Top 20 Best Things to Do in Lanzhou
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Top 20 Best Things to Do in Lanzhou

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Trip.Best is a collection of travel rankings that takes into account the travel choices and genuine preferences of hundres of millions of Trip.com users. It is updated monthly based on real data.
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  • Lanzhou Danxia Geological Parktop_1
    󰺂8.0
    670.02
    Yongdeng35.2 km from downtown
    trip best small logoFeatured in 2026 China 50 - Fall Viewing Attractions
    Highlights:
    󰀆Geological & rural tourism destination
    Danxia trail: 1.6 miles views
    󱨠Saved by 264 users󱨠2126 positive reviews
    4.5/5
    Anonymous userAnonymous user

    It’s such a wonderful trip. Easy communication. This place is so beautiful and is a must visit when you’re in Lanzhou.

  • Gansu Provincial Museumtop_2
    󰺂7.3
    Lanzhou.Gansu Provincial Museum/Lanzhou Center5.4 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoThe Green Horse at Gansu Provincial Museum is still a top attraction
    trip best small logoAchieved a 2-year streak on the annual lists
    Highlights:
    󰀆Paint pottery & experience history
    󱨜Archaeology & artifact restoration workshop
    󱨠Saved by 123 users󱨠2473 positive reviews
    4.6/5
    晓风2018晓风2018

    The public account reservation of the Gansu Provincial Museum is simply too grinding, and the fingers have to be broken and can't be made, so I have to buy a special exhibition ticket. The staff is still pretty good. You can go to the queue earlier, and there is a high probability that you can take pictures of horses stepping on the swallows and blue lotus cups that are not many people around. The literature and creation are very rich, and it is almost difficult to come out empty handed.

  • Yellow River Buildingtop_3
    󰺂7.1
    250
    Lanzhou.Olympic Sports Center/Lanzhou Old Street11.3 km from downtown
    trip best small logoNo. 1 of Night Attractions in Lanzhou
    Highlights:
    󱓊93-meter tower overlooks Yellow River
    16th-floor view of Lanzhou
    󱨠556 positive reviews
    4.6/5
    会爬爬树的蚂蚁会爬爬树的蚂蚁

    - Majestic shape: Lanzhou Yellow River Tower is a tower structure of seven dark and six, high 93.39 meters, a total of 16 floors, skirting room with the city wall as image, become a solid base; The Yellow River Building of Qingtongxia is designed to imitate the towers of Ming and Qing Dynasties. The main building is 11 floors and has a height of 108 meters. It is attached to the corner building and archway. The total construction area is 22,115 square meters. ​- Unique style: Lanzhou Yellow River Building adopts a combination of Chinese and Western style, with pointed arches, colored glazed tiles and dark wood grilles, etc. Qingtongxia Yellow River Building is a typical Ming and Qing style, golden yellow glazed roof, overall shape moths and corners, magnificent. Cultural connotation - rich display: the Yellow River Art Museum in Lanzhou Yellow River Building, exhibits covering bronzeware, porcelain, calligraphy and painting, ancient coins, etc., as well as precious cultural relics such as the Yellow River map of the Qing Dynasty; the Yellow River Building of Qingtongxia displays the brilliant civilization of the Yellow River in 5,000 years and the connotation of the Yellow River culture in Ningxia in all directions. ​- Cultural heritage: Both Yellow River buildings carry various cultural elements such as Yellow River culture and Silk Road culture. Through architecture and exhibitions, people can deeply understand the historical changes, folk customs and cultural heritage of the Yellow River basin, which is an important carrier for the promotion of Yellow River culture.

  • Lanzhou Yellow River Cruise
    4
    󰺂6.5
    Lanzhou.Zhongshan Bridge/Xiguan1.5 km from downtown
    trip best small logoNo. 2 of Night Attractions in Lanzhou
    Highlights:
    󰋄Interactive Yellow River show onboard
    󱓊Night cruise & light show
    󱨠303 positive reviews
    4.2/5
    会爬爬树的蚂蚁会爬爬树的蚂蚁

