Dunhuang Transportation -- Getting There

Dunhuang is in northwest China, at the intersection of Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang provinces. Passengers can get there easily by flight, train and long-distance bus from big cities and major tourism cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Lanzhou, Jiayuguan, Xining, Urumqi, Turpan, and Guangzhou.

 Dunhuang Mogao International Airport (DNH) is located about 13 kilometers (8 miles) east to the city center. At present, regular flight routes from Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Urumqi, Lanzhou and Jiayuguan have been opened. Among them, the flights from Lanzhou and Xi'an operate daily throughout the year. The air routes from other cities may be suspended in cold winter, and there may not be daily flights during other seasons. Please check the flight schedule in advance. 

Upon landing, there are convenient shuttle buses and taxis that can transfer passengers to downtown area, hotels and major scenic areas, like Mogao Caves, Echoing-Sand Mountain & Crescent Lake. Besides, there are humanized facilities inside the airport, which bring a lot of convenience to passengers.
 Now, there is a railway station available for your trip to and from the city: Dunhuang Railway Station.

Dunhuang Railway Station is located 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) away from the city center. At present, both high speed trains and normal speed trains are available here. They connect the city with Jiayuguan, Beijing, Xi’an, Lanzhou, Yinchuan, Urumqi, Zhangye, etc. 

In front of the station square, there are many taxis heading for the downtown area and scenic spots. About city bus, there is only one line in service with an interval of about 30 minutes; it runs to downtown and Mogao Caves.  

 See also Train Schedule

 Major Rail Lines from Dunhuang to:

Tips:
1. If you take the taxis or private cars at night, you can bargain with the driver about the fare and usually you'd get some discount.
2. Do not trust the driver who quotes you a quite low price, because he may raise the price on the way at the vast and desolate rocky desert, when you may have no other choice but pay more.
 

There is only one long-distance bus station in the city, which is called Dunhuang Long-distance Bus Station. The bus station is located at No. 2, Yingbin Avenue, operating frequent buses from Xining, Lanzhou, Zhangye, Urumqi, Golmud, Huatugou, Aksay, Subei, Guazhou, Yumen, Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Jinta, Fengle, Shandan, Wuwei, Tongwei, Hami and Turpan. In addition, there are daily buses from this bus station to Dunhuang Railway Station.

Dunhuang Long-distance Bus Schedule

Xining	10:00
Lanzhou	08:30, 10:30
Zhangye	15:30
Urumqi	12:00
Hami	08:00
Subei	07:50, 10:00, 16:00, 16:30, 18:00
Golmud	08:00, 19:30
Huatugou	07:30, 08:30, 20:30
Jiuquan	08:00, 08:30, 09:30, 10:15, 13:00, 14:30, 21:30, 22:30
Shandan	18:00
Yumen	07:40
Fengle	07:00
Jinta	21:00
Anxi	16:00, 17:30
Jiayuguan	11:30, 14:30
Wuwei	16:30
Zhangye	15:30
Tongwei	14:40

Tips: Buses to Lanzhou, Xining, Golmud and Zhangye are usually sleeper coaches. There are also sleeper buses, sleeper minibuses and air-conditioned buses. Visitors can confirm the types of vehicles in the bus station.