Dunhuang Train Station - Location, Transportation, Train Schedules

Dunhuang Train Station is the nearest and most frequently used railway station in Dunhuang. It serves both high-speed and normal trains. This article will provide you with specific information about the location, transportation, and major trains of Dunhuang Train Station.

Dunhuang Railway Station (敦煌站)

Location: 217 Provincial Highway, Dunhuang, Jiuquan, Gansu (甘肃省酒泉敦煌市217省道)

Dunhuang Railway Station is about 12km to the east of downtown. It is built in 2006 and mainly serves Dunhuang Railway, which is the only tourism special line in Gansu Province. The railway station is simple but graceful, combining modern features with the characteristics of Han and Tang Dynasty. It facilities tourists a lot because it enables people to get there directly from Jiayuguan, Lanzhou, Zhangye, Urumqi, Xian, etc.

To Dunhuang downtown: about 12km, 20min by car.

To Mogao Grottoes: about 19km, 25min by car (about 2.5km, 8 minutes’ drive from Mogao Caves Digital Exhibition Center)

To Mingsha Mountain Crescent Lake: about 14km, 25min by car.

To Yadan National Geological Park: about 175km, 2h40min by car.

Dunhuang Railway Station

How to get to Downtown from Dunhuang Train Station

Dunhuang Train Station is about 12km to the east of Dunhuang downtown (Shazhou Night Market). Both taxi and bus are available and it will need 20-30 minutes. The map below will give you a comprehensive impression on the location of Dunhuang Train Station.

How to Get to Dunhuang Mogao Caves from Dunhuang Train Station

For foreign tourists who want to go to Mogao Caves, you need to go to Mogao Caves Digital Exhibition Center first to buy the ticket. The exhibition center is located in Yangguan Avenue, Dunhung (甘肃省酒泉市敦煌市阳关大道), about 2.5km, 8 minutes’ drive from Dunhuang Train Station. After buying the ticket, you can take a free shuttle bus (about 20min) to Mogao Caves and then take another bus (also free) back to the exhibition center after sightseeing.

If you plan to go to downtown from the center, you can take a taxi (about 10km, 20minutes) or bus (30 minutes) to get there.

How to Get to Mingsha Mountain Crescent Lake from Dunhuang Train Station

Mingsha Mountain Crescent Lake is about 14km, 25 minutes’ drive from Dunhuang Railway Station. There is no direct bus to the scenic spot. You can take a taxi there (about CNY 40) or take a bus to downtown (near Shazhou Night Market) first and then transfer to Crescent Lake. It will need at least 45 minutes in total.

How to Get to Yadan National Geological Park from Dunhuang Train Station

Yadan National Geological Park is pretty far. It is about 175km, 2h40min’s drive to the northwest of Dunhuang Railway Station. Independent travellers need to get to downtown first and then you can choose to take a bus, which usually departs at Dunhuang Hotel (east gate of Shazhou Night Market), or charter a car with your friends to get there. The bus schedule is changeable sometimes, so you may need to find out specific information when you arrive there, while charting a car is more flexible but the cost is around CNY 500.

Worry-Free Transfer in Dunhuang with China Discovery

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 train 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 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

Major Train Routes in Dunhuang Railway Station

Dunhuang Railway Station operates trains connecting Dunhuang with some major cities in northwest China such as Xian, Lanzhou, Jiayuguan, Zhangye, and Xining. If you plan to travel somewhere farther or want to shorten your transfer time, taking a flight is also an option.

Xi’an to Dunhuang Trains

As of November, 2019, there is only one daily train from Xian Railway Station to Dunhuang Railway Station. It leaves at 10:27 and arrives at 08:38 the next day with a duration of about 22h. So a softer sleeper or hard sleeper ticket is more recommended. The train information below is for your reference. For real-time train schedule, please check Xian to Dunhuang Train Schedule | Dunhuang to Xian Train Schedule

Note: You can also choose to take high speed trains at Xian North Railway Station to Xining or Lanzhou, and then transfer to Dunhuang. The quickest transfer option will take about 12h in total. You can also take a flight to make the transfer.

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Lanzhou to Dunhuang Trains

As of November 2019, there are 4 daily trains from Lanzhou to Dunhuang, 1 of which is high speed D-train and the other 3 are overnight normal trains. All the four trains have been listed below for your reference only. For real-time Lanzhou to Duanhuang train, please check Lanzhou to Dunhuang Train Schedule | Dunhuang to Lanzhou Train Schedule

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Zhangye to Dunhuang Trains

As of November 2019, there are 5 daily trains from Zhangye to Dunhuang, 1 of which is high speed D-train departing from Zhangye West Railway Station and the other 4 are overnight normal trains departing from Zhangye Railway Station. All of the 5 trains have been listed below for your reference only. For real-time Zhangye to Duanhuang train, please check Zhangye to Dunhuang Train Schedule | Dunhuang to Zhangye Train Schedule

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Dunhuang to Xinjiang Trains

Though next to Xinjiang Province, Dunhuang is not on the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway. So it is not that convenient to get to Xinjiang from Dunhuang, especially in off season when there may be no direct train to Xinjiang. But tourists can take a transfer at the nearby Liuyuan South Railway Station (210km, 2.5h by car) where daily high speed trains are operated to Urumqi, Turpan, and Kumul within 4.5 hours.

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How to Plan a Dunhuang Tour

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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