Lanzhou Travel Guide

Complete travel guide to Lanzhou. How to get there, where to go, what to see, where to eat and sleep.

Source: wikivoyage·Updated: 2026-05-21
Table of Contents

Lanzhou

A single line shuttle bus (¥30 per person) makes the trip to city in a bit more than one hour, and finally stops at the crossroads of TianShui South Road / DongGan West Road (天水南路、东岗西路). A dedicated commuter train line connects the Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport and the Lanzhou Railway Station, with an intermediate stop at Lanzhou West Station. (Some trains from the airport terminate at Lanzhou West). The travel time from the airport to Lanzhou Railway Station is 50-55 min; as of 2015, there is approximately one train per hour in each direction. (Current schedule, in Chinese).

By train

add listing All long-distance trains nowadays use 36.07103.752 Lanzhou West Railway Station, a huge modern building that from the street looks like a gigantic Walmart. From here, high-speed trains rush to Xining (1 h 15 min), Jiayuguan (4 h 30 min), Urumqi (12 h), Xian (4 h), Wuhan and Beijing. Conventional trains still use the old Lanzhou Railway Station (Lanzhou Huoche Zhan) at the south end of Pingliang Lu at Tianshui Lu. This is also served by a few high-speed trains, and by the airport train.

By bus

add listing The East Long-Distance Bus Station is on Pingliang Lu. Destinations include Dunhuang (24 hours), Guyuan (8), Jiayuguan (17), Pingliang (5), Tianshui (4), Urumqi (38), Xi'an (15), Yinchuan (12) and Zhangye (12). The West Long-Distance Bus Station is on Xijin Xilu. Destinations include Linxia (3 hours), Liujiaxia (2), Xining (5) and Hezuo (5). The South Long-Distance Bus Station serves Xiahe (6 hours).

Get around

add listing The #1 Bus is really useful getting around Lanzhou. It travels from Lanzhou Station to the Lanzhou Hotel, Qingyang Lu, Xihu Gongyuian Park, Qiliheqiao and ending at Lanzhou West Station. It also connects the train station to the starting point of the shuttle bus to the airport, here. The fare for bus or metro is around ¥ 2-3. There's a city bike scheme, with pick-up / drop-off stations dotted around.

See

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  • 36.066966103.774621 Gansu Provincial Museum甘肃省博物馆),Xijin Dong LuTake bus 1, 18, 31, 50, 53, 58, 59, 71 and get off at Qilihe Qiao stop. Alternatively take Metro Line 1 to Xishanshizi station.).Tu-Su 09:00-17:00.Silk Road history in one place. The museum is divided into two sections, natural resources and historic exhibits. The main exhibition is on level 2 and 3. Level 1 holds Temporary Exhibition. It houses collections of various colour-painted potteries of Neolithic Age and treasures of ancient grottoes. It's also home to precious linen and silk fabrics, books, wooden and bronze vessels, bamboo writing-slips from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220), frescoes and many other items. The 4-meter high Mammoth is a replica of one excavated from the Yellow River basin in 1973. The iconic exhibit is the Galloping Horse, excavated in 1969 in Wuwei County, Gansu Province. A horse gallops with long tail waving and head perking; three hooves are in the air, while the right hind hoof has alighted on the back of a small flying swallow. Bird and horse turn in surprise to try to see what's happening. A small replica from the gift shop is ¥500.Free, but you need you need to make a reservation with WeChat.Five-Spring MountainWuquanshan Gongyuan).(五泉山) A jumble of a poor amusement park and some renovated temples.Zhongshan ("Morning") BridgeZhongshan Qiao, 中山桥),Zhongshan LuIntersection of Nanbinhe Dong Lu & Zhongshan Lu).Always open.With a name like that, it ought to be a scenic arch on a willow-pattern plate. It's actually a sturdy metal trellis, which it needs to be to withstand the surging, foaming Yellow River, and it's far from pretty. When completed in 1909, it was the first permanent bridge across the river. Pedestrian only nowadays, it's the natural route to and viewpoint for White Pagoda Mountain.Free.Sculptures of the Mother River黄河母亲像),Lanzhou City Qilihe District South Binhe middle Road(兰州市七里河区南滨河中路).Gansu sculpture by the famous sculptor He E creation, 6 meters long, 2.2 meters wide, 2.6 meters tall, weighing 40 tons, from "mother" and a "baby" of composition.

