Weekend Escape from Shanghai to Dunhuang: 3-Day Trip Great Value in Off-Season

Transportation 🛫 Saturday 10:40-16:30 Shanghai Hongqiao - Dunhuang Mogao 🛬 Monday 17:15-22:40 Dunhuang Mogao - Shanghai Hongqiao 🉑 Dunhuang in the off-season offers excellent value, with total expenses under 1000 RMB, very few tourists at attractions, and warm, attentive services. Detailed expenses: Airfare 140 (Flexi-fly, includes only airport construction and fuel surcharges) Accommodation 146 Group tour 58 Tickets/Scenic transport 410 City taxi 56.37 Meals 137 DAY1️⃣ Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake Sunset⭐⭐⭐⭐ Check the sunset time and start climbing half an hour early; this way you can see the sunset and lights in less than an hour on the mountain. Be sure to dress warmly, as it’s windy at the top. Shazhou Night Market⭐⭐⭐ In the off-season, only about 1/4 of the outdoor stalls are open, but most storefronts are still operating, mainly offering similar items like apricot kernel tea, sand scallion beef pancakes, donkey meat yellow noodles, and poplar stewed pancakes. DAY2️⃣ Chose a one-day small group tour for great value, but since you need to arrive at Yadan before 5 PM, the pace is quite rushed, leaving little time for a leisurely experience. Silk Road Heritage City 60⭐⭐ Features replicas of various ancient buildings, including a nine-story tower, Taihe Hall, Fujian Tulou, and the Parthenon of Athens. Good for travel photography, but otherwise not very worthwhile. West Thousand Buddha Caves 30⭐⭐⭐⭐ You can see four caves; although similar to Mogao Caves, it’s still recommended with excellent explanations. Yangguan Pass 60⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mostly replicas of ancient buildings; the shuttle drops you at the actual ruins area. The view here is great, with vast plains and distant peaks. Yumen Pass 50⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Han Great Wall and ruins of large and small square cities. Yumen Pass has no replicas, only ruins, highly recommended, especially the large square city which is very impressive. Yadan Geological Park 70⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly worth visiting; the Yadan landforms are stunning. The shuttle only stops at a few points, so some places you want to visit can only be briefly seen from the bus. The last stop offers a sunset view. DAY3️⃣ Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake Sunrise⭐⭐⭐⭐ Check the sunrise time and start climbing 10 minutes early, since the sun rises behind the mountain, not on the horizon. Leiyin Temple⭐⭐⭐ The temple is large and close to Crescent Lake, recommended to visit on the way. Mogao Caves⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Book 30 days in advance, arrive 30 minutes early at the scheduled time. First watch two films: one 2D about the history of Mogao Caves, and one dome film immersing you in several caves. After the films, take a shuttle to the site. In the off-season, you can see 10 caves with excellent, engaging explanations full of valuable information. After the tour, you can stroll around the park and visit the exhibition hall. 🉑 Dunhuang in the off-season is perfect except for the cold, highly recommended!