Turpan Station is 50 km from the town of Turpan, which has two train stations. This can be confusing, and if you don’t know how to get to Turpan from Turpan train station, rather expensive too. Follow this short guide to get to Turpan on the cheap!
There are two train stations in the small town of Turpan (Tulufan): Turpan North and Turpan Station. Turpan North is serviced exclusively by high speed trains, and is 17 km from the city center. Getting to Turpan from Turpan North is straightforward: just take a city bus straight from the exit. Bus 202 should do the trick.
Turpan Station, where all regular trains pass by, is 50 km from the city center. If you are as clueless–or cheap–as we were, you’ll probably arrive at Turpan Station.
How to get to Turpan from Turpan train station
Turpan Station is located in the small town of Daheyan. To get to Turpan, you have to take a local bus.
The moment you leave Turpan Station you will be accosted by taxi hawkers. They will proclaim there are no buses, and that a taxi is “only” 100 RMB. Ignore them!
To get to the bus station, leave the train station and walk to the cross section in front of it, about 50 meters from the exit. Go right at the cross section, and the bus station will be on your left hand side, about a 300 meter walk.
A bus ticket costs 11 RMB per person, and the bus takes about an hour. The bus will bring you to Turpan bus station, from where you can take a taxi or local bus to your hostel. We recommend Dap Youth Hostel. The girls running it are very friendly, the courtyard a perfect place to meet fellow travelers, and the beds are actually comfy (say what?). A taxi to Dap Hostel should cost 7 RMB.
Yay transparency: the hostel link here is an affiliate link, which means we’ll make a small commission if you book a stay through our link (at no extra cost to you). Don’t worry–we actually stayed there, and we truly do recommend it! Links like these are how we maintain the costs of running the blog, and we’ll love you forever and ever if you do! Oh, and by the way–photo creds go to Sergio Tittarini on Flickr. Thanks yo!
Hi guys, thanks for the tips! (I think I’ll just get the fast train…). Do you think Turpan is OK to do as a day trip from Urumqi, or do you think it’s worth spending a few days there?
Hi there, glad it’s useful. It depends on how much time you have. If you’re in a rush, you could theoretically do it in a day, as long as you can get tickets for the train. I suggest you stay a bit longer, though, as Turpan has several sights surrounding it that are nice to visit, too.
I have a day and a half in Turpan before returning to Uruqi for the train to Hemu.
Any suggestions?
Many thanks