National Day in Xining: stay in the city center and eat your way through the city

What's the biggest fear when traveling during National Day? Staying too far away and having to take a 30-minute taxi ride just to grab a meal. This time, I chose a hotel in the Chengxi District of Xining on Huanghe Road—the Xining Westin Hotel (Center Shopping Plaza Branch), right next to Center Plaza and the Wangfujing business district. The airport bus stop is nearby, and it's about a 13-minute, 5 km drive from Xining Station. After dropping off my luggage, I could walk to Wangfujing Department Store in 3 minutes, and there are plenty of dining options right outside. Room rates didn't fluctuate much during the National Day holiday; I saw the maximum was only CNY 203 per night. Booking a few days in advance will make things even easier. To sum up this location in one sentence: it’s not a tourist attraction, but it is the perfect hub for you to head out for food every day and come back to rest. ✅ After checking in, there are a few points worth mentioning: The room is quite spacious with windows on 3 sides, providing plenty of natural light during the day and good ventilation. The bathroom features a dry/wet separation, and the vanity is equipped with a lighted makeup mirror—very practical for touching up your makeup or taking photos. The room also has a diffuse oxygen supply system; if you experience mild altitude sickness upon arriving in Xining, a good night's sleep can help you recover quite a bit. 🗺️ Now for the main event: how to eat in the surrounding area: Mojia Road Bai Liangpi, about 300 meters away. Turn left when you step out, and you're there. A bowl of liangpi is the perfect way to start the morning. Gucheng Muqiao Beef Noodles, 520 meters away. The broth is clear and bright, the noodles are chewy, and even the locals line up here. Shalihai Food City, 690 meters away. If you want to try a variety of Qinghai snacks at once, this place has plenty of options. Going a bit further, within a 1.5 km radius, there’s also Ma'ersha Beef Offal, Lujiyuan Qinghai Hot Pot, Delu Yogurt, and Mazhong Food Mansion. I recommend planning the hot pot and yogurt for the same day—having a bowl of yogurt after the hot pot is very soothing for the stomach. My rhythm was basically: go out for a bowl of noodles in the morning, come back to the hotel to lie down for a while after shopping in the business district at noon, head out for snacks in the afternoon, and wrap up with hot pot in the evening. No rushing to attractions, no rushing for time, and everything was within walking distance. If your main goal for coming to Xining during National Day is to eat, this location is truly convenient—you can cover most of the food route within walking distance, so just save your energy for your stomach.