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Look carefully at China and you’ll find there’s much beauty within, far beyond the crowded, bustling cities.
Its countryside hosts a haven of tranquility, with rolling plains, paddy fields carved into mountains and lakes and deserts that blend seamlessly into the horizon.
It’s 14,000 kilometres of coastline features cliffside drops, port towns and sandy beaches.Even within major city centres, historical spaces, monuments and awe-inspiring temples wheedle their way out of the woodwork.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
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China is a large country and has an equally large number of transport options.
Below you will find information on the main transport options available in China to help you choose the ones that suit you best.
As China is such a vast country, if you are intending to travel between cities you may want to consider fast transport to save on time, including internal flights and the high speed rail. Your best mode of transport within each city will depend on how large the city you're visiting is as well as how concentrated the tourist attractions are.
It's best to research this before arriving so that you can commute easily between your desired attractions with minimum fuss or stress.
For an idea of how far major cities are from one another, Shanghai and Beijing are approximately 1,200 kilometres apart. An internal flight for this route takes 2 hours 15 minutes. A high-speed train journey takes anything from 5-9 hours depending on how many stops your service commands. Bus travel is cheaper, though leaves and arrives at terminals outside the city centres. Total journey times from centre to centre is around 8 hours.
Xi'an is near equidistant from Shanghai and Beijing. Flights from each are around 2 hours. High speed trains from Shanghai take between 6 and 11 hours, depending on the number of stops. High speed trains from Beijing take between 4.5 and 6 hours. Buses are more expensive though can take up to 15 hours.
Generally, train travel is preferred over bus or coach travel between major Chinese cities.
Types of transport available in China
Paying for transport. To buy a train ticket, you need your passport and enough cash to buy the ticket. You can also buy a China Rail Pass, which is a pre-paid electronic card you can use on bullet trains. In addition, each subway has its own smart-card which offers discounted fares and ease of access.
Getting to and from the airport. In every major city in China, public buses and an underground metro connect the airport to the city centre. Private transfers, airport shuttles and taxis are other options to get to and from the airport in each city.
Best apps for getting around. China Metro is a useful app that has downloadable subway maps of 15 cities with information about fares, timetables and shortest routes. If you are looking to travel from one city to another by train, the China Trains app can help you plan your journey and book tickets.
Car rental desks of major car hire services like Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, DriveNow and Dollar are available at the major airports in China.
Taxi. If you don't want to take public transport, taking a taxi is a good option in China. There are many taxis and they are very economical. It is important to carry the destination written in Chinese as drivers are unlikely to speak English. Chinese tuk-tuks are cheaper than taxis, but you must agree to a price beforehand.
Rideshare. Uber is not available in China, but you can use other app-based, on-demand taxis in China like Didi.
You can find several private transfer and airport shuttle services that provide door-to-door transfer to the airport in every major city in China.
Many of these can be found on Viator or City Discovery. Transfers to some of the more popular locations can be booked below.
Viator
Viator
Viator
Viator
Our personally chosen top hotel picks for your stay in China whether you're staying in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Harbin, Chengdu or beyond.
