TRAVEL IN CHINA

China is a vast country, with many densely populated cities, and large distances between each city. To travel from A to B in China, you need to take a Plane, Train, Ferry or Bus.

What are the main Domestic Airlines in China?

• Air China 
• Beijing Capital Airlines 
• China Eastern Airlines 
• China Southern Airlines 
• Hainan Airlines 
• Juneyao Airlines 
• Okay Airways 
• Shandong Airlines 
• Shenzhen Airlines 
• Sichuan Airlines 
• Spring Airlines 
• Tianjin Airlines 
• Tibet Airlines 
• Xiamen Air
  

Essentially, the Chinese Airlines above are all highly professional, with different degrees of service and comfort, but generally with excellent Airline Safety and Product ratings/reviews. Note that most Chinese aircraft are new and modern planes, Airbus or Boeing (A330's, A340's, 737, 737, 747, 777 etc), and they are renowned for adhering to safety standards. The service is usually very good and includes a meal, even on a short flight of under 3 hours, from Hong Kong or Shenzhen to Beijing. Also, the hostesses know basic English and definitely can recit all the main airline phrases, such as: 'Fasten your seat belt', 'No smoking', 'May i assist you..'

What are the most common Train routes in China and duration of travel?

• Beijing-Shanghai: 5 - 6 hours
• Beijing-Tianjin: 35 - 50 minutes
• Beijing-Xian: 5 - 6 hours
• Beijing -Guangzhou: 8 - 10 hours
• Shanghai-Guangzhou: 7 - 8.5 hours
• Shanghai-Hangzhou: 1 hour
• Shanghai-Suzhou: 23 - 44 minutes
• Guangzhou-Guilin: 2.5 hours.
  

To buy a ticket at the ticket booth, you should have Chinese RMB (Yen) available or pay by international credit card. All you need to do is say the name of the city you wish to travel to, and the Clerk will inform you the Platform Number and Time of departure. As a foreigner, you will need to present your Passport for their records, and they will check that you have a valid Chinese visa. Of course, if you are in Shenzhen and have a Shenzhen Visa on Arrival in your Passport then you will be refused permission to travel out of Shenzhen to Guangzhou or any other Chinese city. Your train ticket will state your Carriage Number and Seat number, which you need to adhere to.

China train system boasts over 75,000 miles (120,000 km) long railway, including the world's largest high speed train network connecting more than 500 cities across the country, and the highest speed can reach 186 mi/h (300 km/h).

What Ferry services are available to China?

Hong Kong to China

A. Hong Kong Airport to Guangzhou Ferry

B. Hong Kong Airport to Shenzhen Airport Ferry

C. Hong Kong Airport to Shenzhen Ferry

D. Tuen Mun to Shenzhen Airport Ferry

South Korea to China

Incheon to Lianyungang Ferry

Macau to China

A. Macau to Shenzhen Airport Ferry

B. Macau to Shenzhen Ferry

Japan to China

Osaka to Shanghai Ferry

Why take an Intercity Bus in China?

Frequency - Chinese buses often run at a higher frequency than flights in China or trains. Most of the time you don’t have to worry about booking in advance because there will be a bus between two cities that runs every 20 minutes.

Convenience - Compared to Chinese airports and train stations, security at a bus station is a breeze. You rarely need to arrive at a bus station any earlier than 30 minutes before your departure.

Station Location - Most of the time, Chinese bus stations are located in the heart of a city as opposed to airports and train stations which are usually on the edge of town. This can not only save you time, it also saves you the expense of a taxi into town.

Availability - No need to buy a bus ticket earlier than a day in advance and often you can buy it on the day of departure. Unlike flights and trains, China bus tickets tend to have more availability, giving you the flexibility to change your itinerary at a moment’s notice.

Go to remote places - You can reach remote towns or areas the trains don't go to.

Real China experience - Sitting (or lying) next to people you don't know and communicating as best you can is a way to get to know Chinese people and learn about the country up close.


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