    - 景观体验绝佳:乘坐游轮顺流而下,可将中山桥、白塔山、黄河母亲雕像等众多兰州标志性景点尽收眼底,白天能欣赏黄河两岸壮美自然风光,感受母亲河的磅礴气势,夜晚则可领略金城璀璨夜景,灯光映照下的黄河宛如一条金色丝带。 ​- 文化氛围浓厚:游轮上有精彩的民俗表演,如兰州太平鼓、兰州花儿等,还有讲解员讲述“黄河古渡”“金城关”等千年故事,让游客深入感受兰州的历史文化与民俗风情。​- 服务贴心周到:工作人员热情耐心,服务周到细致,会全程提供指引和帮助,且游轮上配备了厕所等基础设施,部分游轮还设有观景露台,为游客提供了舒适的游览环境。​- 交通便捷:码头位置便利,公交、打车都能直达,周边停车也方便,无论是本地居民还是外地游客都能轻松前往,开启黄河之旅。​- 性价比高:票价较为实惠,还会推出各种优惠活动和不同线路,游客可根据自己的需求和预算进行选择,获得高性价比的旅游体验。

  • Lanzhou Old Street
    5
    󰺂6.5
    Lanzhou.Olympic Sports Center/Lanzhou Old Street9.9 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoLanzhou Old Street New Year's Eve Celebration: Join Thousands to Welcome the New Year | Dec 24, 2025-Jan 3, 2026
    trip best small logoNo. 3 of Night Attractions in Lanzhou
    Highlights:
    󰀆Winter lights & fireworks show
    󱨜Silk Road start & Yellow River
    󱨠Saved by 139 users󱨠291 positive reviews
    4.5/5
    不爱吃芒果果家的大猫o不爱吃芒果果家的大猫o

    Lanzhou Old Street is indeed a world to eat. There are different places to eat here, especially the local food is very rich, which can meet the different tastes of the public. Xianhezhuang, Zhazha Old Hot Pot, Kaiqi Foreign Food, Frog Oh charcoal-burned bullfrog, half-day demon grilled fish, burning noodles, Secret carbon • Pig Man barbecue, Xinsanbu beef stew, all cattle Chaoshan fresh beef hot pot... Drink collection: tea Baidao, Fengqiyu, five people sugar water shop, book also burn fairy grass. Snack collection: Wenguo hand grab (halal): A place where you can eat on the boat, operate hand grab lamb, Sanpaotai, Dongxiang potato chips and other northwest specialties. Ma Ye egg milk glutinous (halal): This is the earliest, most authentic, most famous milk egg glutinous. Milk is added to the glutinous, egg slowly stirred, finally into the peanuts, raisins, sweet and delicious. Afu Apricot Leather Tea: Lanzhou's many apricot Leather Tea, my favorite, most recommended, just sweetness ~ Summer, a cup of the absolute seed ~ 504 ice cream: childhood memories ~ I like chocolate the most, and now the new sweet embryo, milk egg glutinous and other flavors are launched. Ma Sanyang potato chips: This store is really a classic combination of potato chips, bean peel, sugar rice cakes, carotene from snacks to large ~ Manfu Coffee Shop: I ordered two cups of "Lanzhou Factory Brand" tea series, sweet-scented osmanthus hip-hop and burning tea battle, which is my favorite taste. Clear milk tea, not sweet or greasy ~ Ding Buf: Buf ordered several flavors, the favorite dark chocolate puff; ice peel potato: recommended mango, must buy it to eat, the ice cream inside will melt. Mingmen roasted Benpu: The most recommended food in their Guandong cooking and octopus balls are really good. After eating, the mouth is fragrant, and you can't stop.

  • Zhongshan Bridge
    6
    󰺂6.2
    Lanzhou.Zhongshan Bridge/Xiguan1.6 km from downtown
    trip best small logoNo. 4 of Night Attractions in Lanzhou
    Highlights:
    󱓊Yellow River & White Pagoda View
    󱨜Historic iron bridge spans 656 feet
    󱨠1162 positive reviews
    4.7/5
    温暖super温暖super

    [View] Night tour of Lanzhou Zhongshan Bridge. Yellow River night pearl, iron bridge shines! *The century-old iron bridge into the night incarnates the golden dragon, and the white tower mountain light show shines, the river reflection is like a star river~ [Fun] The evening breeze strolls along the embankment, sip a sweet roast pear, listen to folk singers play the northwest folk song, full of fireworks. Qiaotou sheepskin dumplings rafting is thrilling and interesting, and the north bank "Yellow River Market" apricot skin water and milk dumplings are overflowing. Only when tourists are dense, they need to be wrapped in thick coats to prevent the river wind in late autumn. [Cost-effective] Jincheng night view C is responsible, and the sense of history and the taste of the city blends; Blowing the Yellow River evening breeze, enjoying the mirage of the light, the northwest night tour must be punched in! 🌟

