Getting There -- The airport is 15km (9 miles) northeast of downtown. A taxi there costs ¥25 ($3.25/£1.65), or you can take a shuttle bus for ¥9 ($1.15/60p) from the CAAC office at Xinhua Zhong Lu 4-3 (tel. 0937/628-8777; open 8:30am-5:30pm), about 90m (300 ft.) south of the main roundabout. Because all flights leave at 6pm, the airport shuttle departs from outside the CAAC office at 4:30pm. Jiayu Guan has daily connections with Lanzhou and Xi'an.
The railway station (tel. 0937/597-2512) is 4km (2 1/2 miles) southeast of the center of town. A taxi from the station should cost ¥10 ($1.30/65p). Heading west, your chances of obtaining a sleeper ticket are slim. Proceed through your hotel travel agent (around ¥30/$3.90/£1.95 commission), or buy a hard-seat ticket and try to upgrade. Heading east, things are a little easier; the N852 is a good option to Lanzhou (8:40pm; 10 hr.).
The bus station is on the southeast corner of Shengli Zhong Lu and Xin Xi Lu. Daily buses connect with Dunhuang at 9am, 10:30am, and 2:30pm (383km/237 miles; 5 hr.; ¥70/$9.10/£4.55). Sleeper buses for Lanzhou (765km/474 miles; 13 hr.; ¥150/$20/£9.75) leave at 2:30pm, 4:30pm, and 6:30pm. Bus insurance was once mandatory for those traveling east, although this ruling seems to have been relaxed and I wasn't asked for it once, nor did I meet any foreigners who were. Nevertheless, as the kind lady at China Life explained to me, "If you meet an accident you will be very happy [to have bus insurance]," which costs ¥40 ($5.20/£2.60) and will cover you to the tune of ¥240,000 ($31,200/£15,600). China Life (Zhongguo Renshou Baoxian Gongsi can be found just south of the Bank of China, at Xinhua Zhong Lu 36 (tel. 0937/626-1434). It's open weekdays from 8:30am to 12:30pm and 2:30 to 6:30pm, weekends from 10am to 4pm.
Getting Around -- Santana taxis cost ¥7 (90¢/45p) for the first 3km (2 miles), ¥1.40 (20¢/10p) per kilometer thereafter, with a night surcharge of ¥1.40 (20¢/10p) from 10pm to 5am. Xiali taxis charge ¥6 (80¢/40p) for the first 3km (2 miles), and ¥1.20 (15¢/10p) per kilometer thereafter. Bus nos. 1 and 2 run from the railway station; both cost ¥1 (15¢/10p). With wide, tree-lined bicycle lanes, bikes are the best way to get around. The standard rate is ¥2 (25¢/15p) per hour, or ¥10 ($1.30/65p) per day.
Tours -- Jiayu Guan International Tours is run by the friendly Qin Jian. His office is on the second floor of Shengli Bei Lu 2 (tel. 0937/622-2586; fax 0937/622-6931; www.westtour.cc). Hours are from 8:30am to 12:30pm and 2:30 to 6:30pm. Rates for train tickets and tours are reasonable.
