[2025 Kashgar Hotels] Travel Guide for Kashgar ancient city Munag homestay (Updated Jul)

Before coming to Kashgar, I browsed countless travel guides thinking the old city would be enormous, photo spots hard to find, Kunlun Tower requiring telephoto lenses, and popular angles having long queues~~ Set aside ample time for Kashgar. Stay within the old city to experience the purity and hospitality of Kashgar people - mulberries casually picked from roadside trees, locals inviting you to share their harvest, students playing after school in every alley, and lanes decorated with hanging objects of all kinds~~ You don't need to bring many clothes or bags. Here you can choose fabric and get custom clothing for under ¥100, buy an Atlas silk bag for ¥20, or get a cowboy hat for just ¥6~ This city where every step reveals exotic scenery and the sun never seems to set will truly amaze you~ 📷 Must-visit photo spots 🔹 Rainbow Lane (West District) 🔹 Cloth Bag Lane (West District) 🔹 Alley for Kunlun Tower shots (East District: Shiguang Travel Photography) 🔹 "Kashgar" sign (West District: Kaman Homestay, Guli's Stage) 🔹 Ancient-modern comparison shot of Geng Gong Temple (East District: That Time Slow Homestay) 🔹 Hanging Gardens (East District) 🔹 Distant view of Hanging Gardens (East District: Turn left after exiting Munage) 🔹 Grandpa's Grandpa's Father's Naan (West District) 🔹 Guishi Homestay (East District)

🌈Kashgar Old City - A timeless maze where you'll encounter the most authentic soul of the Silk Road. For over two thousand years, the Kunlun Mountains remain unchanged, the desert sea endures, and the camel bells still chime. The dutar melodies from century-old teahouses are profoundly moving. The vibrant local life here appears exceptionally charming. 🌈Attraction Recommendations 📍Kashgar Old City: A living specimen of world cultural heritage featuring Id Kah Mosque Square, Flowerpot Bazaar, Blacksmith Bazaar and other distinctive areas. Participate in the city entrance ceremony, stroll through ancient streets admiring architecture, and experience rich Western Region culture. 📍Xiangfei Garden: Blending Uyghur architecture with Jiangnan garden styles, this was the residence of Fragrant Concubine. Enjoy grand song-and-dance performances and traditional Uyghur cultural shows here. 📍Gaotai Folk Houses: Unique stacked adobe architecture where you can climb rooftops for panoramic old city views, experiencing the wonder of "castles in the air". 📍Kashgar Museum: Houses numerous Silk Road artifacts and Western Region historical relics, showcasing Kashgar's glorious past as a Silk Road hub through exhibits and reconstructed scenes. 📍Pamir Plateau: "Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains" where snow peaks, glaciers, lakes and meadows intertwine. Hike to Mount Muztagh's base or feel the Silk Road's vicissitudes at Tashkurgan's Stone City ruins. 🍜Food Recommendations Baked buns: Dough wrapped around lamb and onion filling, baked in tandoor until crispy caramel-colored - crunchy outside with fragrant meat inside. Pilaf: Yellow rice colored by carrots, tender braised lamb leg, blending raisin sweetness, carrot freshness and lamb fat aroma on your tongue. Lamb skewers: Fresh lamb grilled to crispy outside and juicy inside, bursting with cumin flavor. Rice sausage and lung noodles: Rice-stuffed lamb intestines and steamed flour-water filled lungs served with gluten, cilantro, chili and vinegar - a Xinjiang specialty. Yogurt zongzi: Flattened glutinous rice dumplings drenched in thick yogurt and honey/syrup - soft, sweet and tangy. 🔂Accommodation Options Luxury: Kashgar Shenye Radisson Hotel, Kashgar Southern Xinjiang Global Harbor International Hotel, Kashgar Hilton Hampton - all with excellent facilities and service. Local charm: See You Again Southern Xinjiang Hotel (Old City branch), Kashgar Wulanduo Homestay, Kashgar Old City Meilun Hotel (East Gate branch) - exotically decorated, perfect for photos. Boutique homestays: Anlan Homestay (Old City branch), Kashgar Old City Guilainingju Luxury Retreat, Kashgar Old City Munage Homestay - cozy with premium bedding. 🔂Tips 🍃Convenient transportation in Kashgar city - walking or taxis recommended. Explore the old city on foot for better cultural immersion! 🍃Kashgar has a temperate continental climate with significant day-night temperature differences. Bring warm clothes as evenings can get chilly!

