Atlas of China
Dunhuang to Lanzhou 敦煌 – 兰州
Door to door, the flight comes out ahead: about 4 hours against about 7½ hours by high-speed train, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run about ¥590 against ¥324.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainDunhuang 敦煌 → Lanzhou West 兰州西 | 7 h 18 minD2759, fastest | 7½ hours | ¥324standard class | 407:30–20:30 |
| FlightDunhuang Mogao (DNH) → Lanzhou Zhongchuan (LHW) | 1 h 35 minin the air | 4 hours | about ¥590varies by day | 308:30–13:05 |
By train
4 direct high-speed trains a day run from Dunhuang to Lanzhou West, between 07:30 and 20:30. The fastest, D2759, takes 7 h 18 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥324. Coming back, 4 trains a day, the fastest 7 h 28 min (D2749, 11:58 to 21:07).
Dunhuang: Only a few D trains a day (via Lanzhou to Xi'an and Yinchuan); most visitors fly or change at Liuyuan South on the main high-speed line. Lanzhou: Zhongchuan Airport is about 70 km north of the city.
By air
3 nonstop flights a day from Dunhuang Mogao (DNH) to Lanzhou Zhongchuan (LHW), 1 h 35 min in the air, 08:30 to 13:05, with China Eastern Airlines and China Express Airlines. 3 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 4 hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥590.
Stops on the way
Cities between the two with direct trains from Dunhuang and on to Lanzhou, so the trip can be broken there.
- Xining 西宁 730 km from Dunhuang · 5 h 53 min there, 54 min on
At the other end
Around Dunhuang in Jiuquan: Mogao Caves, Crescent Lake & Singing Sand Dunes.
On the map
Open either city on the illustrated map, or put both in a trip and let the planner lay out the days and the legs between them, with the same tables these numbers come from.
Book
Jiuquan, with Dunhuang · About Lanzhou · All routes
Trains are every direct train on 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 in the 12306 timetable, with standard-class fares; one weekday, so weekend and holiday services differ, and the fastest train may not run every day. Flights are the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, plus routes Wikipedia lists for small airports. Drives are routed on OpenStreetMap roads (extract of 2026-10-21) where the pair was routed, else estimated from the distance. Door-to-door times add about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time to a flight. How to book is in the guide to trains and 12306; the rail times are open data on the data page.