Atlas of China
Xi'an to Lanzhou 西安 – 兰州
Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about 3 hours, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. A standard-class seat is ¥216. The stations are in or near the city centres, which is what tips it.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainXi'an North 西安北 → Lanzhou West 兰州西 | 2 h 28 minG351, fastest | 3 hours | ¥216standard class | 9205:01–23:49 |
By train
92 direct high-speed trains a day run from Xi'an North to Lanzhou West, between 05:01 and 23:49. The fastest, G351, takes 2 h 28 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥216. Coming back, 92 trains a day, the fastest 2 h 29 min (G352, 06:45 to 23:42).
Xi'an: Trains to Shiyan and on to Wuhan via the new line use Xi'an East, opened in June 2026. Lanzhou: Zhongchuan Airport is about 70 km north of the city.
By air
No nonstop flights.
At the other end
Around Xi'an: Terracotta Army, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Huaqing Palace, Xi'an City Wall, Han Yangling Mausoleum.
On the map
Open either city on the illustrated map, or put both in a trip and let the planner lay out the days and the legs between them, with the same tables these numbers come from.
Book
About Xi'an · About Lanzhou · Where Xi'an reaches in a day · All routes
Trains are every direct train on 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 in the 12306 timetable, with standard-class fares; one weekday, so weekend and holiday services differ, and the fastest train may not run every day. Flights are the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, plus routes Wikipedia lists for small airports. Drives are routed on OpenStreetMap roads (extract of 2026-10-21) where the pair was routed, else estimated from the distance. Door-to-door times add about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time to a flight. How to book is in the guide to trains and 12306; the rail times are open data on the data page.