Many travelers would like to stay at Dunhuang for 1 or 2 days and visit the amazing Mogao Caves, Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake, as well as other attractions. Influenced by the geographic environment and climate, the overall accommodation condition in Dunhuang can not be compared with those luxury hotels in developed cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, and its capital city- Lanzhou, etc. However, there are still lots of starred mid-ranged hotels including comfortable guest houses, hostels which offer a nice stay during your Dunhuang Tour.
Dunhuang is relatively a small prefecture-level city in Gansu Province with moderate accommodation. Tourists usually choose two places to stay in Dunhuang: hotels in Dunhuang City center and hotels around Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake. It is mainly determined by your travel itinerary and personal preference. Since Dunhuang Airport and Railway Station is only about 10 km away from the downtown area, there is not much accommodation choice.
Tips: It’s suggested to visit the Mogao Caves in the daytime and return to downtown for accommodation because there is not any tourist accommodation allowed in the cave area.
Check our recommended accommodation guide one by one to better plan your Dunhuang Tour.
Map of Two Major Accommodation Areas in Dunhuang
A majority of tourists prefer to stay in Dunhuang downtown for better accommodation choices comparing with other areas. Tourists can easily get to the airport and railway station from downtown within 30min by car. The famous Shazhou night market is located right in the city center area. Besides, It is also convenient to get from downtown to scenic areas such as the Mogao Caves and Mingsha Mountain.
Attractions in Dunhuang City: Shazhou Night Market, Dunhuang Museum
Recommended Accommodations:
1. Dunhuang Grand Soluxe Hotel 敦煌阳光沙州大酒店 ★★★★★
Location: No.1339 Yangguan Middle Road, Dunhuang 敦煌 阳关中路1339号
Distance: It is located in the downtown area, right close to the Shazhou Night Market. It is 14km from the airport and 12km from the train station.
Service: Free wifi and parking lot are provided for the customers with nice restaurants, bars, and gardens. There is a tourist information counter and a 24-hour reception for room service and foreign currency exchange service. Airport transfer service is also provided with an extra fee.
2. Dunhuang Hotel 敦煌宾馆 ★★★★
Location: No.151 Yangguang Middle Road, Dunhuang 敦煌阳关中路151号
Distance: It is in the downtown area. It takes less than 5min to Dunhuang Night Market. It is about 2km to Dunhuang Museum, 12km to the airport.
Service: Free wifi and parking lot are provided for the customers with nice restaurants, bars, and gardens. There is a tourist information counter and a 24-hour reception for room service and foreign currency exchange service. Airport transfer service is also provided with an extra fee.
3. Dunhuang Silk Road Yiyuan Hotel 敦煌丝路怡苑大酒店 ★★★★
Location:6 Wenchang East Road, Dunhuang 敦煌文昌东路6号
Distance: It takes only 10 minutes to walk from the Shazhou night market, 10 minutes to drive from Mingsha mountain, 15 minutes from Dunhuang railway station by car.
Service: Each room is equipped with TV, AC, refrigerator and private bathroom with shower, hairdryer and bathrobe. It also provides 24-hour reception and luggage storage.
4. Dunhuang Tianrun International Hotel 敦煌天润国际大酒店 ★★★★
Location: No.309 Mingshan Road, Dunhuang 敦煌鸣山路309号
Distance:It is only about 10 minutes from crescent Lake by car, 20 minutes from Dunhuang railway station and 25 minutes from Dunhuang airport by car.
Service: The hotel offers foreign currency exchange service and free wifi. Each room is equipped with TV, air conditioning and electric kettle, private bathroom with shower, hairdryer and bathrobe. Dunhuang Tianrun international hotel has a 24-hour reception with a tourist information counter and luggage office.
Recommended Dunhuang Tours:
Dunhuang Grand Soluxe Hotel
Dunhuang Hotel
Deluxe Room of Dunhuang Silk Road Yiyuan Hotel
Standard Room of Dunhuang Tianrun International Hotel
Since it is really hot during the daytime at Mingsha Mountain and the sunray gets softer after 5:00 PM, many visitors would like to choose to visit there around the dusk to enjoy the stunning sunset and stay there for one night for the sunrise. To catch the sunrise, travelers need to climb up the top of Mingsha Mountain before 6:00 AM. Although the accommodation is not that good as the hotels in downtown Dunhuang, there are plenty of accommodation choices around the Mingsha Mountain and the Crescent Lake, including many economical and comfortable hostels in Mingshan Village. About 1.5km away the scenic area, you can also choose to stay at The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel which is nice and fancy with the best facilities equipped among them.
Advantages: It is a nice spot for photographers, and you may encounter beautiful sunset, sunrise and starry sky in the desert land when the weather is good.
Highly Rated Hotels:
① The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel 敦煌山庄 ★★★★
Location: Dunyue Road, Dunhuang 敦月路鸣沙山附近
Distance: The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel is located in Dunhuang, only about 1.5km away from Mingsha Hills and Crescent Lake. It takes about 20 minutes by car to Dunhuang Airport /Railway Station.
Service: The hotel offers foreign currency exchange service and free wifi. Each room is equipped with TV, air conditioning and electric kettle, private bathroom with shower, hairdryer and bathrobe. Dunhuang Tianrun international hotel has a 24-hour reception with a tourist information counter and luggage office.
② Dunhuang Silk Road Culture Hotel 敦煌丝途印象精品酒店 ★★★
Location: No.33, Group 1, Mingshan village, YueYaQuan Town, Dunhuang敦煌月牙泉镇鸣山村一组33号
Distance: It takes a 9-minute walk from Dunhuang Folkore Museum, 1 km from Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake, about 2km away from Dunhuang Historical Exhibition Park. The airport and railway station of Dunhuang is about 16 away from it.
Service: A restaurant, a 24-hour front desk and a shared kitchen, along with free WiFi throughout the property, the area is popular for hiking, and car rental is available here, and the hotel offers a paid airport shuttle service.
The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel
Standard Room of Dunhuang Silk Road Culture Hotel
Usually, 2~4 days are needed to explore the highlights of Dunhuang. The world heritage site Mogao Caves and the stunning landscape of Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake are two Must-Go attractions which take a full day to visit. You can then spend one more day to explore the western region of Dunhuang which also has a lot of attractions, such as the ruin of Great Wall, Yumenguan Pass, Yardang Landform, etc. As for the downtown sites, if time allows, don't miss the Shazhou Night Market and Dunhuang Museum.
Some travelers usually travel Dunhuang with other destinations in Gansu, such as Jiayuguan, Zhangye, Lanzhou, etc. One can even travel from Dunhuang to Turpan, Urumqi of Xinjiang.
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Travel with China Discovery, our professional local guide and driver will escort you from your hotel, train station, airport to all attractions with comfortable licensed private car, to catch the highlights of Dunhuang. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact us and tell us your needs, and we will customize a memorable tour for you!
Sculptures, Murals, Facade of the Mogao Caves
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