Urumqi Transportation

As the capital of Xinjiang, Urumqi is important for tourists because of its convenient transportation. It will be your starting point or terminal of air or train unless you take a long-distance bus from Tibet or Gansu. BRT bus service is an efficient way to get around the city and taxi is convenient also the safest way to get around in Urumqi.
 

Taxi is a convenient way to get around with a flag fall rate of CNY 6 and CNY1.6 (1.8 after 22:00) is charged per kilometer beyond three kilometers. It costs about CNY50 by taxi to airport and CNY10 to South Railway Station. Almost no taxi driver in Urumqi speaks English so remember to take a card with the Chinese name of your destination.

 Urumqi International Airport

It is 16 km northwest of downtown and operates flights to many cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Harbin, Guangzhou and Qingdao as well as international destinations like Tashkent, Novosibirsk, Moscow, Islamabad, Almaty and Bishkek.

Urumqi International Airport also operates inter-city flights in Xinjiang like Korla, Kuqa, Aksu, Kashgar, Hotan, Qiemo, Yining, Karamay, Tuscaloosa, Fuyun and Altay.
 

 Airport transportation

The half hourly shuttle bus costs CNY15 per person and it takes only about half an hour from city center to the airport. The buses can be taken from Railway Station, Kempinski Hotel, and Xinjiang Restaurant. A taxi costs about CNY50 and it takes about 20 minutes without traffic. Bus No.51 and No.27 also runs between the airport and downtown area.

 Long-distance Bus

Urumqi has five bus stations which offer long-distance buses to most cities in Xinjiang every day. Southern Suburb Bus Station and Nianzigou Bus Station are the two major ones. There are also special tourist lines to Heavenly Lake, Nanshan Pasture, Turpan and Kashgar.

Southern Suburb Bus Station at Santunbei operates buses to Aksu, Kashgar, Turpan, Kumul and Korla. Nianzigou Bus Station at Heilongjiang Road offers buses to Almaty, Burqin, Lanzhou, Ili and other cities in Xinjiang.

Rent a car is a convenient way to remote areas in Xinjiang as it save hours of travel time.
 

 City Bus

Public bus charges CNY1 per person and CNY1.5 after 22:00. BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) is a new bus service lunched in 2011 and the cost is also CNY1. At present BRT1, BRT2, BRT3 mainly run along the north to south downtown major roads. 

Urumqi is the railway hub in northwest China and it is linked by rail to major Chinese cities like Xian, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Dunhuang, Zhengzhou and Lanzhou as well as other main cities in Xinjiang such as Korla, Kashgar, Aksu, Turpan, Kumul and Liuyuan. An international railway line from Urumqi to Almaty, Kazakhstan is also available.

There are two railway stations in Urumqi. The South Railway Station at Qingfeng Road operates trains to cities in North Xinjiang. The West Railway Station offers trains to cities in South Xinjiang and inner China. Bus No.909 runs between the two railway stations.