Kashgar & Urumqi Getting There and Around: Flights, Trains, Metro & Buses

Kashgar is a city you arrive in twice. The first arrival is administrative: a plane or a train, a baggage belt, a driver who may not speak English, a fare to settle. The second arrival is the one you remember, when afternoon light crosses the mud-brick lanes and a pot of tea appears at your elbow. Between those two moments lie roughly 1,475 kilometers of Xinjiang, one regional capital and one desert oasis, plus a set of timetables that reward a little planning. This guide is about the relay: how to land in Urumqi or Kashgar, how to cross between them, and how to move around once you are there.

Urumqi is the gateway for almost everyone, and Diwopu International Airport (URC) sits about 17 kilometers northwest of the center. Metro Line 1 is the quiet triumph here: 27.6 kilometers and 21 stations running fully underground from the airport to Santunbei in the south, with trains from 07:40 to 23:30. The airport-to-downtown ride takes roughly 40 minutes and costs USD 0.28-1.3 depending on distance. If you land after the last train, a metered taxi starts at USD 1.4 for the first 3 kilometers and adds USD 0.18 per kilometer by day and USD 0.21 at night, while bus 51 costs USD 0.14 and stops at the airport gate. Line 1 also reaches the main railway station area and Erdaoqiao, the stop for the International Grand Bazaar.

Kashgar Laining International Airport (KHG) is smaller and closer, about 10 kilometers north of the center, and there is no metro. The last mile is still easy. The airport shuttle costs USD 1.4 and drops passengers at their hotel, Bus No. 2 runs to People's Square, and a taxi into town is around USD 1.4. Kashgar Railway Station sits only about 5 kilometers from the center, a 15-minute drive, reached by buses 26 and 28, with routes 6, 18 and 21 also stopping nearby. This is a city where drivers often quote a flat rate instead of running the meter: within 3 kilometers expect USD 0.7 by day or USD 0.85 at night, and USD 0.18 per kilometer from 3 to 8 kilometers. Agree the price before you get in, and keep small notes for the ride.

The middle leg is the decision that shapes the whole trip. Flying between Urumqi and Kashgar takes about 2 hours; a full-fare economy seat can run near USD 280, though discounts sometimes fall below USD 56, so book early. The train is slower and better value. Nine pairs of trains cover the 1,475 kilometers each day, taking anywhere from 11.5 to 31 hours, and the fastest sleeper, Z6516, leaves Urumqi at 20:40 and arrives in Kashgar at 08:10 the next morning, 11 hours 30 minutes later. Soft-sleeper berths run USD 68-70, hard sleepers USD 45-61, and hard seats USD 24-34. Train Z6518 makes the reverse run, leaving Kashgar at 21:30 and reaching Urumqi at 09:00. Trains stop at both Urumqi Railway Station and Urumqi South, so allow 1.5 to 2 hours for a taxi transfer if you connect between the two stations. Sleep on the train, wake in the oasis, and you have traded a hotel night for a moving window on the desert edge.

Then there is the clock. Xinjiang keeps Beijing time officially, but daily life runs about two hours later, so a summer sunset can arrive after 10 p.m. and dinner at nine is perfectly normal. Plan transfers around that rhythm rather than against it. In Kashgar, 30 bus routes cost USD 0.14 a ride and reach almost every corner, but the Old Town is best on foot; taxis and DiDi fill the gaps, and drivers are usually happy to take cash. Mornings start late by Beijing-time standards, so an early bus to the livestock bazaar can feel like a pre-dawn errand even at eight o'clock.

Urumqi moves on rails and under them. Metro Line 1 covers the airport, the sports center, Nanmen and the bazaar district, and it is the calmest way to cross a traffic-heavy capital during 07:40 to 23:30. Roughly 100 bus routes cost USD 0.14-0.28 and run about 08:00 to 22:00, with BRT lines using dedicated lanes through the peaks. Taxi meters start at USD 1.4 for the first 3 kilometers, and the same Alipay or WeChat transit code that opens metro gates also pays most drivers. Ask your hotel to write your destination in Chinese before you set out, because English is rare on the street and ride-hailing apps can stall on airport Wi-Fi.

For a first trip, the smoothest sequence is to fly into Urumqi, spend one night near the metro, then take the overnight sleeper to Kashgar and wake up already there. Book berths and flights early in July, August and the National Day week, when demand outruns supply, and keep a buffer night in Urumqi before any onward flight. The fact sheet below gathers the fares, hours and distances in one place. Tell ChinaMira your dates, your arrival airport and how much time you have, and we will match the flight or the berth, arrange the airport pickup, and build a west-Xinjiang route that begins the moment you land.