3-Day 2-Night Kashgar In-Depth Travel Guide ⬇️ 1. Kashgar Ancient City East Gate (Opening Ceremony) 10:30 AM/6:00 PM Free Uyghur song and dance welcome, immersing you in the ancient city journey. 2. Areya Road Explore the handicraft street: pottery workshops, woodcarving studios, and Atlas silk shops, experiencing intangible cultural heritage. 3. Century-Old Tea House Order a pot of rose milk tea + baked buns, listen to folk musicians, and relive scenes from *The Kite Runner*. 🚗 Nearby Attractions Xiangfei Garden (3km from the ancient city): Legendary palace architecture + Uyghur wedding performances. Gaotai Ancient Residences: 600-year-old mud-walled alleys, more authentic than the ancient city. Sunday Bazaar: Livestock market and food hotspot. Food Breakfast: Baursak + jam + milk tea—must-try! Alizat Pilaf Restaurant (the best yellow carrot pilaf). Maiker Pigeon Soup. White Ram Lamb Skewers. Best Seasons: April–June & September–October On the first day, I chose to stay inside Kashgar Ancient City to experience both its daytime bustle and nighttime tranquility. Located in the East Gate alleys, it’s steps away from viral photo spots and authentic Uyghur life. The service is attentive, with luggage pickup at the city gate. Ambience: A blend of ethnic style and modern design—tatami tea seats, vintage wine cabinets, and a refined courtyard, perfect for Instagram-worthy shots. Plus, traditional costumes are available for photos. The bedding is ultra-comfy, ensuring deep sleep. Toiletries are high-quality with a pleasant fragrance. Wake up to the aroma of handmade breakfast, and unwind at night with a nightcap at the owner’s whiskey bar. Nearby photo spots: East Gate Opening Ceremony, Guli’s Home, and the Hanging Gardens. Munag Homestay

At the Munage Homestay in Kashgar's Ancient City, you'll gaze up at hand-carved caisson ceilings adorned with intricate geometric patterns inspired by ancient Western Region decorative traditions. The walls retain their original texture of wheat straw mixed with mud, creating a material dialogue with modern custom-made Atlas silk curtains. In the suite, traditional hollowed-out gypsum floral walls naturally separate the sleeping area from the tea room. The earthen kang bed is covered with handmade mulberry bark paper mats, and a rawap instrument hangs above the bed as decoration. The bathroom space cleverly incorporates modern underfloor heating, allowing the ancient "abdast" (water vessel) to coexist harmoniously with contemporary facilities. Breakfast features rose jam on naan bread, jujube honey yogurt with fig jam, and "kumach" made with Kashgar's local eggs. Dinner is the highlight, with pilaf served in earthenware bowls using lamb from Tashkurgan pastures, paired with Munage grapes grown in the homestay's backyard. Within walking distance is the Id Kah Mosque, where you can witness the spectacular scene of ten thousand people performing the Saman dance at dawn. Heading west, you'll find the hidden "Century-Old Ice Cream Shop" once operated by the family of the Fragrant Concubine during the Qianlong era.

👍Recommended attractions: 1. West District: There are characteristic alleys such as Rainbow Alley and Budai Alley. You can go to the century-old teahouse to feel the historical atmosphere, visit the Id Kah Mosque, and buy grandpa's grandpa's father's glutinous rice. 2. East District: There are performances at the East Gate Opening Ceremony at 10:00, 12:00 and 18:00 every day. You can climb the stairs next to the Na Shi Man B&B to take photos of the Kashgar landmark Kunlun Tower. Check in at Jiulongquan B&B, Bayi Laoye's House, Sky Garden, Khan Bazar Food Street, Flower Pot Bazar, Old City Corner Coffee, etc. 🍲Food recommendations: 1. Main dishes: pilaf🍰, baked buns, glutinous rice, mutton stewed cakes, etc. 2. Snacks: grilled lamb skewers, jar meat, spicy lamb trotters, yogurt rice dumplings, baked eggs, etc. 3. Drinks: pomegranate juice, freshly squeezed juice, special teas, etc. 🏨Accommodation environment: ①Luxury🏚️ type: Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar, Kashgar Nanjiang Global Harbor International Hotel, Hampton by Hilton Kashgar, etc. ②Local style: Jiangnan Hotel (Kashgar Old Town Branch), Royalton Hotel in Kashgar Old Town Scenic Area, etc. ③ Boutique B&Bs: Anlan B&B (Kashgar Old Town Scenic Area Branch), Kashgar Old Town Munag B&B, Kashgar Zebra Lake·Fengshu, etc. 🌈 Tour route: 1. One-day tour: In the morning, watch the opening ceremony of the East District, then visit the Flower Pot Bazar, Kunlun Tower, and the home of Mr. Bayi, etc.; in the afternoon, go to Khanbaza Food Street, then visit the Id Kah Mosque, the century-old teahouse, etc., and finally visit Budai Alley and Rainbow Alley to enjoy the night view of the ancient city wall. 2. Two-day tour: On the first day, visit all the attractions in the East District and experience the bustling commercial atmosphere; on the second day, visit the West District to deeply experience the cultural customs, stroll through the characteristic alleys, visit traditional handicraft shops, etc. 📝Note tips: The streets in the ancient city are complex, and you can identify the direction based on the bricks on the ground. "Four-corner bricks mean a dead end, six-corner bricks mean all roads lead to a straight path." It is hot in summer, so take measures to protect yourself from the sun and heatstroke; it is cold in winter, so keep warm.