Getting There-- Theairportis 15km (9 miles) northeast of downtown. A taxi there costs ¥25 ($3), or you can take a shuttle bus for ¥9 ($1.10).CAACis 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 is connected with Lanzhou (daily), Dunhuang (daily), and Xi'an (daily).
Therailway 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 ($1.25). Heading west, your chances of obtaining a sleeper ticket are slim. Proceed through CITS (¥30/$3.70 commission), or buy a hard-seat ticket and try to upgrade. Heading east, there are two new trains to Lanzhou, for which tickets can be readily purchased -- the N908 (4:53pm; 14 1/2 hr.) and the faster T658 (8:32pm; 9 1/2 hr.).
Thebus stationis on the southeast corner of Shengli Zhong Lu and Xin Xi Lu. Daily buses connect with Dunhuang at 9am (383km/237 miles; 6 hr.; ¥46/$5.70); air-conditioned coaches depart at 10:30am, 11:30am, 2:30pm, and 4pm (¥67/$8.30). Sleeper buses for Lanzhou (765km/474 miles; 13 hr.; ¥135/$16) leave at 3pm, 5pm, and 5:40pm. Bus insurance costing ¥30 ($3.70), which is essential for those traveling east, may be purchased atZhongguo Renshou Baoxian Gongsi (China Life)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 11am to 4pm.
Getting Around-- Santanataxiscost ¥7 (90¢) for the first 3km (2 miles), ¥1.20 (15¢) per kilometer thereafter, with a night surcharge of ¥1.40 (20¢) from 10pm to 5am.Xialitaxis charge ¥6 (75¢) for the first 3km (2 miles), with other rates the same as a Santana taxi's.Busnos. 1 and 2 run from the railway station; both cost ¥1 (15¢). With wide, tree-lined bicycle lanes,bikesare the best way to get around. The standard rate is ¥2 (25¢) per hour, or ¥10 ($1.25) per day.
Tours--Jiayu Guan International Toursis 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.