There is no rail line directly to Dunhuang; the nearest train station is at Liuyuan, about 130km away; minibuses wait outside the station to carry passengers the two-and-a-half hours to Dunhuang. The bus station lies right in the budget hotel area in the south of town on Mingshan Lu, opposite the Feitian Hotel. Dunhuang's airport lies about 13km east of town; the airport bus stops in town at the CAAC office (tel 0937/8825699), by the Tianyangneng Hotel on Bei Dajie. Flights connect Dunhuang with Xi'an, Ürümqi and Lanzhou daily, and with Beijing six times weekly.

You can rent bikes from a pavement stall opposite Charlie Johng's Café for ¥1 an hour. For Internet access, head down the road opposite the Dunhuang Fandian, past the buses to Liuyuan, and you'll see a small computer shop on the left (daily 9am-9pm), where you can use their computer for ¥30 an hour.