  • Lanzhou Wildlife Park
    7
    󰺂6.1
    745.4
    Lanzhou22 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoUnveiling the Primate Family at Lanzhou Wildlife Park
    trip best small logoNo. 4 of Family-friendly Attractions in Lanzhou
    Highlights:
    󰋄Seasonal shows & performances
    󰀆Feed alpacas & deer up close
    󱨠348 positive reviews
    4.1/5
    会爬爬树的蚂蚁会爬爬树的蚂蚁

    - Rich variety of animals: currently exhibiting more than 210 rare animals around the world, more than 3,000, covering representative animals on all continents, as well as four giant pandas "Hongyan", "Manlan", "home treasure" and "full" from the China Giant Panda Conservation Research Center. ​- The park plan is reasonable: it covers an area of 5,358 mu, consisting of the entrance area, walking tour area, car tour area and logistics service area. The ecological sightseeing belt divides the entire park into two circular tour routes, pedestrian and car dealerships, and also sets up 5 functional partitions. ​-Excellent ecological environment: pay attention to the creation of animal living environments, simulate different ecological environments, and make animal living spaces closer to nature, such as African tribal areas and American rainforest areas. ​- Strong science education function: actively carry out science education activities, with science popularization hall, giant panda hall science popularization display facilities, etc., through "science popularization into campus", weekend parent-child activities, multi-themed research courses and other forms to teach tourists zoology, ecology and other knowledge. ​- Complete supporting facilities: there is a fairy tale castle playground area, more than ten parent-child amusement equipment, as well as restaurants, shops and other commercial facilities, the dining area provides a variety of cuisines, which can meet the diversified needs of tourists.

  • Lanzhou Polar Ocean World
    8
    󰺂5.9
    921.28
    Lanzhou.Gansu Provincial Museum/Lanzhou Center5.8 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoLanzhou Polar Ocean World: The otters are here
    trip best small logoNo. 5 of Family-friendly Attractions in Lanzhou
    Highlights:
    󰋄Feed & photograph dolphins up-close
    󰀆Unique marine animal show
    󱨠781 positive reviews
    4.0/5
    会爬爬树的蚂蚁会爬爬树的蚂蚁

    - Excellent location: Located at No. 303 Jianxi East Road, Qilihe District, Lanzhou City, it is the only marine polar theme park in Lanzhou. The transportation is convenient. There are direct subways around and parking is more convenient. ​- The venue layout is reasonable: there are 7 exhibitions and functional areas in the museum, including the Amazon rainforest area, the dream jellyfish area, the deep-sea treasure exploration area, the ice age area, etc., each area has unique themes and characteristic creatures. ​- Rich in marine life: It has a variety of marine and polar animals, such as penguins, arctic foxes, beluga whales, nurse sharks, golden fins, etc., as well as rare freshwater fish and amphibians such as colorful fairy fish, salmon, transparent frogs, etc., with a rich variety. ​- Strong science education function: There is an interactive exhibition area, professional interpreters will use models, specimens, etc. to tell children about the life habits of marine life, the living environment and the importance of marine protection in depth, and teach them fun. ​- Performance is wonderful and interesting: there are special programs such as dolphin performances, sea lion shows, mermaid performances, and animals make various difficult actions under the command of the trainer, and the performance is wonderful and loved by children.

  • White Pagoda Mountain Park
    9
    󰺂5.8
    Lanzhou.Zhongshan Bridge/Xiguan2.2 km from downtown
    Highlights:
    󱨜Climb & see 56-foot tower
    󱓊Yellow River night view summit
    󱨠448 positive reviews
    4.7/5
    周华平周华平

    Baitashan Park is free. At night, I look across the Yellow River. The lights are very beautiful. The pavilion on the other side looks particularly beautiful on the mountain, which is more beautiful than during the day. The temperature at night is higher than the bottom of the day and you need to wear more coats.

