingsha Mountain is famous for its mountains and its springs. It is a majestic sound due to the movement of the sand, and it is amazing because of the moon-shaped spring held by the sand. In the scenic area, there is the Crescent Moon Spring, which is known as the best spring in the desert in the world; there is the world's largest golden sand bed. Foshan; there are desert wonders such as the pyramid-shaped sand dune chain that is rare in the world.

Mingsha Mountain is a giant crescent-shaped sand mountain formed by wind-sand accumulation, with a height of 1,715 meters. It is named after the sound the sand makes when blown by the wind. The mountain is composed of red, yellow and green colors. , black, white and five-color fine sand are accumulated; Crescent Moon Spring is a crystal clear crescent-shaped spring located in the embrace of Mingsha Mountain, forming a unique picture with the sand mountain. Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring is known as "one of the most beautiful scenery outside the Great Wall" and is one of the most representative attractions in Dunhuang.

In Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area, you can experience various interesting activities, such as camel riding, sandboarding, paragliding, off-road vehicles, etc. You can also climb to the top of Mingsha Mountain to overlook the entire Crescent Moon Spring and feel the magnificence of the desert scenery.

The ticket price for Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area is 110 yuan per person, and the opening hours are 7:00-19:00 (summer) or 6:00-19:30 (winter). Reservation can be made through Visit the official website of the scenic spot or platforms such as Ctrip. It is recommended that you make a reservation one day in advance and arrive at the entrance of the scenic spot half an hour before the opening time to exchange for a physical ticket. The tour takes approximately 2-3 hours.

In the evening, you can enjoy a performance of "Seeing Dunhuang Again". This is an immersive experience drama directed by the famous director Wang Chaoge. It is performed using a "streamline" space experience method to "travel" In order to guide the mind, it cuts through the time and space of the years, shortens the historical distance, and allows the audience to experience an immersive performance that blends scenes.

Maybe if you take fifty steps here, you have traveled through a hundred years. If you take another hundred steps, you may meet your heart. Whether you are wandering around or watching a drama leisurely, it will bring you an unprecedented immersive and real experience, taking you through and revisiting historical stories from thousands of years ago.

The performance venue is located on the west side of the Mogao Grottoes Digital Center, about 20 kilometers away from the city and about half an hour's drive. The performance time is 20:00-21:30, and the ticket price is 298 yuan/person (regular seats) and 588 yuan/person (premium seats). Reservations can be made through platforms such as Ctrip. It is recommended that you book a day in advance and arrive at the venue half an hour before the show starts. During the performance, you can follow the actors into different caves, experience different storylines, and experience the immersive artistic charm.

After the performance, you can take a bus back to the city, check into a comfortable hotel, and rest for the night. There are many hotels to choose from in Dunhuang city, and the prices are relatively reasonable. You can choose a hotel that suits you according to your preferences and budget.

The next day: Yumen Pass - Yadan Geopark

In the morning, take a bus from the city to Yumen Pass, a distance of about 90 kilometers and a drive of about 1.5 hours. Yumen Pass was first placed by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to open the roads to the Western Regions. During the Han Dynasty, it was the gateway to various places in the Western Regions. Its former site is in Xiaofangpan City, northwest of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province today. The existing city wall is complete and generally square. The remaining wall is 9.7 meters high and more than 20 meters long and wide. It consists of four earth walls, all made of yellow clay. There is a door in the west wall and the north wall. There are east and west walls under the north slope of the city. The Great Lane was historically a route for communication and postage between countries in the Central Plains and the Western Regions.

At Yumen Pass, you can experience the tragic desolation of "Why should the Qiang flute complain about the willows, the spring breeze does not reach Yumen Pass". Although it is just a rammed earth mound now, without the magnificence of the past, but entering the vast Gobi The upright small town allows you to imagine the grand scene of the past among the ruins and lament the vicissitudes of history and time. It is also a special experience.

The ticket price for Yumen Pass is 40 yuan/person, 90/person (including sightseeing fare). The opening hours are 7:30-18:00. Reservations can be made through Meituan or Ctrip and other platforms. It is recommended that you make a reservation one day in advance. The tour takes approximately 1-2 hours.

