Panzhihua Bao'anying Airport handles flights to Chengdu (1 hour), Kunming (40 minutes), Beijing, Shanghai, and a handful of other Chinese cities. The airport is small but well-connected for domestic travel.
The Chengdu–Kunming high-speed railway now passes through Panzhihua, significantly reducing travel times. From Chengdu, trains take around 3 hours to Panzhihua East station. The overnight sleeper train on the older route takes about 12 hours and passes through spectacular scenery. From Kunming, the journey is about 2 hours by high-speed train.
Long-distance buses connect Panzhihua to Chengdu, Kunming, Lijiang, and smaller regional towns. For Lugu Lake, buses run from Panzhihua West bus station — the journey takes around 4 hours.