  • Statue of Mother Yellow River
    10
    󰺂5.6
    Lanzhou.Little West Lake/Cultural Palace3.3 km from downtown
    trip best small logoNo. 5 of Night Attractions in Lanzhou
    Highlights:
    󰀆Spectacular Yellow River views up-close
    󱓊Yellow River mother & child sculpture
    󱨠256 positive reviews
    4.6/5
    linglizilinglizi

    The Yellow River Mother is an iconic sculpture of Lanzhou City, located in the middle of Binhe Road on the south bank of the Yellow River, created by famous sculptor He Yu in 1986. The sculpture is 6 meters long,2.2 meters wide,2.6 meters high, weighing more than 40 tons, using granite carving, showing a kind mother lying on the waves, holding a baby boy, symbolizing the Yellow River to feed the Chinese children. The base is decorated with water ripples and fish patterns of Gansu colored pottery, which has a deep meaning. The sculpture has won the National Urban Sculpture Excellence Award, and is now a cultural relics protection unit in Gansu Province, which is open free of charge throughout the day.

Best things to do in Lanzhou (2025)

Looking for the ultimate experiences in Lanzhou? From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, Lanzhou offers an exceptional collection of activities and attractions that cater to every type of traveler.

Whether you’re here for sightseeing, adventure, or cultural exploration, these top-rated activities promise unforgettable memories.

Top-rated things to do in Lanzhou

If you want to make the most of your trip, these activities deliver the full Lanzhou experience. Expect popular attractions, unique local experiences, and must-see spots that capture the essence of the city.

Lanzhou Danxia Geological Park

• Yongdeng | 35.2 km from downtown

• : Geological & rural tourism destination,Danxia trail: 1.6 miles views

Gansu Provincial Museum

• Lanzhou.Gansu Provincial Museum/Lanzhou Center | 5.4 km from downtown

• : Paint pottery & experience history,Archaeology & artifact restoration workshop

Yellow River Building

• Lanzhou.Olympic Sports Center/Lanzhou Old Street | 11.3 km from downtown

• : 93-meter tower overlooks Yellow River,16th-floor view of Lanzhou

Things to do for unique experiences

These activities provide memorable experiences beyond the ordinary. Enjoy cultural tours, adventure sports, guided excursions, and immersive local experiences designed for all interests.

Things to do near Lanzhou

If you want to explore attractions just outside Lanzhou, there are plenty of activities that combine scenic surroundings with convenient access to the city, perfect for day trips or short excursions.

Each of these activities offers a unique escape within 1–3 hours of Lanzhou, ideal for travelers who want to combine sightseeing with local experiences.

What makes things to do in Lanzhou special

• Iconic landmarks: Visit must-see sights that define the city.
• Local experiences: Engage in culture, crafts, and unique activities.
• Accessible adventures: Easily reachable attractions for all travelers.
• Diverse options: From relaxing experiences to adventurous outings.

Tips for booking things to do in Lanzhou

1. Plan ahead for popular attractions to avoid long queues.
2. Book early for guided tours or seasonal events.
3. Compare prices and packages on Trip.com for exclusive deals and bundled experiences.
4. Consider weekday visits for a quieter and more personalized experience.

Experience the best things to do in Lanzhou

Ready to explore the best of Lanzhou? Discover Trip.Best's curated list of things to do and experience adventure, culture, and unforgettable memories.

Book your perfect activities on Trip.com today, where excitement and discovery awaits.

What Best Things to Do are there in Lanzhou?
These are all Best Things to Do in Lanzhou:Lanzhou Danxia Geological Park, Gansu Provincial Museum, Yellow River Building, Lanzhou Yellow River Cruise, Lanzhou Old Street
What are some highly-rated Best Things to Do in Lanzhou?
Some highly-rated Best Things to Do in Lanzhou include:Lanzhou Danxia Geological Park:4.5, Gansu Provincial Museum:4.6, Yellow River Building:4.6, Lanzhou Yellow River Cruise:4.2, Lanzhou Old Street:4.5
At what locations in Lanzhou can Best Things to Do in Lanzhou be found?
The Best Things to Do in Lanzhou are mainly located in:Lanzhou Danxia Geological Park:Yongdeng, Gansu Provincial Museum:Lanzhou, Yellow River Building:Lanzhou, Lanzhou Yellow River Cruise:Lanzhou, Lanzhou Old Street:Lanzhou
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