At noon, take a bus from Yumenguan to Yadan Geopark. The distance is about 70 kilometers and the drive takes about 1 hour. Yadan Geopark is a unique landform area formed by wind erosion. It is mainly in the form of ridges, walls, towers, columns, residual hills, etc. The side walls are steep and come in various shapes and sizes. It is one of the three most beautiful places in China. One of the Dayadang landforms, the Dunhuang Yadan landform is the Yadan landform community with the largest scale, the most mature geological development, and the most ornamental value found in the world so far.

Yadang Geopark is called the "Devil City" because its landscape gives people a mysterious and terrifying feeling, as if it is a city blown by the wind.

In Yadan Geopark, you can take a sightseeing bus or drive to visit different attractions, such as the Golden Lion Welcome, the Sphinx, the Peacock and Jade Stand, the West Sea Fleet, the Divine Turtle Going to the Sea, etc. You can also get off the car to take photos or explore in designated areas, but please pay attention to safety and protect the environment, and do not climb or damage rocks at will.

The ticket price for Yadan Geopark is 50 yuan/person. Sightseeing bus: 70/person. The opening hours are 6:30-19:00. Reservations can be made through the official WeChat account of the scenic spot. It is recommended that you make a reservation one day in advance. The tour takes approximately 2-3 hours.

In the evening, take a bus from Yadan Geopark back to the city. On the way, you can enjoy the beautiful sunset in the desert and feel the unique style of Dunhuang. Find a specialty restaurant in the city to have dinner and taste Dunhuang cuisine. If you still have energy, you can visit the night market in Dunhuang and buy some local specialties and souvenirs, such as Dunhuang paintings, Dunhuang gourds, Dunhuang jades, etc.

Check into a comfortable hotel for a night's rest.

The third day: Yangguan Ruins - Dunhuang Museum - Shazhou Night Market

In the morning, take a bus from the city to the Yangguan Ruins, a distance of about 80 kilometers and a drive of about 1.5 hours. The Yangguan site is one of the two major passes in the Western Regions set up during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. It is named after it is located to the south of Yumen Pass. Yangguan was the chokepoint for China’s ancient overland external communications and a must-pass pass on the southern Silk Road.

The scenic spot currently contains the ancient Yangguan ruins, Yangguan beacons, Yangguan ancient road, Shouchang City ruins, Han Great Wall fortress ruins, Han Dynasty Wowachi ruins, Xitugou (Tang Wulujian) ruins, There are many cultural relics from the Han Dynasty such as ancient tombs and ancient pottery kilns. The Yangguan ruins are an important part of ancient Chinese border defense architecture and cultural heritage, and are also one of the most famous passes in Chinese history. The poem "I urge you to drink another glass of wine, and there will be no old friends when you leave Yangguan in the west" has been passed down through the ages.

At the Yangguan ruins, you can visit the Yangguan Museum to learn about the history and culture of Yangguan, view various cultural relics and pictures, and feel the style of the ancient frontier fortress. You can also climb the Yangguan Beacon Tower to overlook the vastness of the Gobi Desert and experience the perspective of ancient border guards.

The ticket price for Yangguan ruins is 50 yuan/person, sightseeing car fare: 10 yuan/person, camel riding fare: 60 yuan/person, horse riding fare: 50 yuan/person, donkey cart ride Ticket price: 20 yuan/person. The opening hours are 8:00-20:30, and reservations can be made through the official website of the scenic spot or Ctrip and other platforms. It is recommended that you make a reservation one day in advance. The tour takes approximately 2-3 hours.

At noon, take a bus from the Yangguan ruins back to the city. On the way, you can enjoy the scenery along the way and feel the natural beauty of Dunhuang. For lunch, you can find a specialty restaurant in the city to have a taste of Dunhuang cuisine.

In the afternoon, you can visit the Dunhuang Museum, which is about 1.5 kilometers away from the city and takes about 5 minutes by car. The entire building shape and color tone of the Dunhuang Museum integrate cultural symbols such as the Great Wall, beacons, and ancient castle-style buildings. It is beautiful, solemn, and generous. It is a comprehensive museum that mainly displays the history and culture of Dunhuang. It collects various cultural relics, calligraphy and paintings, folk customs and other exhibits, reflecting the social life, culture and art of Dunhuang in different historical periods.

