Getting There & Getting About

International Airports

• Beijing/Peking (BSJ/PEK): 26 km from the city.
• Guangzhou/Canton (Baiyun): 7 km from the city.
• Shanghai (SHA): 12 km from the city.
• Full list of airports in China with associated airport codes >

Internal Transport

Most long-distance internal travel thought the People's Republic of China is by air, with 1,000 domestic routes available, serving nearly 150 cities. It is a good idea to buy internal air tickets well in advance if travelling during April, May, September or October. Flights are often overbooked so seats must be confirmed before travel.

Ferries serve major rivers, particularly the Yangtze. There are also regular ferry services between mainland China and Hong Kong, and coastal ferries operate between Dalian, Tianjin (Tientsin), Qingdao (Tsingtao) and Shanghai.

Railways are the principal means of transport for people and goods throughout the country, with cheap, safe and well maintained routes between major cities. In general, services are comfortable; however, they are also time-consuming due to vast distances between destinations. For example, travel time from Beijing to Shanghai is 12 hours; to Chengdu is 26 hours, and to Kunming in 40 hours. There is also a passenger train from Golmud in Qinghai to Lhasa in Tibet, which takes 2 days to complete its journey. It is the most elevated rail route in the world, reaching an altitude of up to 5,072 m (16,640 feet).

Approximately eighty per cent of settlements can be reached by road. However, these are not always of good quality, and driving standards can be somewhat erratic. Vehicles should be reliable as mechanical services are few. A superhighway links Tianjin and Beijing, and a 138 km (86 miles) four-lane toll highway links Hangzhou and the port of Ningbo in the Zhejiang province. Although car hire is technically available, a local licence requires a three-month residency permit and examination, making self-drive car hire impossible in practice for visitors. Cars with a driver can be hired on a daily or weekly basis.

There is a reasonable bus service linking the major cities, and although buses are usually crowded, they reach some parts of the country that trains do not.

Within major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Nanjing, urban travel may be carried out using the metro system. Most other cities also have public transit systems, usually bus, with some others also having tramways and trolleybuses.

Taxis are also available in large cities from shopping districts and most hotels. Most taxis are metered - if not, it is important to agree a fare beforehand, particularly at railway stations where it is best to bargain before getting into the taxi. It is a good idea to have your destination written down in Chinese characters 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. Drivers are not normally tipped.

In most cities, bicycles or other types of rickshaws are available for short rides.