Atlas of China
Ürümqi to Kashgar 乌鲁木齐 – 喀什
Door to door, the flight comes out ahead: about 4½ hours against about 12 hours by train, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run about ¥670 against ¥305. If you would rather not fly, the overnight train turns the journey into a night’s sleep.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TrainÜrümqi 乌鲁木齐 → Kashgar 喀什 | 11 h 30 minZ6516, fastest | 12 hours | ¥305standard class | 910:52–20:50 |
| FlightÜrümqi Tianshan (URC) → Kashgar Laining (KHG) | 2 h 10 minin the air | 4½ hours | about ¥670varies by day | 1507:15–22:00 |
By train
9 direct trains a day run from Ürümqi to Kashgar, between 10:52 and 20:50. The fastest, Z6516, takes 11 h 30 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥305. It runs overnight, so a sleeper berth saves a hotel night. Coming back, 9 trains a day, the fastest 11 h 32 min (Z6518, 09:50 to 23:10).
Kashgar: Conventional trains only; most visitors fly from Ürümqi (about 2 hours).
By air
15 nonstop flights a day from Ürümqi Tianshan (URC) to Kashgar Laining (KHG), 2 h 10 min in the air, 07:15 to 22:00, with China Southern Airlines, Chengdu Airlines and Tianjin Airlines. 15 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 4½ hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥670.
Stops on the way
Cities between the two with direct trains from Ürümqi and on to Kashgar, so the trip can be broken there.
- Aksu 阿克苏 670 km from Ürümqi · 9 h 37 min there, 4 h 58 min on
At the other end
Featured places around Kashgar.
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Kashgar Old City 喀什古城
A Silk Road crossroads of mud-brick lanes, bazaars and the Id Kah Mosque
Around Ürümqi: Heavenly Lake of Tianshan.
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
About Ürümqi · About Kashgar · Where Ürümqi reaches in a day · 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.