In the Dunhuang Museum, you can appreciate various precious cultural relics, such as wooden slips from the Han Dynasty, pottery figurines from the Tang Dynasty, and bronze mirrors from the Song Dynasty. You can also watch some Dunhuang-related video materials to understand the development, changes and cultural inheritance of Dunhuang.

Tickets to the Dunhuang Museum are free (ID card required), opening hours:

May 1st - September 30th, every Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 am to 18:00 pm: 30 (last admission at 17:30), closed on Mondays.

October 1st to April 30th of the following year, every Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 am to 18:00 pm (admission ends at 17:00), closed on Mondays.

Reservations can be made through the official website of the scenic spot or platforms such as Ctrip. It is recommended that you make a reservation one day in advance. The tour will take about 1-2 hours.

After checking in at night, you can go to the Shazhou Night Market. Whenever night falls, the shops in the alleys line up tables, chairs and benches. Haggis, barbecue, soybean noodles, donkey meat yellow noodles, sweet embryos, apricot peel tea... Not only are there a variety of northwest delicacies that attract tourists and local residents, but there are also very stylish handicrafts, agricultural and sideline foods.

Dunhuang’s Specialty Food

Donkey Meat Yellow Noodles: This is the most famous Dunhuang specialty snack. It is made of silk-thin handmade noodles mixed with donkey meat cubes, water tofu and shiitake mushrooms. , mixed dry or eaten with soup, the fragrance is overflowing, and it is the favorite of Dunhuang people.

Mutton noodle soup: This is a traditional snack in Dunhuang. It uses mutton soup as a base, adds cooked mutton slices, mutton meatballs, vermicelli, fried tofu, black fungus, etc., and tops it with freshly made dough cakes. , nourishing and refreshing.

Huyang braised pancake: This is a special delicacy in Dunhuang. It is stewed with wide noodles and braised mutton. enraptured.

Stuffed skin: This is a very common folk snack. It is made of transparent skin made of high-quality flour, cut into strips or pieces, and mixed with soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, chili oil, mustard, etc. Condiment, spicy and sour taste, soft and refreshing.

Paoer Oil Cake: This is a representative traditional dessert in Dunhuang. It is filled with red bean paste, coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, slightly sweet but not greasy, and has a rich taste. .

Apricot peel water: This is a local signature drink in Dunhuang. It is made from local Liguang apricots and boiled with apricot peels. It tastes sour and sweet after being chilled, quenching thirst and relieving heat.

Dunhuang Travel Notes:

Reserve Mogao Grottoes tickets in advance: Mogao Grottoes is the most famous attraction in Dunhuang. Tickets need to be purchased in advance on the WeChat public account "Mogao Grottoes Visiting Reservation Network" "Purchase online, tickets cannot be purchased on site. The ticket includes 8 physical caves, 2 digital movies and a round-trip shuttle bus. The types and prices of tickets will vary depending on factors such as peak and off-season, epidemic prevention and control, and can be queried on the mini program.

Wear sunscreen and moisturize well: Dunhuang has a warm temperate arid climate with strong ultraviolet rays, dryness and little rain, and a large temperature difference between day and night. It is recommended that tourists bring enough water, sun umbrellas, sunglasses, sun hats, sunscreen and other outdoor skin care products according to their own conditions. Drink plenty of water and bring warm clothes to avoid climate discomfort.

Respect local customs and habits: Dunhuang is an area inhabited by many ethnic groups, including many ethnic groups who believe in Islam. They do not eat pork, which is the biggest taboo in their lives. Tourists are advised to respect local religious beliefs and customs when traveling in Dunhuang, and not to behave in an offensive or impolite manner.

Protect the cultural relics environment: Dunhuang is a famous historical and cultural city in China, with rich cultural heritage and natural landscapes. Tourists must abide by relevant regulations when visiting scenic spots such as the Mogao Grottoes. They must not take pictures, touch or damage cultural relics, do not litter, do not make loud noises, and maintain good tour order and environmental hygiene.

A three-day tour of Dunhuang allows you to appreciate the cultural and natural charm of the Silk Road, feel the history and modernity of Dunhuang, and experience Dunhuang's customs, customs, and artistic scenery. Dunhuang is a place worth visiting at least once in your life, a place that makes you linger and a place that fascinates you.

Dunhuang, we look forward to your arrival.