Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, 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 Air Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport (ZGC) is located about 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) from the downtown area. More than 30 airlines connect Lanzhou to the outside world, with daily flights to and from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xi'an. The direct daily flights to and from Lhasa now is available and the whole flight lasts only 3.5 hours. Flights to major cities like Tianjin,Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanjing, Kunming, Hangzhou, Taiyuan, Jinan, Changsha, Haikou, Wuhan, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Zhuhai, Shenyang and international and regional flights to Okinawa, Singapore, and Hong Kong are also available from Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport.It takes roughly an hour for the airport shuttle bus (at about 30 Yuan per person) to arrive at Lanzhou Eastern Hotel (No. 555, Tianshui Lu) at downtown. A taxi will cost about 140 Yuan.Zhongchuan Airport Inquiring: 0931-8968160Ticket Center Inquiry: 0931-8821964 (domestic) 0931-8828174 (international)CAAC Ticket Center: No.258 Donggang Xi Lu, Lanzhou
By Train Lanzhou Railway Station is located in the south downtown. There are altogether 45 daily rail departures from Lanzhou, connecting Lanzhou to other cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Qingdao, Jinan, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou, Changsha, Wuhan, Chengdu, Xian, Xining, Urumqi and Hohhot. Express trains also run to Xining, Yumen, Zhangye, Pingliang and Golmud.There are many ticket offices in the city but we recommend you buy your tickets from the ticket center at the railway station or from the ticket offices in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to avoid forged tickets.Lanzhou Railway Station Inquiry: 0931-4922222
By Bus Lanzhou is the hub of the road transportation system in Gansu Province with Lanzhou East Bus Station and Lanzhou West Bus Station being the two largest. There are 750 buses to different places daily and the destinations are as far flung as Xinjiang, Baotou, Xining, Zhengzhou, Chengdu and Wenzhou. Generally, buses within the province leave in the morning and arrive in the afternoon. Lanzhou East Bus Station is located at No.170 Pingliang Lu. Buses No.141, 137, 75 and 6 depart from there and the bus stop is Qiche Dong Zhan (East Bus Station).Lanzhou West Bus Station is located at No.486, Xijin Dong Lu. Buses No.1, 6, 11, 31, 32, 33, 41, 45, 50, 56, 58, 59, 106 and 107 are available and the bus stop is Xiao Xi Hu.However, as Lanzhou is located in the east of Gansu Province, far from the tourist cities in the Hexi Corridor, like Jiayuguan and Dunhuang, so rail as apposed to road travel is often preferable. For the south of Gansu Province, like Sangke Prairie where no rail link is available, the bus is the only option.
