China Travel Guide - Getting Around

Most long-distance internal travel is by air. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) 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 (website: www.airchina.com.cn or www.air-china.co.uk), China Southern (website: www.airchina.com.cn/en) and China Eastern Airlines (website: www.ce-air.com or www.chinaeastern.co.uk). They operate the bulk of domestic flights in China, China Southern being the largest airline in fleet size and passengers carried. Since the beginning of 2005, several private airlines have also begun to spring up, including some budget carriers.

China's airlines operate about 1,000 domestic routes, serving nearly 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, 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 many connections to Hong Kong from Beijing and Guangzhou as well as other cities. Flights are always overbooked so seats must be confirmed before travel. Inevitable delays in services must be taken into account. Airport announcements are generally in English as well as Chinese these days.

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. 

¥50, usually included in the air fare.

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.

Railways provide the principal means of transport for goods and people throughout China. 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. Children under 1m (3ft) tall travel free and those under 1.3m (4ft) pay a quarter of the fare. Generally rail travel is comfortable but time-consuming due to vast distances between destinations.

The first passenger train on the 1,142km (710-mile) 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 up to 5,072m (16,640 feet). Services now operate to Lhasa from Beijing and Xi'an, Chengdu and Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai.

Traffic drives on the right. 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. 

Bus: Reasonable services are operated between the main cities. Buses are normally crowded, but reach parts of the country that trains do not. There are some more expensive luxury buses. The main long-distance bus station in Beijing is Liuliqiao (tel: (010) 8383 1717). In Shanghai, the new Zhongxing Road long-distance bus station is at the northern end of the main train station (tel: (021) 6605 1111).

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

There are metro systems in Beijing, Shanghai and several other cities including Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Nanjing. Hong Kong has its Mass Transit System, and tramways and trolleybuses operate in a number of other cities. New lines are under construction in Beijing and Shanghai. A new system is under construction in Chengdu and there are plans for others in Xi'an, Harbin, Qingdao and other cities. Guides who accompany every visitor or group will ensure that internal travel within the cities is as trouble-free as possible. Most cities have public transit systems, usually bus. 

Taxi: Taxis are available in large cities from most hotels and shopping districts, and are 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. 

Most people travel by bicycle or public transport. In most cities, bicycles or other types of rickshaws are available for short rides.

The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Beijing to other major cities/towns in China.

	Air	Rail
Shanghai	1.50	12.00
Chengdu	2.25	26.00
Kunming	3.00	40.00
Guangzhou	3.00	23.00