Urumqi, China

Urumqi or Urumchi, originally known as Dihua or Tiwa, is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China's far northwest. Urumqi was an important Silk Road stop during China's Tang dynasty, and it rose to prominence as a premier cultural and economic center under the Qing dynasty in the nineteenth century.

Urumqi, formerly an important Silk Road halt, has evolved into a significant commercial metropolis. The city bears the extraordinary distinction of being the world's most remote from any sea; it is 2,500 kilometers (1,554 miles) from the nearest shoreline. The city has a very Central Asian air, thanks to Cyrillic signage and kebab vendors, yet the bulk of its population is Han.

In the neighboring Tian Shan Mountains, spend the night in a yurt with the native Kazakh minority. This region appears to be in the Swiss Alps, with towering snow-capped mountains and blue lakes, rather than in the middle of China. Spend your day hiking, horseback riding, or simply resting and taking in the scenery.

It might be remote, but Urumqi is served by a number of regional airlines. Get yourself to Beijing, where you can hop a regional airline or clear your schedule for a leisurely 33-hour train ride.