Lanzhou Transportation

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Lanzhou Airport is 70km north of Lanzhou in Yongdeng County, but there is a fast expressway from Lanzhou City right to the door of the terminal building. However, it still takes 40 minutes to make the journey. In the winter, allow extra time in the early morning because there can be fog on the highway just south of the airport for 10km.
Because the airport is small, check-in is quick and so is the security check, so 30 minute check-in is feasible even with luggage.......but.......also note that frequently the morning MU flights to Shanghai, Beijing and Xi'an have a habit of leaving up to 15 minutes early... beware!

Note that there are no restaurants on the airside of the terminal building, other than a tiny coffeeshop.

Actually the journey to the airport is interesting as it passes through the loess hills of central Gansu, passing many interesting villages (at high speed!). It gives you a glimpse of what Gansu is like away from Lanzhou and the big cities!

Lanzhou Railways station is very very good, clean and tidy. Situated very near to Lanzhou University on Tianshui street. One can get buses or taxies from any where in Lanzhou. Get plateform ticket ( if someone to help u) in RMB1.00, get your luggage checked and enter.

Airplane should be the first step. When you get to Gansu, you should change car or train to go on your trip. Because of lots of the mountain road you should select a car with large horsepower and a skillful driver.
Some place need camel to enter!!!

From Guangzhou or Xian, there are routine trains to Lanzhou and it takes about 40 hours from Guangzhou and 10 hours from Xian. Although the journey is long, it is a good experience to know more about Chinese and alos it is cheap nad comparable safe.

Hard sleeper train. I loved taking trains in China and this was one of the best rides - waking up to see the sun rise over the yellow river in Gansu, one of the poorest regions of China.
The train is just a unique experience and a must for really getting to know China. Beware the bathrooms. Oh and take your shoes off before you sit in bed lest you anger the workers.

Here's my tiny bus ticket cost RMB0.5 in Lanzhou city. You don't have to worry how to get there, the train station and bus station are very obvious with the price table very big from which location to which at what time and what price. There's always a person standing there to help you, quite helful but hey if you can speak Mandarin only, they can speak a little English sometimes if you are unlucky enough haha. Buses of Lanzhou are surprisingly clean and modern, they take good controls of smokers and spitters, so enjoy Lanzhou bus.

Perhaps the easiest way ard Lanzhou is by cab, they're everywhere. Fare start from RMB7 but a trip to the airport could cost you something between RMB 150-RMB200

Well connnected Bus network. Buses are exceptionaly clean and fast.