Getting There -- Urumqi airport, to the north of town, has a brand-new domestic terminal and a smaller international terminal next door. Taxis into town cost around ¥35 ($4.55/£2.30), or you can lug your bags for 10 minutes to the south and catch the slow but cheap bus no. 2 for ¥2 (25¢/15p). Air tickets may be booked over the phone (tel. 800/893-9800), and substantial discounts are available if you book up to 10 days in advance. China Airlines handles most flights within Xinjiang and its main office (tel. 95539) is next to the Kempinski Hotel on Youhao Nan Lu. There is also a ticket office at the airport. Several daily flights connect with Beijing, Xi'an, Kashgar, Yining, and Dunhuang. There are also daily connections with Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Lanzhou, and Khotan. There are also international connections with Moscow (5 hr.; Sat-Sun) and Tashkent (2 1/2 hr.; Sat).
Urumqi's railway station is located in the southwest corner of town. Nearly all trains from the east and west terminate here. Tickets (for same-day travel only) may be purchased at the station in a building behind and to the right of the main entrance. To purchase sleeper tickets, either proceed through your hotel and pay around ¥30 ($3.90/£1.95) commission, or at the railway ticket office (7:30am-9:30pm) at Jianshe Lu 3, in the courtyard of the Laiyuan Binguan, and pay ¥5 (65¢/35p) commission. There are direct express trains to Beijing (T70; 39 hr.) at 8:20pm, and to Shanghai (T54; 45 hr.) at 6:51pm, passing through Lanzhou and Xi'an. There are also speedy connections with Lanzhou (T198; 22 hr.) at 7:12pm, and with Dunhuang (T218; 14 hr.) at 8:44pm. Sluggish trains head for Chongqing (K54; 48 hr.) at 9:54pm, and for Chengdu (454; 45 hr.) at 2:05pm.
Tickets for Almaty in Kazakhstan may be purchased in the foyer of the Xiang You Jiudian, next to the train station. The office is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between 10am and 1pm, 3:30 and 6pm, and 9:30 and 11pm. The more comfortable Kazakh train runs on Monday (¥708/$92/£46 in a four-berth cabin, ¥1,400/$182/£91 in a two-berth cabin) and the Chinese one on Saturday (¥489/$64/£32 hard sleeper, ¥709/$92/£46 soft sleeper). The Kazakh train leaves at 11:58pm and the Chinese train leaves at 9:46pm, arriving on Wednesday and Monday mornings respectively.
From the main bus station at Heilongjiang Lu 51 (tel. 0991/587-8895), buses connect with Yining (692km/429 miles; 12 hr.; ¥150/$20/£9.75 lower berth, ¥140/$18/£9.10 upper berth) at 4pm, 5pm, 7pm, and 8pm; and with the border town of Tacheng (633km/392 miles; 12 hr.; ¥145/$19/£9.45 lower berth, ¥135/$18/£8.80 upper berth) at 7pm and 9pm. The Southern Bus Station (tel. 0991/286-6635) has regular connections with Turpan from 8:40am to 8:30pm (187km/116 miles; 2 1/2 hr.; ¥40/$5.20/£2.60); Kuqa (745km/462 miles; 14 hr.; ¥145/$19/£9.45, upper berth ¥135/$18/£8.80) every half-hour from 2 to 8pm; Kashgar (1,470km/911 miles; 30 hr.; ¥230/$30/£15 lower berth, ¥220/$29/£14 upper berth) every half-hour from 10am to 4:30pm; and Hejing (376km/233 miles; ¥70/$9.10/£4.55). Bus nos. 1, 7, and 101 all connect with this bus station. Buses across the Taklamakan Desert to Khotan (1,777km/1,101 miles; 18-22 hr.; ¥360/$47/£23 for a luxury sleeper or ¥255/$33/£17 lower berth, ¥235/$31/£15 upper berth) leave hourly between noon and 8pm.
Getting Around -- A legion of Santana and Xiali taxis charge ¥6 (80¢/40p) for 3km (2 miles), then ¥1.30 (15¢/10p) per kilometer; ¥2.10 (25¢/15p) midnight to 7am. For the useful bus nos. 1, 2, and 7, pay ¥1 (15 ¢/10p) into a box as you enter, or ¥.50 to ¥2 (5¢-25¢/5p-15p) to a conductor. Riding a bike through the smog and traffic snarls is not recommended.
