Dunhuang travel guide

Dunhuang has been a tourist destination for a long time, and is served by air, rail and road.

Dunhuang Airport is 13 km from the city centre. Scheduled flights currently connect Dunhuang with Beijing, Lanzhou, Xi'an, Jiayuguan, Urumqi and other cities. The airport shuttle bus takes about 20 minutes to the city centre and costs ¥30 per person. Minibuses also stop 500 m west of the airport gate and cost ¥3 per person.

Dunhuang Railway Station has frequent daily services to and from Xi'an, Jiayuguan and Lanzhou.

Fast trains, slow trains and sleeper coaches run to eastern Gansu, Xinjiang and Qinghai.

Dunhuang is very small, and most places in the town centre can be reached on foot, or you can rent a bicycle to explore. For Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass, you can charter a car for about ¥300. Direct buses run to Mingsha Dunes and the Mogao Caves: Bus No. 3 from the town centre goes directly to Mingsha Entrance and Crescent Lake. The bus to the Mogao Caves costs ¥8 per person and departs from the Dunhuang Hotel at the Xiyu Road intersection, north of the bus station, passing the Silk Road Hotel and Dunhuang Railway Station on the way. Buses run every 30 minutes from 8:30 a.m. The last bus back from the Mogao Caves to the city leaves at 6:00 p.m.

Most taxis in Dunhuang do not have meters and fares are based mainly on distance. Within the city, expect around ¥5; to places outside the city, around ¥10; from the city to the airport, ¥30–40.

Shopping for souvenirs in Dunhuang is fun, as vendors often tell you many beautiful legends. Dunhuang has many handicraft shops, such as the Dunhuang Luminous Cup Factory, Dunhuang Carpet Factory, Dunhuang Eyeglass Factory and Dunhuang Calligraphy and Painting Academy.

Dunhuang is small: you can walk around the whole town in 20 minutes, and there are no major commercial districts. Explore the town during the day, and in the evening visit Shazhou Night Market for snacks. If you shop at Shazhou Night Market, always ask about prices first, as they vary greatly.

Bicycles can be rented on Mingshan Road.

Dunhuang has several large-scale shows well worth seeing, such as Once More Dunhuang, Dunhuang Grand Ceremony and Flower Rain on the Silk Road. They recreate the splendour of the ancient Silk Road and are very helpful for understanding Dunhuang's history and the Silk Road. If you have the chance, be sure to see them.

Dunhuang's food finally differs a little from the rest of Gansu, with more deep-fried oil cakes and donkey meat yellow noodles, which give northerners a sense of home. Southerners, however, may not feel the same.

Dunhuang's signature foods are deep-fried oil cakes and donkey meat yellow noodles. The oil cakes are much like Beijing's zhagao (fried glutinous rice cakes). Yellow noodles are made the same way as beef noodles, except that the cooked noodles are not served in clear broth. Instead, they are topped with a rich sauce of diced donkey meat, garlic sprouts, green peas and more. This noodle dish can only be found in Dunhuang.

Shazhou Market, on the south side of Dunhuang East Street, is a large open-air snack street, similar to Jingtie Market in Jiayuguan and the ancient street in Zhangye. It offers a variety of northwestern noodles and grilled lamb.

Dunhuang is a typical tourist city. The most common sights on its streets are hotels and guesthouses, which outnumber restaurants, so you can find accommodation at any price level. During public holidays such as May Day and National Day, however, availability can be unpredictable.