Lanzhou boasts a fairly advanced transport network and is generally thought of as one of the most important railway and air traffic centers in west China. The city is an important transit point for travelers planning on going northwest to Xinjiang, east to Ningxia, south to Sichuan and north to Inner Mongolia.

By plane:
It is possible to fly to Lanzhou from within the province (from Dunhuang and Jiayuguan) and from most of the major cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi'an and Nanjing.

The airport (Zhongchuan feiji chang) is 70km north of town, about an hour's ride. You may either take a shuttle bus or hire a taxi to get downtown. Airport buses (RMB20-RMB25) leave from the CAAC office (on Donggang xilu), three hours before scheduled flights. You may, in addition, ask the receptionist of the hotel you are staying in to see if they provide such a service. There are also weekly charter flights for Hong Kong.

To get further information and book tickets, go to the booking office in Jincheng Hotel or call (0931-8416737). China Northwest Airlines has a booking office on Dongguang xilu, a five-minute walk northwest of Lanzhou Hotel (open daily, 8am-9pm; Tel: 0931-8821964). The CAAC office is just 50m further west along the road.

By train:
Lanzhou is the intersection point of four major railway lines: the Lanzhou-Lianyungang line, the Lanzhou-Urumqi line, the Lanzhou-Xining line and the Lanzhou-Baotou line. There are almost daily trains passing the city either way--to Urumqi (35 hours), to Beijing (28 hours) via Hohhot (18 hours), to Golmud (20 hours) via Xining (4 hours), to Shanghai (24 hours)  via Xi'an (17 hours) and Zhengzhou (12 hours).

To facilitate travelers within the province, there are daily special express trains to Zhangye (12 hours) and Jiayuguan (15 hours). The main railway station is at the foot of Gaolan Mountain in the southern part of town. Tickets, one or two days in advance, can be bought either from the station or a railway booking office on Donggang xilu, just next to the CAAC office (open daily from 8:30am to 5pm).

By bus:
Although there are seven long-distance bus stations in town and four state-level expressways pass the city, travelers are advised to take a train, for it takes much less time. However, if you are planning on heading south to Xiahe, bus is your only option. For detailed information, check the corresponding section in Xiahe. The Western Bus Station (Qiche xizhan) has buses to Yongjing (near the Bingling Temple Caves), Linxia (4 hours), Xiahe (three direct buses daily at 7:30am, 8:30am and 2:00pm, RMB30), Hezuo (7 hours), Zhangye (about 15 hours) and Dunhuang (about 27 hours, a lengthy time auctually). You may expect to be charged double unless you can produce a student or resident identity card. The Eastern Bus Station on Pingliang lu handles east-bound departures--one nightly sleeper to Xi'an (RMB105, 15 hours) and morning and evening buses for Yinchuan (RMB36 for ordinary and RMB75 for sleeper, 11 hours) and Tianshui (RMB27 for ordinary and double for sleeper, nine hours).

City transport: City transport is relatively convenient, given the several dozen bus routes in town. Bus No.1 and Trolley bus No.31 both run from the railway station to the West Bus Station. Bus No.7  and 10 also run from the railway station and head west. There are also many cabs that run through the night.

  Tours inclusive of visiting Lanzhou