Things to do & places to visit in Dunhuang, Gansu, China

Dunhuang city in Gansu, China. Timezone: Asia/Urumqi, current date and time: Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 10:26.

Dunhuang Weather Statistics view more »

General weather summary in May

78°F - 53°F

Temperature Highs - Lows

Mildly cool with a gentle breeze

Feels like

Chance of rain

16.0 millimeters

Amount

13.8 mph

Wind speed

22%

Humidity

14.4

Daylight length

6:26 AM

Sunrise

8:48 PM

Sunset

53%

Cloud cover

Sweater

What to wear

Top things to do (27)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 DunHuang Travel Guide (104 reviews)
- Excellent service
Historical & Heritage Tours • Eco Tours • Sightseeing Tours • Hiking & Camping Tours • Private Tours

Richard was recommended to us by a friend when we were days from the start of our Dunhuang - Xining Silk Road trip. We had originally planned to look after ourselves for the trip but after enquiring with Richard it became obvious that using his services was the smart option. He promptly replied with a proposed itinerary, as well as a quote for a car and driver at each of our destinations which was surprisingly reasonable. Throughout the trip Richard swiftly answered any questions we had on wechat and everything went extremely smoothly. He is extremely knowledgeable about the area and we felt safe under his guidance. Highly recommend. See more..
4.5 Mogao Caves (880 reviews)
- Educational, cultural and a genuinely interesting place to visit!
Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Historic Sites • Caverns & Caves • Religious Sites

Located in the Gobi desert, the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas feature beautiful wall fresco paintings and more than 3,000 sculptures dating from the forth to the fourteenth century. See more..
4.5 Mingsha Shan - Echoing-Sand Mountain (439 reviews)
- Tickets are good for three days
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 8:30 PM Mountains

We really enjoyed the striking views of the sand dunes. The entrance fee is 100 RM, but the ticket is actually good for three days, so you can come back at sunset and sunrise if you want. Once you are inside, you have an option to take a bus to the base of a dune for a small fee, or to take a camel ride, or rent an ATV. We choose none of the above and simply walked. slightly off the main bath was a path thru some greenery which was much cooler. On the main dune they have set wires in the sand to give you a little traction going up. There are plenty of concessions within the park and you can wander about as much as you want. According to the signage their is no worries about erosion of the dune because so much sand gets blown up every day. See more..
4.5 Yadan National Geological Park (179 reviews)
- Remote, Scenic Sites in Dunhuang
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM National Parks • Parks • Geologic Formations

The Yadan (Dunhuang) Geological Park is a large, remote desert area that had been designated by UNESCO as both a World Cultural Heritage Site and a Global Geopark for its importance in the history (Silk Road) and a unique, natural scenic area. in the GeoPark, there is a modern visitor center with displays describing the area's history. Just outside the rear door of the visitor center, is the Small Fangpan Castle and is located in Yumen Pass. Also from the Visitor Center, there are shuttle buses that takes you to the ancient Han Dynasty Great Wall section. As can be seen in my photos of this section of the Great Wall, the design and construction is very much different than the sections of the Great Wall that is located in central and eastern China. So if you are interested in seeing ancient and historic sites of the Silk Road era like I am, then these attractions are for you. See more..
4.5 Dunhuang Grotto Art Protection,Examination and Exhibition Center (55 reviews)
- Tibetan statues in Dunhuang Exhibition Center
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Art Museums

Tibetan statues are the real masterpieces of art. Great and unexpected experience. The most striking fact is that statues are real. Rest of items and pictures in the Center are copies. See more..
4.5 Dunhuang Theater (26 reviews)
- Unbelievably excellent
Spent 2-3 hours Theaters

