Gùyuán Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Gùyuán is on the Zhōngwèi–Bǎojī railway line, with trains to Xī’ān (eight hours), Yínchuān (six hours) and Lánzhōu (10 hours), but sleeper tickets are near impossible to get, and the majority of trains depart in the middle of the night. Useful local trains include the 11.14am (train 8782) to Zhōngwèi (five hours); 8.22am (train 1014) and 4.37pm (train 8781) to Píngliáng (2½ hours); and 9.32pm overnight to Lánzhōu (train N905). To get to the train station you’ll need to take bus 1 or a taxi (Y5).

Gùyuán is one of the last places in the country to try to charge foreigners double fare. Buses to Yínchuān (Y37 to Y60, 4½ hours) leave every half-hour between 8am and 5.30pm from the long-distance bus station.

There are buses running once daily to Lánzhōu (Y51, nine hours) and Tiānshuǐ (Y42, seven hours) at 6am, and three morning buses to Xī’ān (Y57, seven hours). There are also frequent buses to Píngliáng (Y15, 1½ hours) and Jīngyuán (Y20, two hours).