Jiayuguan is on the high-speed rail line, with trains to Lanzhou taking about four hours and to Zhangye about an hour. The Jiayuguan Jiuquan Airport serves both cities and has connections to Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, and Chengdu. The airport is about 12 kilometres northeast of town; taxis and bus connections are available.
From Dunhuang there is no rail option: buses take five to eight hours depending on the service. From Guazhou, buses take about two and a half hours on the G30 expressway. Within Jiayuguan, the Great Wall sites are spread across a wide area west and east of the city centre; taxis are the practical option for getting between them, and many visitors hire a car for the day to cover the Jiayu Pass, Overhanging Wall, and First Pier in a single circuit.