We were strongly recommended to attend this by our tour guide (who we rather unfairly suspected of getting a commission, but actually got us a large discount). It's easily the most spectacular show in the world. It's outdoors and can be quite chilly, but don't be deterred. There are four separate outdoor stages and the whole auditorium rotates to face each in turn - quite a surprise the first time it happens. It's a usual sort of star-crossed lovers but the spectacle makes the story not very necessary. DO NOT MISS THIS See more..
4.5 Dunhuang Leiyin Temple (21 reviews)
- Beautiful Buddhist temple complex in Dunhuang
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Religious Sites

Dunhuang was my first stop during my trip to the Silk Road. Dunhuang is a small town but very rich in the history of the Silk Road, and is home to extraordinary sites with Buddhist art. The Lei Yin temple complex is located inside the town of Dunhuang, and is easily accessible from several nearby hotels. The complex consists of several temples with Buddhist art, all of which are very well preserved. Worth a visit! I highly recommend contacting China Highlights, who organized my tailor-made itinerary to the Silk Road in China. See more..
4.5 DunHuang ShiKu WenWu BaoHu YanJiu ChenLie ZhongXin (16 reviews)
- the touristic tpip turned out to be a cultural one
Speciality Museums

The only problem with this place is that to enter it you should stay for 30-60 minutes in front of the door. The exposition is rather interesting. See more..
4.5 Xijin Tomb (10 reviews)
- 3 Kingdoms and Eastern Han Tombs, brick paintings
Spent < 1 hour Ancient Ruins • Cemeteries

Very well preserved tombs from the late 3 Kingdoms period and the Eastern Han Dynasty. The paintings on the tomb walls and bricks are breathtaking. Visitors are guided by local guides who provide excellent background information. See more..
4.5 Dunhuang Nanhu Lake (8 reviews)
- The desert just beyond a city road
Wednesday: 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM Nature & Wildlife Areas

Interesting place -- was amazed to find that the edge of the desert starts just about 200 metres from a peripheral city road. Climbing the sandhills in sandals to begin with was almost too much to bear -- the hot sand kept falling onto my naked feet! I almost decided to give up, but glad I didn't, because on reaching the crest of a huge mound of sand, looking down to the Crescent Moon lake, of course it wasn't so bad. I would have loved to have "tobogganed" down the sand to the camels waiting at the bottom, but judged it too dangerous for my cameras, should I come off! Nevertheless, quite a memorable event. See more..
4.5 Library Cave Heritage Museum (7 reviews)
- One of the most interesting museums that I've seen
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM History Museums

Stroll the hallways of this museum and enjoy the artifacts, pictures of the archaeological digs done over the last 100 years, look at manuscripts that our ancestors wrote 1500 years ago, 1000 years ago and so on. There are manuscripts in Hebrew, Persian, Chinese and other languages that make this ancient silk road city so interesting. See more..
4.5 Shouchang City Site off Dunhuang (5 reviews)
- 不得不去的敦煌1
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Ancient Ruins

去敦煌是非典那年的事了，虽然事隔这么多年但依然让我记忆尤新！我是自助游背包去的，美丽神秘的莫高窟、大漠里的月牙泉、尤其是善良淳朴的民风让我对这个负有盛名的旅游胜地念念不忘！我想在有生之年我一定还会再去重温当年那美好的记忆的。 See more..
4.5 MoGao TeChan ZhanShiYuan (3 reviews)
- that is ok for visit if you got time
Speciality Museums

