Beijing to Dunhuang Travel Plans - How to Get from Beijing to Dunhuang 2024

It is very popular to travel from Beijing to Dunhuang in a silk road trip. Beijing is the capital of China and home to numerous historical attractions such as the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace. Dunhuang is a pearl on the ancient Silk Road where the world-famous Mogao Caves are found. It is located in Gansu Province in remote northwestern China. Those two cities are about 2215km apart. For such a long distance, it is highly recommended to travel by plane (about 3.5h - 7.5h) while taking a train will need 35.5 hours. Here we have provided you with more specific information about how to travel from Beijing to Dunhuang to help you make a better Beijing Dunhuang travel plan.

Beijing Dunhuang Transfer Map

Get from Beijing to Dunhuang by Plane

Capital International Airport operates seasonal direct flights (3.5h) to Dunhuang International Airport. It is usually one flight a day from March 29 to October 26. Apart from that, you can take a transfer flight (6 – 7.5h) in Xian or Lanzhou.

Beijing to Dunhuang Flight

As of November 2019, there is only one direct flight from Beijing Capital International Airport to Dunhuang International Airport and it only operates from March 29 to October 26 every year. The following schedule is for your reference because flight information changes sometimes. Please feel free to contact us for real-time flight information.

✈ Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都国际机场 IATA: PEK)

• Address: Jichang West Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing (北京朝阳区机场西路), 25 km, 1 hour's drive away from Tiananmen Square, the center of Beijing. >>Know More about Beijing Capital International Airport

✈ Dunhuang International Airport (敦煌国际机场 IATA: DNH)

• Address: Mogao Town, Dunhuang City, Jiuquan City, Gansu (甘肃省酒泉市敦煌市莫高镇), 13km, 25 minutes' drive to the east of Dunhuang downtown. >>Know More about Dunhuang International Airport

Beijing to Dunhuang Flight via Xian

From March 29 to October 26, there are about 2 daily connecting flights from Beijing to Dunhuang via Xian. The total duration is about 7.5 hours. From October 27 to March 28, there are four choices but two of them will take too long a time (nearly a day). The other two will also take about 7.5 hours in total.

Beijing to Dunhuang Flight via Lanzhou

From October 27 to March 28, there are about five daily connecting flights from Beijing to Dunhuang via Lanzhou. The total duration varies from 6h to 13.5h. While from March 29 to October 26, there is only one choice and it needs 13.5h in total.

Note: Flight schedule can be influenced by many factors. Please feel free to contact us for the most suitable flight for you according to the date of your travel plan.

Get from Beijing to Dunhuang by Train

As of November, 2019, there is only one direct train from Beijing to Dunhuang. As it is a very long journey and you need to spend 2 nights on the train, you are recommended to buy a hard sleeper or soft sleeper ticket. The following schedule is for your reference only. For real-time Beijing to Dunhuang train information, please check Beijing to Dunhuang Train Schedule>>

Beijing Railway Station (北京站）

• Address: No.13, Maojiawan Hutong Jia, Dongcheng District, Southeast Beijing (北京市东城区毛家湾胡同甲13号), about 4.5km, 15 minutes' drive to Tiananmen Square. >>Know More about Beijing Railway Stations

Dunhuang Railway Station (敦煌站)

• Address: 217 Provincial Highway, Dunhuang, Jiuquan, Gansu (甘肃省酒泉敦煌市217省道), about 12km, 20 minutes' drive from Dunhuang downtown. >>Know More about Dunhuang Railway Stations

How to Plan a Beijing Dunhuang Tour

Generally speaking, it needs about 6 days to cover the highlights in Beijing and Dunhuang if you choose to transfer by plane (need another 2 days if you plan to transfer by train).

When you are in Beijing, you can visit Tiananmen Square, now the largest city plaza in the world, Forbidden City, one of the world’s five most important palaces, and Summer Palace, the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China on the first day. Then spend another day hiking the famous Mutianyu Great Wall and having some leisure time at the Temple of Heaven or hopping on a rickshaw to experience the typical Beijing Hutongs. If you have more days, you can explore more hidden attractions in the city such as Lama Temple, National Museum of China, and Beijing Olympic Park.

The next day you can take a morning flight to Dunhuang. When you arrive there, 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. Then spend another day exploring Yumen Pass (Jade Gate Pass) which used to be a military defensive pass along the ancient Silk Road, the Ruin of Great Wall of Han Dynasty which was built to fight against Xiongnu in the ancient times, Yadan National Geological Park which features Yardang landforms, and Yangguan Pass which was the gate to another branch of ancient Silk Road. The last day you can admire thousands of colorfully painted Buddhist statues and have an eye-feast on the exquisite mural paintings in the 2000-year-old Mogao Grottoes.

Recommended Beijing Dunhuang Tours:

>>6 Days Beijing to Dunhuang Silk Road Tour by Flight

If you have more days, you can take a side trip to Xian, the ancient capital for 13 dynasties in China's history, or extend your China tour to Shanghai, the modern metropolis, or Turpan and Urumqi in Xinjiang.

Recommended Tours Covering Beijing and Dunhuang:

>>8 Days Beijing Xian Dunhuang Epic Silk Road Culture Tour

>>9 Days Silk Road Tour with Best of China Golden Triangle Cities (Beijing / Xian / Dunhuang / Shanghai)

>>12 Days Silk Road Tour from Beijing (Beijing / Xian / Dunhuang / Turpan / Urumqi)

Forbidden City Mogao Cave No. 45

Travel Worry-free with China Discovery

If you just want to focus on the trip itself without worrying too much about anything else, you can consider travelling with us! We at China Discovery provide comfortable and efficient private travel service for our clients who have booked one of our tour packages. No matter when your flight/train arrives, our friendly tour guide and driver in every city 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. During the trip, everything such as ticket, transfer, accomodation, meal will all be taken care of and you only need to 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.