Dunhuang Airport to the City Centre: Bus, Taxi and Costs
Dunhuang Mogao International Airport (DNH) is 13 km east of the centre. An airport shuttle meets every landing for CNY 10 per person and takes 15–20 minutes; a metered taxi is CNY 30–40 in the day, 40–50 after 22:00, and takes 20–25 minutes. You do not need to pre-book anything unless you land late.
It is a small regional field with one terminal building — Terminal 3, two floors, roughly a five-minute walk end to end.
Your three options
- Shuttle bus, CNY 10. The bus waits outside the arrivals hall and leaves as flights land, so there is nothing to time. It runs into town via Dunhuang Bus Station and Dunhuang Hotel, near the Shazhou Night Market. Recent local guides give the fare as CNY 10; some older pages still say 15. Carry small notes or have WeChat Pay or Alipay ready.
- Taxi, CNY 30–50. The rank is outside arrivals, cars meter, and the queue is usually under five minutes even in summer. Day rate (6:00–22:00) runs CNY 30–40; after 22:00 expect CNY 40–50. Ask for the meter, and treat any driver offering a suspiciously low fixed price with suspicion — the standard trick is to raise it once you are out in the desert with no alternative. DiDi works here and prices are about the same.
- City bus, CNY 5. A loop links the airport, the railway station and the Mogao digital display centre, but it runs about every 30 minutes and the last one is around 22:00. A cheaper CNY 3 local bus stops 500 m west of the terminal.
Landing late
The terminal is not open around the clock: it opens around 6:00 and closes once the final arrival of the day has cleared. The last shuttle leaves about 30 minutes after that flight, so if you are on it you are fine — if your flight is delayed past 22:00, assume the bus has gone and arrange a hotel pickup or call a car. Airport enquiries: 0937-8866133.
Arriving and leaving again
If your city has no direct service, most travellers connect through Lanzhou or Xi'an, and summer seats on both sell out weeks ahead.
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Last checked: 2026-10-12
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