good for take time for visit as it free and it getting some demo room that has 1:1 size to disclose the important cave for visitor. also getting some information or old stuff showing. that is ok for visit if you got time See more..
4.5 Dunhuang Anxi Qiaowan City (3 reviews)
- Magnificent but at present not easy to reach
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Geologic Formations • History Museums
These caves which go by various names (Thousand-Buddha Gap, Yulin Caves/Grottoes) are magnificent and, in my view just as good as those at Mogao. However, at the time of writing (4/17) it is something of a challenge to reach them. But, my goodness it was worth the effort. The presentation is not on the same level as the introduction at Mogao. Indeed, there is no introduction but the caves are marvellous. The road is gravel most of the way but it looks as though it is being upgraded. As a result there were less than 100 visitors. The caves are either side of the river where it runs through a canyon. The paintings are remarkably well preserved. 43 caves are from the Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Western Xia, Uiger, Yuan and Qing dynasties. We were only a small group and so received almost personal attention and the caves were much bigger than Mogao and very cold once inside. Some of the black ink drawings were exquisite. There has been some restoration carried out some 100 years ago to the figures and to the paintings so the colours are quite bright but a great deal of the art is original. There is little in the way of facilities although a new visitor centre is being built. I would suggest one takes one's own torch although the guide will have one but the caves are large. Clearly the site will, in due course, be on the tourist route but I would suggest one visits whilst it is so simple and charming. See more..
4.5 Wowa Pond (2 reviews)
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Bodies of Water

See more..
4.0 Crescent Moon Pool (388 reviews)
- Nice views from the top of the sand dune
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Hot Springs & Geysers

We visited on Christmas Day, so the pool was frozen over. The views from the top of the sand dune were still incredible though, but we didn’t walk around the oasis. It probably looks much better during summer time. See more..
4.0 Yumen Pass (115 reviews)
- Wonderful scenery
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Ancient Ruins

I really loved the scenery here! It takes around an hour to get here from Dunhuang. We did it as part of a tour. We also visited Yangguan Pass which is also very beautiful. I purchased the audio tour for ¥40 at the entrance. You can choose a number of languages, but I don’t suggest doing it as it’s not that informative. We got on a bus and we’re taken to 3 different sites and spent around half an hour at each place before getting back on the bus. It was a wonderful experience, made better by the clear skies and seeing the sunset! See more..
4.0 Great Wall of Han Dynasty (98 reviews)
- Go quick as it's disappearing
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings

I've been here five times over the last 13 years and each time it's smaller and smaller than the previous visit. The most recent visit, there was a team of workers injecting some sort of 'secret' solution (they wouldn't tell me what it was) that they said was to help preserve the remaining layers of straw, reeds, pebbles and sand that the wall consists of. They've also roped off more areas to keep idiots from climbing on the crumbling walls to take selfies. It's so sad seeing the destruction that has happened to this amazing site. If you visit -- look only. Help preserve it. Don't discard bottles or anything in the vicinity. See more..
4.0 Shazhou Nightly Market (94 reviews)
- Great place for eating at the dining square
Spent 1-2 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks

A cultural experience. Great for an enjoyable evening walk, dining on local foods, and many interesting locally made souvenirs. See more..
4.0 Dunhuang Museum (85 reviews)
- Good place to understand the history of Silk road
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM History Museums

I don't know why there were not many visitors here, I found the place very informative, all visitors should come here to understand the history of Dunhuang before heading to the Mogao Caves. The best part is: there have the replica of the Mogao cave that allows you to take photo. See more..
4.0 Yangguan Historic Sites (56 reviews)
- Wonderful scenery!
Historic Sites

I’m giving this 5 stars for the amazing scenery! Before you get to the pass, you need to go through a museum area. You can see some ancient relics and find out more about the history of the area. I wasn’t particularly interested in this. After you leave the museum area, you take a short ride to the actual pass. There’s not too much of the pass left, but the views are incredible, made better by the blue sky! I definitely recommend visiting here if you’re in this area! See more..
4.0 Xiqian Buddha Caves (47 reviews)
- Impressive cave complex, more communal character than Mogao
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Sites

They might not be as well preserved as the Mogao Caves due to their geological conditions, but they are impressive and of more communal, lived in character. Unfortunately only one statue from the Northern Zhou period is left (which is very rare!), even if the caves were not discovered by Western collectors. When you visit, a local guide opens the caves for 3 people max. at the time and guides you, explaining intricate details that are unique to the caves (e.g. the Republican era face paintings, Tibetan and Uighur styles etc.). Not sure if they have English guides, however, but even if you don’t speak Chinese they’re still worth a visit for people interested in history. See more..
4.0 West Lake Nature Reserve of Dunhuang (9 reviews)
- great experience in the heart of Goby desert.
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Walking Areas • Nature & Wildlife Areas

