Practical Tips

Though summer is blisteringly hot with temperatures going up to 48°C, it's also the peak travel time and when the town moves into full swing to cater to tourists. Though spring may be cooler, there are often sandstorms that are much harder to deal with than the heat. Fall is probably the ideal time to be here though the winter can come on fast, bringing with it the biting cold of the desert. Every August 25 there's the annual Silk Road Turpan Grape Festival at the Turpan Travel and Culture Square.

Chinese isn't widely spoken here limiting the usefulness of your Chinese phrasebook. Learning a few phrases of Uyghur isn't only convenient but also does wonders to break the ice.

Though grapevines and fruit trees are ever present, the fruit isn't free. Don't pick fruit from the trellises – they're the life-blood of the farmers who grow them, if that isn't enough to stop you, the large fines that are given for illegally picking fruit will.