The city has an urban population of around 2. Urumqi is quite famous for its claim that it is the most inland major city in the world, that being the farthest from any ocean. The city's three major ethnic groups are Han majority ethnic group of China , Hui Han people who are Muslim , and Uyghur a Turkic ethnic group. Other ethnic groups in Urumqi include Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Mongols. Regardless of ethnicity, most people in Urumqi can speak some level of Mandarin Chinese, however in some parts of the city Uyghur , a Turkic language, is dominant.
Few people speak English, even in some of the large hotels. When taking a taxi, it is a good idea to have a piece of paper with the name of your destination written in Chinese. Despite what some of the guidebooks say, Urumqi has a lot to offer and can provide a great introduction to Xinjiang. The best choice for getting to the city is the Airport Bus which picks passengers from outside of the arrivals hall.
There is a metro station at the airport: walk out, take a right, then a left and follow people going into an underground. You may be stopped at the security checkpoint, show them your passport and the metro police will come to scan it and ask you why you are in XinJiang. Note: Going back to airport, it'd be better not to take bus 51 or 27 unless you have plenty of time or are under a super tight budget bus fares are RMB 1.
Bus 51 takes about an hour to get to a location that is mins by walk from the airport terminals. Bus 27 does take you to T3 though. For those in transit note that the airport closes after the arrival of late flights and one is not permitted to remain inside the building overnight.
Note: There is a new "Urumqi Railway Station" opened in located northwest of the city, and the older "Urumqi South Railway Station" which was formerly also named "Urumqi Railway Station" located southwest of the city. Pay attention to which you need to depart from or arrive at. Lines at Urumqi South Railway Station can be pretty long so don't expect to get there just before the train you want and get the ticket you want. Budget at least 2 hrs before planned departure.
