7 Days on the Silk Road

Start at the army of some 8,000 figures east of the city, then ride back to loop the 14th-century wall — nearly 14 kilometres of it. Xi'an has its own page and itinerary sets on this site; one day here is only the overture.

1. terracotta army
2. xian city wall

High-speed rail (about 1.5 hours) leaves Shaanxi and enters Gansu — the route's first crossing, honestly labelled. Maijishan holds 221 caves with more than 10,000 clay sculptures begun around 384-417, Silk Roads World Heritage since 2014. Overnight in Tianshui.

1. tianshui maijishan grottoes

The Fuxi Temple, laid out in 1483-1484 for the mythical first ancestor, and the Taoist Yuquan Guan on the town's north slope. Evening high-speed rail (about 1.5 hours) up the Wei valley to Lanzhou.

1. tianshui fuxing temple
2. tianshui yuquan guan

The 34.5-centimetre Bronze Galloping Horse unearthed in 1969 and the Silk Road galleries, then the 234-metre iron bridge of 1909. Lanzhou has its own page — its five-day plan pairs naturally with this one.

1. lanzhou gansu provincial museum
2. lanzhou zhongshan bridge

About two hours northwest into the corridor's mouth. The 1969 Leitai find spot of the Bronze Galloping Horse, and the 1437 Confucian temple with the 1094 Xixia stele. Wuwei has no dedicated page — this day carries the detail.

1. silk road leitai tomb
2. silk road wuwei confucian temple

West again about an hour. The Dafo temple's reclining Buddha — about 34 metres, sculpted in 1098 — then the rainbow Danxia strata, Cretaceous red beds carved by wind and water across roughly 50 square kilometres, best in low light.

1. zhangye giant buddha temple
2. zhangye danxia

The Ming pass founded in 1372 with walls near 10 metres tall, and the cliff wall climbing at about 45 degrees. An evening rail run of around three hours reaches Dunhuang — add its day from the 5- or 10-day plan, or fly out from Jiayuguan.

1. jiayuguan pass
2. jiayuguan overhanging wall