The site provide the possibility for great experience in the heart of Goby desert. It is very exiting. See more..
4.0 Yangguan Desert Forest Park (5 reviews)
- Could be so great
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Parks • Deserts • Forests

As of July 2016 the road to the park from Dunhuang is under construction and it takes 5hours (200km) one way to get there.We took a driver for 600rmb there and back plus waiting. What bothered us is not the price of the driver or the driving time but the usual annoyances you face when travelling to national parks in china. You pass through the jade pass scenic area on the way and have to purchase a ticket (40rmb). You see an old ruin of a tower and a ruin of a wall. At the park you pay entrance fee plus obligatory bus (over 100rbm) You can only take the jeeps at third scenic spot so you must take the bus first. You are driven to 4 spots.no English explanation.total time around 1-1.5 hours. If you want to see more you need to take a jeep which is another 400 rbm. So it is the usual rip off. You cannot get close to the stones or wander in yourself. The landscape is very eerie and cool. As soon as the road is better I would recommend to go (If you like rocks ;)). See more..
4.0 Xuanquanzhi Ruins (1 review)
- 驿站遗址
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Ancient Ruins

这是曾经的一处驿站遗址，在这里汉代为出使西域和前来朝拜的西域使臣以及来往于丝绸之路的商人而修建的，虽然如今仅剩残垣断壁，但足以缅怀当初的盛景。 See more..
3.5 Duhuang Ancient City Ruins (57 reviews)
- A pleasant hour ot two
Wednesday: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Points of Interest & Landmarks

I had not intended to visit but the 'old city'was in my free guide in the hotel so I thought I'd visit the old town. I pointed to the picture and the taxi took me right there....BUT it is not the 'old city' - it is a film set! The old houses are from five different regions in China and it is here that the 19th and 20th century soaps are filmed!! Once I got over my disappointment, it proved great fun..but not for too long. See more..
3.5 "Playing Pipa" Statue (38 reviews)
- identical statue
Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Monuments & Statues

敦煌最有代表性的人物形象，絲路美女能歌善舞的標準姿勢，在敦煌市區的中心圓環。可想見以前的輝煌。反彈琵琶的美女最能代表絲路的輝煌燦爛形象。you can see the ancient beauty who dances and plays music with a very difficult position. this is telling about the glorious history about this silk road. See more..
3.5 Yangguan Museum (12 reviews)
- Don't miss this place!
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM History Museums

The reconstructed fort & museum was amazing. Very well planned, clean & interesting. We had a great time climbing the walls! See more..
3.5 Dafangpan City Site (8 reviews)
- 広い敷地の遺跡
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Ancient Ruins

敦煌からの遺跡巡りのツアーで訪問しました。
有名な玉門関から車で10分強の場所にあります。

知名度では、他の遺跡に見劣りしますが、
ここの遺跡はスケールの大きさではおそらく一番。
かつては食料倉庫だったので、西域を守る軍の重要な拠点だったようです。

風化により見る角度によってその姿が変わるので、写真を撮るのが面白かったです。 See more..
3.0 White Horse Pagoda of Dunhuang (28 reviews)
- Great place for a quiet picnic.
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Architectural Buildings • Monuments & Statues

A taxi should only cost 20 Kuai, but it really isn't that far out of town for a walk. The street is marked with an English sign, and you can see some of the rural aspects of life in Dunhuang, like mountains of corncobs drying in the sun. It's 15 Kuai to get in, and it's very peaceful. We enjoyed the sun and ate on one of the many benches around. One tourist arrived while we were there. Nice picnic location. See more..