Location: Mogao Town, Dunhuang City, Jiuquan City, Gansu (甘肃省酒泉市敦煌市莫高镇)
Dunhuang International Airport (敦煌国际机场) is about 13km to the east of Dunhuang downtown and 22km to the north of Mogao Grottoes. It now operates domestic flights between Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Lanzhou, Xian, Xining, Hong Kong, etc. but not all of them are open all year round. Some flights such as those to Beijing and Hong Kong are seasonal flights. From December 9, 2019 to February 24, 2020, direct flights to Siem Reap in Cambodia will be put into operation. Dunhuang Airport is expected to be built into a major international airport in Gansu Province.
Dunhuang International Airport
Dunhuang International airport now has opened airlines between Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Lanzhou, Xian, Xining, Hong Kong, etc. But some of them are seasonal flights or there may not be flights every day. So you need to check the specific flight information according to your travel plan.
Major Flights to Dunhuang:
| Route | Type | Duration | Frequency | Distance (KM) |
|
Xian - Dunhuang |
Nonstop & Connecting | 2.5h - 5h | 4 flights | 1675.2 |
|
Lanzhou - Dunhuang |
Nonstop | About 2h | 6 flights | 1048.3 |
| Chengdu - Dunhuang | Stopover & Connecting | 4h - 9h | 4 flights | 2067 |
| Beijing - Dunhuang | Nonstop & Connecting | 3.5h - 7.5h | 3 flights | 2216 |
| Shanghai - Dunhuang | Stopover & Connecting | 6h - 9h | 3 flights | 3056 |
| Guangzhou - Dunhuang | Stopover & Connecting | 5.5h - 9h | 2 flights | 3298 |
| Xining - Dunhuang | Stopover & Connecting | 1.5h – 8h | 4 flights | 1227 |
| Zhengzhou - Dunhuang | Stopover & Connecting | 4.5h – 6.5h | 3 flights | 2202 |
| Hangzhou - Dunhuang | Stopover & Connecting | 6h - 12.5h | 4 flights | 3035 |
| Huatugou - Dunhuang | Nonstop | 1h | 1 flight | 550.7 |
| Hong Kong - Dunhuang | Nonstop & Connecting | 5h - 8h | 1 flight | 3482 |
Note: The schedule is for reference only and shall subject to any adjustments of the flights.
There is no fixed schedule of the airport shuttle bus to downtown. Usually their departure time will be adjusted according to the flights’ arrival time. Starting from the airport, it will pass Dunhuang Railway Station, Dunhuang Bus Station, Dunhuang Hotel, Dunhuang Restaurant, and Dunhe Hotel. It usually needs 30 minutes to get to downtown.
Dunhuang downtown is the area near Shazhou Night Market and is about 13km, 25 minutes' drive from the airport. Here you can take bus to some relatively far attractions in Dunhuang such as Yadan National Geological Park. Apart from the shuttle bus mentioned above, there are also city buses to take you to downtown. Still, there is no exact schedule of the buses, but they usually depart every 30 minutes. The third option is to take a taxi. It needs about 25 minutes and CNY 40.
Dunhuang Airport shuttle bus and city bus can take you to downtown (Shazhou Night Market). On the way, you will pass Mogao Cave Digital Exhibition Center where you can buy a ticket of the caves and take a free bus (20 minutes) to the scenic spot. For other attractions, you all need to get to downtown first and then transfer to a bus. Or you can choose to charter a car (usually CNY500 a day) or take a taxi there.
Dunhuang International Airport Location Map
Dunhuang International Airport to Main Attractions:
| To | Distance | Driving Time |
|
Mogao Cave |
22km (5.5km to Mogao Cave Digital Exhibition Center) | 30min (10min to Mogao Cave Digital Exhibition Center) |
|
Shazhou Night Market (downtown) |
13km | 25min |
| Mingsha Mountain Crescent Lake | 16.5km | 30min |
| Yadan National Geological Park | 180km | 3h |
| Yumen Pass | 107km | 2h |
| Yangguan Pass | 74.5km | 1.5h |
If you just want to focus on the trip itself without worrying too much about the transfer, you can consider travelling with us! We at China Discovery provide comfortable and efficient private pick up service for our clients who have booked one of our tour packages. No matter when your flight arrives, our friendly tour guide and driver will wait for you there, then escort you to your hotel or any location you want to visit with an air-conditioned and non-smoking vehicle. After the tour, they will also drop you off at the airport or train station on time. In this way, you can get really relaxed on the way and focus on what you are interested in. The tour can be tailor made according to your plan, time, interests and demands. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us and tell us your needs.
China Discovery Private Transfer
It usually takes at least 2 days to cover the main highlights in Dunhuang. Just like the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, the 2000-year-old Mogao Grottoes is the essence in a Dunhuang trip. Here you can admire thousands of colorfully painted Buddhist statues and have an eye-feast on the exquisite mural paintings. After that, you can go to the Echoing Sand Mountains to have fun in the vast desert and find out why Crescent Lake has never dried up for so many years. On the next day, go explore the remote wild Gobi desert landscape and several legendary historical sites such as Yumen Pass (Jade Gate Pass) which used to be a military defensive pass as well as an important border for international trade along the ancient Silk Road, and Yadan National Geological Park which features Yardang landforms in distinct shapes as you can imagine like Mongolian Bao, Stone Bird, Peacock and others. If you have more days, you can take an in-depth Gansu tour to Lanzhou, Zhangye, Jiayuguan or travel a little farther to the beautiful Xian, Qinghai, Urumqi, and Kashgar.
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