  • 36.146768103.7084545 Tianxu sand Palace Geopark天斧砂宫地质公园),兰州市皋兰县(Gaolan County, Lanzhou City).This is the most unique natural landscape in Lanzhou City, located in the Longfeng Gorge east of Renshou Mountain, Taohuayuan, Anning District, is a red sandstone about 25 million years ago, after long-term weathering and water erosion formed a group of Danxia-like landform wonders. It is named because it is natural, such as the sand palace carved by God.

  • 36.079095103.867456 Gansu Sanmu Bicycle Museum甘肃三木自行车博物馆),1 Nanbinhe East Road, Chengguan District (城关区南滨河东路1号)take bus no. 36),☏ +86 931 8260085,3840575998@qq.com.09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30, closed on Mondays.A privately owned museum with a large collection of old bicycles from all over the world.Free.updated Sep 2024 | )

Parks and nature

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  • 36.068333103.8144447 White Pagoda Mountain Park (Baitashan)白塔山公园),No. 1 Baitashan, North Binhe Middle Road, Chengguan District(城关区北滨河中路白塔山1号).Park ranging over the wooded hillside north of the river, dotted with pagodas and shrines. Enter next to Zhongshan Bridge and wander uphill by any path, eventually to the White Pagoda Temple. (There's also a cable-car from south bank of the river.) Refurbished in 2013 yet the buildings look well-worn, several boarded-up; the "Jade Temple" compound is in the best condition. The pagoda was closed in 2021. It is unknown if it has been reoponend.Free.Waterwheel GardenNanbinhe Dong Lu.(水车博览园) Small park along the Yellow River housing impressive traditional waterwheels, originally used to irrigate farmland around Lanzhou.Free.updated May 2018 | )
  • 36.025425103.8391139 Gaolan Mountain皋兰山).Cool place to be when the summer heat kicks in.
  • 36.063258103.85130910 Yantan Park雁滩公园).Since founding a state, here has built up to 20 km ring at the dam and 10 km asphalt road, and across the Yellow River tributary, the Yantan and urban integration. Later turned into parks, gardens lush forests, beautiful scenery, has built a pavilion, and the Yellow River scenery mutual authentic, very magnificent.
  • 36.063484103.80149811 Xiaoxihu Park小西湖公园).Metro Line 1 Xiaoxihu Stn. A small park, supposedly to be a (poor) replica of the Xihu (West Lake) in Hangzhou.Free.

Religious Sites

add listing Xiguan Mosque兰州西关清真大寺),Metro Line 1 Xiguan Stn. Located on Cuiyingmen.One block south of the Taoist Temple. A modern newly built mosque with simple modern design.¥ 10.Qiaomenjie MosqueBridge Gate Mosque, 桥门清真寺),Zhongshan Road, Chengguan District, Lanzhou City(兰州市城关区中山路).Qiaomenjie Mosque is located in Qiaomenxiang, a Hui inhabited area south of Zhongshanqiao, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province. It is a Chinese Islamic mosque. According to legend, as early as the Ming Dynasty, there was a simple mosque in Qiaomenxiang (street). The temple was once listed as a "provincial cultural relic protection unit".

