Ankang is connected to Xi'an by high-speed rail — the journey takes about 90 minutes on the Zhengzhou–Chengdu high-speed line, making Ankang feasible as a day trip from Xi'an or an overnight stop on the route to Chengdu. The city also has a small airport (Ankang Fuqiang Airport) with connections to Xi'an, Chengdu, and other regional cities.
By road, the journey from Xi'an takes about three hours on the expressway through the Qinling Mountains. The mountain scenery on this route, particularly the section through the Qinling gorges, is excellent; the train passes through numerous tunnels and misses most of the scenery. If you have time, the old road through the mountains is slower but far more scenic.