Dunhuang Transportation

Surrounded by vast Gobi, Dunhuang in the remote northwest of Gansu Province often give people the image that it’s difficult to get to. However, Dunhuang as a hot tourism city has convenient transportation for you to easily arrive by plane, train and long-distance bus. The city is quite small and it’s very convenient to get around by rickshaw and bicycle with cheap price.
 

It is easy to take a taxi in Dunhuang. The flag fall rate ranges from CNY5 to CNY10 according to the taxi types. You can charter a taxi to the attractions near Dunhuang. Taxis can be easily found at the crossroad near the Shazhou Hotel.

Dunhuang Airport is 13 km east of the city center and servers flights to Beijing, Xian, Lanzhou, Urumqi and Jiayuguan, etc. It costs CNY30 to CNY40 by taxi from city center to airport.

 City Bus

As a small town, Dunhuang has few city bus lines and the bus fare is usually CNY1. Bus No. 3 (CNY1, air-conditioned: CNY2) near the Dunhuang Hotel can take you directly to Echoing Sand Mountain. The bus to Mogao Grottos can be found at Dunhuang Hotel. It departs half hourly and the fare is CNY8. The last bus back to city from Mogao Grottos leaves at 18:00.
 

 Long-distance Bus

Dunhuang Bus Station is located at No.24 Mingshan Road opposite the Feitian Hotel. There are buses to Xining, Lanzhou, Zhangye, Urumqi, Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Shandan, Wuwei, Kumul and Turpan. Visitors to Tibet can take a bus from Dunhuang to Golmud and transfer from there to Lhasa. 

 Railway Station

There are now two railway stations in Dunhuang: the Dunhuang Railway Station and the Liuyuan Railway Station. Dunhuang Railway Station is 12 km east from city center and has trains from/to Jiayuguan, Xian, Lanzhou, Jiuquan, Liuyuan and Urumqi. Liuyuan Railway Station is 128 km northwest of Dunhuang and operates trains from/to Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Urumqi and other cities in China.
 

 How to Get There

Bus No. 3 can take you from city center to Dunhuang Railway Station. There are buses from Liuyuan Railway Station to downtown Dunhuang. It costs CNY15 and the trip takes two hours. You can also take a taxi with other people and the taxi leaves when there are four passengers. The charge is around CNY30-40 and the trip takes about an hour. 

You can get around the city by bicycle easily since it’s not large. There are four bicycle rental services at Mingshan Road and the charge is about CNY3 per hour.

Rickshaw is another convenient vehicle to enjoy the city deeply and the price is cheap.