  • 36.051639103.82700414 Nanguan Grand Mosque兰州南关清真大寺).also known as the Gongnanmen Mosque or Nanshao Gate Mosque. It stands as one of the six most renowned mosques in Lanzhou since the Ming and Qing dynasties, initially constructed during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1398). The present-day grand mosque was rebuilt in 1986.
  • 36.062647103.81053615 White Cloud TempleBaiyun Guan, 白云观),No. 987, Nanbinhe East Road, Chengguan District.07：00-18：00.t is also known as 'Lüzu Temple' because it is dedicated to worship Lü Dongbin. It is on the south river bank, Nanbinhe East Road, one block west of Zhongshan Bridge. It's much less touristy, a peaceful little compound, so the wear-and-tear on the buildings feels venerable rather than run-down.Free.
  • 36.048225103.82740816 Solemn Temple庄严寺).The great cause of thirteen years (617 years), Xue Ju in Lanzhou later became the emperor, the solemn temple as the palace. Tang Pingdingxue cited later renamed the temple, by the gate, and QianDian rooms, the main hall, houdian constitute HHS falls. Original gate board, "Chi stately Temple" six characters, is the famous calligrapher Li Puguang the book, font bold. The main hall after a Buddhism godness Guanyin wall murals, dignified and beautiful, wearing white, wanran such as yarn, Panicum Jingping, Cuise such as the new.

Outside the city

add listing Bingling Temple / Bingling Si炳灵寺)Take bus to Liujiaxia from Lanzhou West Bus Terminal (Qilihe Metro Line 1). There are six buses in the morning. First bus is at 9am. Bus ride is about 2h. You need to drop before the town itself, near the Liujiaxia dam (daba). From there you could take a taxi (¥6-10) to the dam to take a fast ferry (1 hour each way, ¥170 two-way), or take a taxi directly (¥200-300 per car, two-way.).).Bingling means 'ten thousand Buddhas' in the Tibetan language.. This is a cave grottoes, with the highlight of 27m Maitreya Buddha. Can be visited in 2h on normal walking speed.¥50 for main entrance, and various fees (¥80-200) for select caves.Lanzhou Shuimo Danxia National Park兰州水墨丹霞国家公园, Lanzhou Shuimo Danxia Scenic Area 兰州水墨丹霞旅游景区),No. 1 Community 2, Xinghua Village, Yongdeng County (永登县杏花村二社一号)direct buses depart from the Lanzhou Transit Center at 09:00 and from the Journey to the West Sculpture at 09:20 but these buses must be booked online via the ‘小兰约车’ mini-app on WeChat; alternatively you may take the N125 bus from the Aoti Public Bus Park to the Jiuhe Public Bus Terminal and then transfer to the N125 extension bus that goes to the park; a taxi ride from the city center to the park costs about ¥100),☏ +86 931 2123999.08:30-19:00, no tickets sold after 18:00; the walkway shuts at 16:00 and the Shayuntuoling Viewing Platform closes at 17:00.A park noted for its colorful rock formations known as Danxia. Admittedly it’s not as spectacular as the more famous Danxia park in Zhangye, but it’s certainly worth a visit. The park only opened in 2021 and has good infrastructure, which is specially designed to blend in with the rock formations. A bus is available to take visitors around the park and if you can drive, there is also the option of hiring a small sightseeing car. The highlight perhaps is the 2.5km raised walkway that allows you to walk over the landscape. A pair of animatronic dinosaurs greet visitors at the end of the walkway.Standard adult tickets are ¥80, the park bus charges an additional ¥20; tickets for the ‘dancing horse’ show are ¥64; an all-inclusive ticket costs ¥128. on Wikidata")updated Sep 2024 | )

Do

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  • Walk across the Zhongshan Bridge for the night lights, people and the immense Yellow river.

Buy

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  • 36.03918103.8408291 Hezheng Lu Night Market和政路夜市)Between Tianshui Lu and Pingliang Lu).A very authentic market from mid-afternoon onwards.free.updated May 2024 | )
  • Sanfo1 Youshengnan Road, Jinshui District.The leading outdoor gear stores in China.
  • XidanOff Zhangye Road).The main shopping district.

Eat

add listing Mazilu马子禄牛肉面).Popular restaurant chain specialising in Lanzhou beef noodles ('Lanzhou niurou lamian')

  • 36.053712103.8205872 Zheng Ning Road Night Market正宁路夜市).A street with plenty of food stalls in the evening. Seems it has replaced the old Hezheng Lu Night Market. The street is located between Qingyang Lu and Gannan Lu, about one km south from the big pedestrian street.

