When to visit
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Super-peak (national holiday)PeakShoulderOff-season
Holiday surges
- extremeSpring Festival· Lunar Jan 1–7 (late Jan / mid-Feb)
- highQingming (Tomb-Sweeping)· Apr 4–6
- extremeLabor Day· May 1–5
- highDragon Boat Festival· Lunar May 5 (~Jun)
- highMid-Autumn Festival· Lunar Aug 15 (~Sep/Oct)
- extremeNational Day Golden Week· Oct 1–7
Taxi flag-drop:¥10starting fare
Attractions
Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Lake鸣沙山月牙泉5A$16.27 (CN¥110)
Yangguan Pass阳关景区4A$7.39 (CN¥50)
Yardang National Geopark (Dunhuang)雅丹地质公园4AFree
See You Again, Dunhuang (Show)《又见敦煌》演出—$44.07 (CN¥298)
Yumen Pass玉门关—$5.92 (CN¥40)
Dunhuang Museum敦煌博物馆—Free
Dunhuang Rhythm Immersive Show《乐动敦煌》沉浸体验剧—$44.07 (CN¥298)
Dunhuang Old City敦煌古城—$7.10 (CN¥48)
Dunhuang Silk Road Heritage City敦煌丝路遗产城—Free
Dunhuang Mingsha Mountain Desert Glamping Base敦煌鸣沙山沙漠露营野奢基地—Free
Dunhuang Mingsha Mountain Desert Camping and Off-Road Base (Mingmo Glamping)敦煌鸣沙山沙漠露营越野基地(鸣漠野奢)—$33.72 (CN¥228)
Dunhuang Grand Ceremony Show《敦煌盛典》演出—$37.71 (CN¥255)
Western Thousand Buddha Caves西千佛洞—Free
Shazhou Night Market沙洲夜市—Free
Mingsha Mountain Crescent Lake International Desert Glamping Resort鸣沙山月牙泉国际野奢沙漠宿集—$24.70 (CN¥167)
Dunhuang Bookshop敦煌書局—$0.00 (CN¥0)
Mogao Caves Digital Exhibition Center敦煌莫高窟数字展示中心—Free
Hotels
Budget
$23.22 (CN¥157)
/night
Standard
$24.55 (CN¥166)
/night
Comfort
$97.31 (CN¥658)
/night
Tiers are grouped by hotel star rating — Budget ≈ 2★, Standard ≈ 3★, Comfort ≈ 4★ and up. Figures are citywide average nightly rates, so an individual hotel may sit above or below its tier.
Food
Budget meal
$3.70 (CN¥25)
/meal
Mid-range
$9.91 (CN¥67)
/meal
High-end
$41.85 (CN¥283)
/meal
Must try:
Donkey meat with yellow noodles
驴肉黄面 · Lǘròu huángmiàn
Sweet apricot drink
杏皮水 · Xìngpí shuǐ
Dunhuang hand-grabbed mutton
敦煌手抓羊肉 · Dūnhuáng shǒuzhuā yángròu
Sand onion with scrambled eggs
沙葱炒蛋 · Shācōng chǎodàn
Dunhuang cold gluten noodles
敦煌酿皮 · Dūnhuáng niàngpí
Sour fermented broth noodles
浆水面 · Jiāngshuǐ miàn
Lamb braised with flatbread
胡羊焖饼 · Húyáng mènbǐng
Lamb vermicelli soup
羊肉粉汤 · Yángròu fěntāng
Styles:Street snacks · Fast food · Noodle house
Ready to plan a trip from Dunhuang?
Plan my trip →XI'AN → DUNHUANG · 20 Days
Xi'an → Lanzhou → Dunhuang · 20 days
Terracotta Warriors to Silk Road desert oasis—all for ¥8982.
Marveling at Xi'an's legendary Terracotta ArmyHiking through Lanzhou's Mount XinglongWatching the sunset at Dunhuang's Crescent Lake