Getting There by Air
There are about 50 international carriers providing flights to China, mostly to Beijing and Shanghai as well as Hong Kong. For Hong Kong transportation, please see our Hong Kong pages.
Main International Aiports in mainland China
Beijing Capital International (PEK/BJS) - located 28 km (18 mi) of the city. Transportation to and from the airport by buses, taxis, Airport Express train and subway/underground. Airport facilities include: banks, ATMs, post office, foreign exchange, emergency medical center, duty-free shops, smoking rooms.
Guangzhou Baiyun International (CAN) - located 12 km (7 mi) north of Guangzhou. Transportation to and from the airport by buses and taxis. Airport facilities include banks, ATMs, post office, foreign exchange, duty-free shops.
Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) - located 13 km (8 miles) southwest of the city center.
Transportation to and from the airport by airport shuttle, buses, taxis. Airport facilities include banks, ATMs, post office, foreign exchange, duty-free shops.
Shanghai Pudong (PVG) - located 30 km (19 miles) east of the city center. Transportation to and from the airport by buses, taxis and Maglev train to Longyang Road Metro Station. Airport facilities include banks, ATMs, post office, foreign exchange, duty-free shops.
Getting there by Water
There are regular ferry services to China from Japan and South Korea. The connections include: Osaka - Shanghai, Kobe - Tianjin and Kobe - Shanghai (from Japan), Incheon (Korea) - Weihai / Qingdao / Tianjin / Dalian / Dandong.
Getting there by Train
The most famous train connections to China are from Moscow (Russia) to Beijing: the Trans-Mongolian Railway (via Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia), 7865 km / 4887 mi long, and the Trans-Manchurian Railway (via Harbin), 9025 km / 5608 mi long.
Other international rail services include connections from Hanoi (Vietnam) to Nanning and Kunming, from Pyongyang (South Korea) to Beijing, from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing, or from Almaty in Kazakhstan to Urumqi.
Getting around by Air
Due to China's vast size, domestic air transportation may be sometimes the only choice for travelers. Domestic flights are provided mainly by three state-owned carriers:
Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern that serve over 150 cities and tourist destinations. In addition there are smaller, regional carriers, including Hainan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Shanghai Airlines. Delays and cancellations as well as overbooking are common - it is highly advisable to re-confirm the flight before traveling.
Getting around by Water
Other than river and coastal ferry services, water transportation choices are limited.
Very popular among travelers are Yangze River cruises that usually take three to five days. Another popular trip is a one day Li River cruise between Guilin and Yangshuo.
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