Yarkand is on the southern Xinjiang railway line. Trains run to Kashgar (about 2 hours) and east to Hotan (about 3.5 hours) and beyond. The railway has made it straightforward to string together the oasis towns of the southern route — Kashgar, Yarkand, Hotan — in a single journey. Buses and shared taxis also run between Kashgar and Yarkand. The town has a small airport but flights are infrequent; most visitors arrive by train.