秦皇島

From Beijing by high-speed train in about 2-3 hours.

承徳

From Beijing by high-speed train in about 1 hour.

From Beijing by high-speed train in about 2-2.5 hours.

From Shanghai by high-speed train in about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours.

蘇州

From Shanghai by high-speed train in about 25-45 minutes.

From Shanghai by high-speed train in about 1-2 hours.

A major South China gateway with excellent rail, metro, and airport access.

From Guangzhou by high-speed train in about 1-1.5 hours.

From Guangzhou by high-speed train in about 1 hour.

A major northwest China hub with high-speed rail, metro, and airport access.

From Xi'an by high-speed train to Huashan North in about 30-45 minutes.

From Xi'an by high-speed train in about 1.5-2 hours.

From Zhengzhou by train in about 20-40 minutes, or from Xi'an via Zhengzhou.

A major southwest China hub with excellent rail, metro, and airport access.

From Chengdu by high-speed train in about 1-2 hours.

From Chengdu by high-speed train in about 1 hour.

From Chengdu by flight, long-distance road route, or rail-and-road connections depending on season and schedule.

Yunnan's main transport hub, with airport and high-speed rail connections across the province.

From Kunming by high-speed train in about 2-2.5 hours.

From Dali by train in about 1.5-2.5 hours, or by flight from major Chinese cities.

From Lijiang by road in about 3-4 hours, with rail and flight options depending on schedule.

The usual starting point for the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop.

A classic first stop south of Xining.

A vast highland lake and one of the signature sights of the loop.

A famous mirror-like salt lake between Qinghai Lake and the Qaidam Basin.

A colorful salt-lake stop near Dachaidan.

A dramatic highway perspective in the Qaidam Basin.

Wind-carved yardang landforms rising from water in the Qaidam Basin.

Dunhuang's essential Silk Road heritage site.

Dunhuang's iconic dune-and-oasis landscape.

A remote Silk Road pass west of Dunhuang.

A poetic Silk Road frontier stop near Dunhuang.

The western fortress landmark of the Ming Great Wall.

The loop's most colorful landform stop.

A cliff-temple and grotto stop south of Zhangye.

A classic Qilian viewpoint on the return toward Xining.

A highland pass between Xining and Qinghai Lake.

A high-altitude pass on the Qilian return route.

A remote western Qinghai salt-lake extension for longer loops.

A remote mineral spring often called the Devil's Eye.