City: Gansu
Top Things to do in Gansu
Top Hotels in Gansu
- 1. 7 Days Premium Lanzhou Xiguan Shizi Zhongshan Bridge
- 2. Home Inn (Lanzhou Pedestrain Street)
- 3. 7 Days Inn (Lanzhou Jingning Road)
- 4. Dunhuang Guest House
- 5. Xihu Yinfeng Hotel
- 6. New Victory Hotel
- 7. Sunshine Plaza Hotel
- 8. Zugong Building Hotel
- 9. Ningwozhuang Hotel
- 10. Home Inn (Lanzhou Yongchang Road)
Countries
8 Things to do Good for Couples in Gansu That You Shouldn't Miss
Gansu (Chinese: 甘肃, Tibetan: ཀན་སུའུ་ Kan su'u) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northwest of the country.
Restaurants in Gansu
1. Silk Road China Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 54 reviews
We are locally owned and operated tour company, based in Dunhuang. We specialize in organizing Silk Road tours in China and offer day tours at cities in Chinese Silk Road cities.
2. Maiji Shan Caves
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 125 reviews
Reviewed By garyr0bertb - China, null
I visited Maijishan Grottos in December 2020 as I wanted to see the area in snow and avoid the huge summer crowds. I have visited hundreds of places in China (an Australian working in Guangzhou) and this is undoubtedly one of my top 3 favourites. I think ‘grottos’ is a more apt name than caves as the openings in the cliff face are quite small. Maijishan is one of the four famous grottos of China, the others being Mogao, Yungang, and Longmen – all in different provinces. One does not have to be a Buddhist, or even spiritual to appreciate the awesomeness, craftsmanship and cultural value of these grottos. The eagle-eyed will see an evolution of styles spanning the dynasties and centuries. Visiting Maijishan needs preparation and some of the information I found on websites seems now to be incorrect. I flew from Guangzhou to Lanzhou for a week. I took a taxi from my hotel to Lanzhou West Train Station; then caught the high speed train from Lanzhou West Station at 7.05am and arriving at Tianshui South Station at 8.33am (159RMB for 1st class ticket one way). I walked to the far end of the station and descended two escalators to the bus station in the basement. I waited about 40 minutes and caught BUS 60 to the entrance of the Maijishan site. Bus 60 is a tourist shuttle bus costing 7 RMB each way. I think there are only 2 morning buses in winter but more in other seasons. Once arriving at the site, pay 80RMB to enter, then choose to walk to Maiji Mountain (It took me 20 minutes walking briskly uphill along a road) or take a small electric vehicle (there will be a small charge). Walk up a steep set of stone stairs to the second admission gate. Here you just show your ticket and enter OR pay extra for a private tour in which extra grottos will be open for viewing. I chose not to have a private tour as it was a minimum of 600 RMB per grotto and in winter, there are no English-speaking guides. I caught the 2pm shuttle bus back to the station, and then the 4.05pm high speed train to Lanzhou. By 6.30pm I was sipping craft beers near the Zhengning Night Market and editing my photos. I was totally amazed at the technology of the ‘out-of-cliff walkways’ (totally safe I think), the view of the valleys and mountains, and of course the hundreds of Buddha-clad grottos. Most of the grottos are protected by metal gauze; however, I placed my iPhone camera in a gap and took oodles of great photos. I also had a downloaded guide of the grottos and read this beforehand. There are a few larger, gauzeless grottos open all the time, and these had amazing sculptures and murals depicting a thousand years of evolving Buddhist history. I won’t provide any details of the sculptures as I think these need to be discovered. A few tips if travelling privately from Lanzhou: # Best to use the high speed train – forget slow trains and buses as these leave little time to explore the mountain; remember to use the special entry and exit channel by showing your passport and train ticket # have the correct names of the high speed stations in Chinese characters for the taxi drivers etc # book the high speed train tickets in advance – use a Chinese travel agency or a Chinese friend who can book and pay online # bring your passport, and your mobile phone with the latest Health Record for the province (if travelling in 2021) # bring water and snacks, comfortable walking shoes to negotiate the stairs and walkways, and appropriate clothes for the season # don’t whinge if many of the grottos are protected by gauze as cultural heritage is more important than photo addictions; there are c. 200 grottos and 7000 sculptures – you do not need to see them all! # take it slow and easy on the steep stairs and on the overhang walkways; be conscious of people around you in tight spaces # avoid Chinese national holidays at all cost
