Off the beaten path

Dunhuang

敦煌 · Northwest China

The Silk Road's desert gateway — painted caves and singing dunes at the edge of the Gobi.

May–October

2 days

Flights from major hubs or the overnight train along the old Silk Road.

Mogao Caves visits require advance booking (passport required) — tickets sell out in peak season.

Don't miss in Dunhuang

The experiences Western travelers rate highest here.

735 painted cave-temples holding 1,600 years of Buddhist art — a Silk Road time capsule (book far ahead).

A perfect crescent of water in the dunes, unchanged for 2,000 years — ride a camel at sunset.

More destinations at the same level of the journey.

China's best-preserved walled city — a complete Ming-Qing county town of banks, courtyards and lantern-lit lanes.

The roof of the world — a spiritual bucket-list destination, but foreigners must arrange a permit and guided tour in advance.

Colonial island charm plus the Hakka earth castles of the countryside — a favorite of returning visitors.

China's tropical island — white-sand beaches and rainforest, visa-free for most Western passports via Hainan's special scheme.