--- title: "Dunhuang – what to see, and every way to get there | Mixroutes" description: "How to get to Dunhuang from Ürümqi, Jiayuguan and Chengdu: every way compared, with today's quickest and its fare. Dunhuang is a county-level city in…" url: "https://www.mixroutes.com/places/dunhuang" markdown: "https://www.mixroutes.com/places/dunhuang.md" image: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Jiucenglou_of_Mogao_Caves.jpg" --- ![Dunhuang](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Jiucenglou_of_Mogao_Caves.jpg) County-level city in Gansu, China # Dun­h­u­ang Dunhuang is a county-level city in northwestern Gansu Province, Northwestern China. [Plan a trip to Dunhuang](https://www.mixroutes.com/?to=Dunhuang) [From Ürümqi](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=%C3%9Cr%C3%BCmqi&to=Dunhuang) ## Every way there - Ürümqi → Dunhuang Train, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/urumqi-to-dunhuang) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=%C3%9Cr%C3%BCmqi&to=Dunhuang) - Jiayuguan → Dunhuang Train, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/jiayuguan-to-dunhuang) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Jiayuguan&to=Dunhuang) - Chengdu → Dunhuang Train, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/chengdu-to-dunhuang) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Chengdu&to=Dunhuang) The field note What is in and around Dunhuang, ranked by how widely it is written about, how you reach it, and the nearest places where we have researched how people move. [Read the note on Dunhuang](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/dunhuang) What Dunhuang has - Yes Scheduled flights Dunhuang (DNH), 13 km as the crow flies - No Trains and coaches no timetable feed known for this country - No Ferries no crossing within 25 km - Yes Driving and taxi OpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band - No Bike and scooter share no share feed known - No Cruises no open itinerary source anywhere Yes: you can plan it here today · Not yet: we know a source but do not plan with it yet · No: no source we know of. 40.141°, 94.664° According to the 2010 Chinese census, the city has a population of 186,027, though 2019 estimates put the city's population at about 191,800. Known as Sachu (沙洲), it was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road and is best known for the nearby Mogao Caves. Get in ## Getting to Dunhuang 1. Dunhuang Airport Flights are available from Beijing, Lanzhou, Urumqi, and Xi'an. 2. Dunhuang Train Station The station is about 12 km outside the town to the northeast and close to the airport. See ## Worth seeing 1. Mogao Caves A UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with exquisite Buddhist art and manuscripts. 2. Singing Sand Dunes and Crescent Lake 3. Yang Pass A fortified mountain pass built during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. 4. Yumen Pass The Yumen Pass was built around the same time as the Yang Pass. 5. Huyang Forest It consists of a small forest of rare poplares (Populus Divesifolia). 6. White Horse Pagoda Do ## Things to do Summer of Dunhuang Variety Show. June–October. Performances of singing and dancing in the Silk Road traditions. Camel Trek, arranged by Charlie Johng's Cafe, Mingshan Road (Across the road and 50m north from the long-distance bus station), dhzhzh@163.com. Typically leave around 16:00-17:00. Get to know the desert firsthand on a 2- to 7-day camel trek across spectacular sand dunes. Eat ## Where to eat There's a normal-priced supermarket opposite the long-distance bus station (beside Feitian Binguan) to stock up on water, snacks and other groceries. Charlie Johng's cafe, Mingshan Road (opposite the long-distance bus station and 50 m north). Reasonably priced western meals available. Very helpful staff. ¥25 for English breakfast set. Shirley's cafe, Mingshan Road (opposite Charlie Johng's cafe). 1. Lovina Pizza A nice quiet pizza restaurant (only one in town) with good easy to read menu with English and pictures. 2. Oasis Run by an Oklahoman, this cafe has good coffee, milkshakes, and a small menu with pizza and hamburgers. How locals move ## Getting around Dunhuang the local way - Go next Twice daily minibuses run the 65 km in 1½-2 hours for ¥15 between Huatugou and Shimiankuang (石绵矿 literally: asbestos mine), a tiny worker hamlet north of a large surface-level asbestos mine. - Go next A minibus leaves from Shimiankuangs "bus station" to Charklik at 11:00, costs ¥80. - Go next The minibus leaves from in front of the bus station in Charklik (Ruoqiang) at 08:00 Beijing time (06:00 unofficial local time) and arrives in Shimiankuang about 6 hours later, and generally in time to catch the afternoon minibus from Shimiankuang to Huatugou. - Go next The 09:00 minibus from Huatugou meets the minibus leaving from Shimiankuang about 11:00. From [Wikivoyage: Dunhuang](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Dunhuang), CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09. Text adapted from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunhuang) and [Wikivoyage](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Dunhuang), CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons. --- This is the markdown version of https://www.mixroutes.com/places/dunhuang, for search crawlers and AI assistants. The HTML page is the canonical copy. Mixroutes is made by Lascade LLC, Sharjah Media City, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Index of every page: https://www.mixroutes.com/llms.txt