3. Mingsha Shan - Echoing-Sand Mountain
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 437 reviews
Reviewed By AZCasualTraveler - Mesa, United States
Mingsha (Echo Sand) Dunes is a must see place to visit while in the Dunhuang China area - in addition to visiting the Mogao Grottoes (Caves). The backdrop scenery of the HUGE sand dunes is quite stunning - closely rivaling the Sahara Sand Dunes in Morocco. In addition to the scenery of the Dunes, another must thing to do is the camel ride through the desert here. It was fun riding the camel and with the backdrop scenery of the Dunes, fantastic photo can be had with this activity. Another popular activity here is hiking up a giant sand dune hill that is specially set-up for the climb up. there are specially made steps that are tied together to make it easier for hiking or walking up the sand dune - nice! Also, there is the Crescent Moon Lake area that is also located in this same area for the camel ride and sand dune hiking. The Crescent Moon Lake is not very large (due to drought conditions, I am told), but is still quite picturesque to have this lake in the desert area - like an oasis in the desert. I believe that this "oasis" in the desert possibly served just that - a water oasis during the China Silk Road crossing. Very worth while visit.
4. White Pagoda Mountain (Baita)
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 93 reviews
Reviewed By garyr0bertb - China, null
I visited the Baita White Pagoda Mountain, Lanzhou in December 2020. It was minus 10 degrees centigrade but ascending the stairs kept the blood flowing! The park is most famous for its austere and beautiful white pagoda. The current pagoda was built by a Ming Dynasty official, Lou Yongcheng during the 1450s, and extended (not sure of details) during the Qing Dynasty in 1715. The entrance is at the northern end of the Zhongshan Bridge. As you ascend the layers of stairs, there are many information boards in Chinese and English. Entry is free. I avoided the cable car. Don’t be daunted by the stairs as I saw many preschool kids and over 75s scooting up the hill. There are interesting things to see along the way and great views of the famous bridge, the Yellow River, and the CBD. The White Pagoda is unlike the more majestic ones I have seen in eastern China but beautiful nonetheless, historically significant, and loved by locals. Today it is more of a light yellow colour than white, has Buddhist carvings on each of its 8 sides, and is 7 storeys high (17 metres). From here, you can walk to the back and take the paths to explore the mountain and a few other historical temples and buildings, including the Arhat, Sangon, and Three-Star Halls. I thoroughly enjoyed this park and its assemblage of historic buildings, forest trails, and gardens. I spent 2 hours here as part of a whole-day, personally-planned riverside walk. Don’t forget your water, hat and suitable walking shoes.
5. Crescent Moon Pool
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 387 reviews
Reviewed By DorothyCheong - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
To find oasis in the midst of a desert is interesting. After our camel ride, we took a walk on the boardwalk till the end to find this much talk-about Crescent Moon Lake surrounded by the fine sand dunes (Mingsha Sand Dunes).
6. Lanzhou Shuiche Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 74 reviews
Reviewed By alisonpriceLeeds - Leeds, United Kingdom
A chance to walk past the fast flowing Yellow River and enjoy a range of water wheel Features. Most are interactive and include English descriptions
7. Iron Bridge of Yellow River
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 193 reviews
Reviewed By 556PaulC - Athlone, Ireland
Once again we’ve seen this several times, but once again we can’t help ourselves. Go at sunset to get the best pictures as the lights of the mountain and bridge are on. Crowded with people all taking pictures but just take your time and you’ll get what you come for. A must see, along with other attractions in this busy city.
8. Ganjia Grassland
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 26 reviews
Reviewed By jstheodora - Memphis, United States
The Ganja grasslands are a stunning landscape of wide open steppe covered by an enormous sky. It's a place for beauty and reflection, which you can do either hiking or biking or walking or driving or just standing still and listening to the silence. It's definitely worth a full afternoon's visit.
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