Home › Travel Guides › Asia Travel Guide › China › Getting around in China

Getting around in China

Air: 

There are lots of internal flights in China. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) (www.caac.gov.cn) oversees air travel in China and operated as the country's sole civil airline until it divided into a number of regional airlines in the late 1980s, since consolidated into the three major state-owned groups of Air China (www.airchina.com.cn or www.air-china.co.uk), China Southern (www.csair.com/en) and China Eastern Airlines (www.ce-air.com or www.chinaeastern.co.uk).

International airports in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have recently undergone massive upgrades with stylish new terminals added. China's airlines operate about 1,000 domestic routes, serving over 150 cities. Tickets will normally be purchased by guides and the price will be included in any tour costs.

Independent travellers can also book through the local Chinese International Travel Service (CITS), which charges a small commission, popular online agent Ctrip.com (http://english.ctrip.com) or alternatively buy tickets in booking offices or at some hotel travel desks. It is advisable to purchase internal air tickets well in advance if travelling during April, May, September or October.

There are multiple daily connections to Hong Kong from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, as well as other cities. Since December 2008, you can fly directly to Taiwan from 21 cities on the mainland. Flights are always overbooked so seats must be confirmed before travel.

Note: Safety records have improved greatly in recent years, and Chinese airlines now almost exclusively operate aircraft from Western companies such as Boeing and Airbus with average fleet ages of six to eight years.

Departure tax: 

¥50, usually included in the air fare.

Road: 

The road infrastructure itself is generally of a high standard, particularly between major centres. Police road blocks are not uncommon, and standards of driving can be erratic.

Side of road: 
Right
Road quality: 

It is possible to reach 80% of settlements by road.

Roads are not always of the highest quality and driving standards are erratic.

Distances should not be underestimated and vehicles should be in prime mechanical condition as away from the cities China is still very much an agricultural nation without the mechanical expertise or services found in the West.

From Beijing to Shanghai is 1,461km (908 miles), and from Beijing to Nanjing is 1,139km (718 miles).

A superhighway links Beijing and Tianjin, and a 138 km (86 miles) four-lane toll highway links Hangzhou and the port of Ningbo in the Zhejiang province.

Car hire: 

Available, but a three-month residency permit and examination are required to gain a local licence which makes self-drive car hire all but impossible in practice for short-term visitors. Cars with a driver can be hired on a daily or weekly basis.

Taxi: 

Taxis are available in large cities from most hotels and shopping districts, and are generally permitted to stop at the passenger's signal. It is best to check if the taxi is metered. If not, then it is important to agree a fare beforehand, especially at railway stations where it is best to bargain before getting into the taxi. Drivers are not normally tipped. Visitors should have their destination written down in Chinese characters before starting any journey as most drivers do not speak English. Hotels often provide cards with the hotel address and that of several key attractions or points in the city. Taxis can be hired by the day.

Getting around towns and cities: 

There are metro systems in Beijing, Shanghai and several other cities including Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Nanjing. Hong Kong has its Mass Transit System, and tramways and trolleybuses operate in a number of other cities. New system is under construction in Hangzhou, Suzhou, Xi'an, Harbin, Qingdao and other cities. Most cities have public transit systems, usually bus.

Rail: 

Railways provide the principal means of transport for goods and people throughout China, with the network standing as one of the busiest and most comprehensive worldwide. The routes are generally cheap, safe and well maintained. Routes operate between major cities; services include Beijing to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Harbin, Chengdu and Urumqi.

There are three types of train, of which Express is the best. There are four types of fare: hard seat, soft seat (only on short-distance trains such as the Hong Kong to Guangzhou line), hard sleeper and soft sleeper (the priciest option). Children under 1m (3ft) tall travel free and those under 1.3m (4ft) pay a quarter of the fare. Rail travel is usually comfortable but time-consuming due to the vast distances between destinations. High-speed intercity trains travelling up to 350kph (218mph) link Beijing with Tianjin, and Shanghai with Suzhou and Hangzhou.

The first passenger train on the 1,142km (710mile) Qinghai to Tibet railway from Golmud in Qinghai to Lhasa in Tibet completed its two-day journey in July 2006. It is the most elevated rail route in the world, reaching an altitude of 5,072m (16,640 feet). Services now operate to Lhasa from Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

By water: 

All major rivers are served by river ferries, especially the Yangtze. Coastal ferries operate between Dalian, Tianjin (Tientsin), Qingdao (Tsingtao) and Shanghai. There are regular ferry services between mainland China and Hong Kong, conditions on which vary.

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.