Other options:

  • UBC Coffee HouseShangdao Kafei Ting),Zhongshan RoadOpposite Shengli Binguan).For when you need a Western food break that's consistent wherever you are.

Drink

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  • Huanghe Beer
  • Wuquanshan Beer

Sleep

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Budget

add listing As located in buildings, with almost no signs or Chinese signs, hostels in Lanzhou are a little bit tricky to find.

  • 36.066427103.7726311 Lanzhou Dream Forest Hostelvery nice inside decoration but since 2017 they can no longer accept foreigners, unfortunately. So contact them to make sure you are allowed to stay or not, before you go because the location is away from city center.
  • 36.042164103.8290472 Lanzhou Ferry Hostel兰州渡口青旅),Chengguan District old Zhangjiapong Grey Beef Noodles (Lin Hai Shop)城关区老张家蓬灰牛肉面（林海店）,☏ +86 17794268283.Opened in 2017, this small hostel run by a super friendly young guy named Whale, who speaks good English. The location is great

Dorm price Many of the cheap hotels on near the train station on Tianshui road (天水南路) do not accept foreigners, but some do, look around. Here's a couple to get you started.

  • Yingbin Hotel迎宾旅馆),35 Tianshui Road,☏ +86 931 8886552,fax: +86 931 8886776.
  • Lanshan HotelLanshan Binguan)Opposite the train station).Pleasant enough rooms at decent prices. The fire escapes are locked. There is a public internet cafe in an adjoining building (ask at reception).Listed rates for doubles with en-suite ¥138 (can be bargained), double without bathroom ¥56 (summer 2006).

Mid-range

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  • 36.052717103.8577183 Lanzhou Hotel兰州饭店),434 West Donggang Road,☏ +86 931 8416321,fax: +86 931 8418608.
  • 36.065175103.8725184 Friendship Hotel Lanzhou友谊宾馆),16 Xijin West Road West,☏ +86 931 2333051,fax: +86 931 2330304.
  • 36.092619103.7605255 Ibis Peili Square宜必思酒店)On Anning East Rd, first bend after river bridge).Good chain offering, 4 km from West railway station.B&B single US$ 40 or ¥400.updated Sep 2018 | )

Splurge

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  • 36.05044103.8566466 Lanzhou Legend Hotel兰州飞天大酒店),529 Tianshui S RoadJunction with Donggang W Rd),☏ +86 931 853 2888.4 star with eating places & gym.updated Sep 2018 | )
  • 36.051148103.8542027 Jinjiang Sun Hotel锦江阳光酒店),589 Donggang West Road, Chengguan District.A 4-star hotel business hotel. It has 236 guestrooms, meeting venues, business centre, restaurants, sauna and health club. Online reservation is accepted.
  • 36.048674103.8542218 Jialeho Hotel家乐活酒店 formerly Home Lohas Hotel),123 Gannan Rd (near TianShui Nan Lu) / 甘南路123号, 近天水南路corner of Yizhichuan Rd, near jcn of Donggang W / Tianshui Nan),☏ +86 931 8632333.Modern hotel, clean and functional for a reasonable price.updated Sep 2018 | )

Cope

The Visa Extension Service is located in a big administrative building on the southwestern corner of Qingyang Lu & Jiuquan Lu, on the 4th Floor, easy to find, follow the VISA signs. You can search for "Min'an Mansion" on Google Maps to locate the building. Opened from 9:00 to 17:00. Friendly English-speaking staff. No need for photos & passport copies, they will take a digital photo. You just need a proof of lodging. Takes 3-4 working days.

Connect

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Go next

  • Linxia - center for the Hui (Muslim Chinese) and Dongxiang (Muslim Mongol) minorities. Numerous mosques and Islamic mausolea (gongbei), colorful markets and relaxing teahouses
    • Sichuan Back Entrance Route - south via Xiahe, Hezuo and on past Langmusi into Sichuan province
    • Tianshui
    • Xining (西宁) - the capital of Qinghai province to the West.
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