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Getting There by Air
The flag carrier is Air China (CA) (website: www.airchina.com.cn or www.air-china.co.uk).
Approximate Flight Times
From London to Beijing is approximately 10 hours and from New York is 14 hours 30 minutes.
Note: Flights are often overbooked, so travellers are strongly advised to re-confirm their return flight reservations.
Note: Flights are often overbooked, so travellers are strongly advised to re-confirm their return flight reservations.
Main Airports
Beijing Capital International (PEK/BJS) airport is 28km (18 miles) northeast of the city. To/from the airport: Buses and taxis area available (journey time - 40 minutes). An Airport Express subway line from the airport to central Beijing will open in 2008.
Guangzhou Baiyun International (CAN) airport is 12km (7 miles) north of Guangzhou (journey time - 25 minutes).
Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) airport is 13km (8 miles) southwest of the city (journey time - 25 to 40 minutes). It is mainly served by domestic flights.
Shanghai Pudong (PVG) airport, in the eastern financial district, is 30km (19 miles) from the city centre. To/from the airport: Buses and taxis are available (journey time - 50 minutes). Pudong is a major international airport with the Maglev magnetic levitation train and an underground link (due for expansion to connect Pudong with Hongqiao by 2009). The Maglev takes passengers to Longyang Road, where it is possible to connect to the Shanghai Metro.
Facilities: All the above airports include duty-free shops, banks/bureaux de change, ATMs, post offices, business facilities, Internet, bars and restaurants.
Departure Tax
Guangzhou Baiyun International (CAN) airport is 12km (7 miles) north of Guangzhou (journey time - 25 minutes).
Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) airport is 13km (8 miles) southwest of the city (journey time - 25 to 40 minutes). It is mainly served by domestic flights.
Shanghai Pudong (PVG) airport, in the eastern financial district, is 30km (19 miles) from the city centre. To/from the airport: Buses and taxis are available (journey time - 50 minutes). Pudong is a major international airport with the Maglev magnetic levitation train and an underground link (due for expansion to connect Pudong with Hongqiao by 2009). The Maglev takes passengers to Longyang Road, where it is possible to connect to the Shanghai Metro.
Facilities: All the above airports include duty-free shops, banks/bureaux de change, ATMs, post offices, business facilities, Internet, bars and restaurants.
¥90. Paid in Chinese currency only. Children under 12 and transit passengers (proceeding within 24 hours) are exempt.
Getting There by Water
Main ports: Fuzhou (Foochow), Guangzhou (Canton), Hong Kong/Kowloon, Qingdao (Tsingtao) and Shanghai.
Several major cruise lines offer cruises to China. There are regular ferry services linking Chinese ports with Kobe in Japan and the west coast of Korea (Dem Rep). There are regular ferries between Shanghai and Osaka in Japan. Regular ferry services operate between Weihai, Qingdao, Tianjin and Shanghai in China to Incheon in Korea (Dem Rep). There are regular fast ferry services between Hong Kong and Macau and a number of towns and cities in Guangdong province including Shenzhen and Zhuhai operated by Chu Kong Passenger Transport Co (tel: +852 2858 3876, in Hong Kong; website: www.cksp.com.hk) and TurboJET (tel: +852 2859 3333, in Hong Kong; website: www.turbojet.com.hk).
Several major cruise lines offer cruises to China. There are regular ferry services linking Chinese ports with Kobe in Japan and the west coast of Korea (Dem Rep). There are regular ferries between Shanghai and Osaka in Japan. Regular ferry services operate between Weihai, Qingdao, Tianjin and Shanghai in China to Incheon in Korea (Dem Rep). There are regular fast ferry services between Hong Kong and Macau and a number of towns and cities in Guangdong province including Shenzhen and Zhuhai operated by Chu Kong Passenger Transport Co (tel: +852 2858 3876, in Hong Kong; website: www.cksp.com.hk) and TurboJET (tel: +852 2859 3333, in Hong Kong; website: www.turbojet.com.hk).
Getting There by Rail
International services run from Beijing to Moscow (Russian Federation), on both the Trans-Mongolian Railway (via Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia) and the Trans-Manchurian Railway (via Zabaikalsk in northern China). The Trans-Siberian Express operates two weekly services, a train to Russia servicing Moscow and Beijing via Harbin and a China train via Ulaanbaatar. A service operates between Nanning, in Guangxi province, and Hanoi, Vietnam. A second cross-border service runs from Kunming via Lao Cai to Hanoi. There are also services from Beijing to Pyongyang (Korea, Dem Rep). Owing to demand, it may be necessary to book up to two months in advance.
A regular train service runs from Hong Kong to Guangzhou (Canton). There are several trains daily. Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (tel: +852 2929 3399, in Hong Kong; website: www.kcrc.com) has express trains servicing Kowloon to Guangzhou and an indirect Kowloon to Lowu service. The services between Shanghai-Kowloon/Hong Kong (journey time - 25 hours) and Beijing-Kowloon/Hong Kong (journey time - 24 hours) both run on alternate days. There are twice-weekly trains from Almaty in Kazakhstan to Urumqi. There are three types of fare: hard sleeper, soft sleeper and deluxe soft sleeper.
Further information on rail services is available from the Chinese Ministry of Railways (website: www.chinamor.cn.net).
Note: Travellers on the Trans-Mongolian or Trans-Manchurian Railways are strongly advised to search their compartments and lock the doors before departure, owing to an increase in smuggling via this route
A regular train service runs from Hong Kong to Guangzhou (Canton). There are several trains daily. Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (tel: +852 2929 3399, in Hong Kong; website: www.kcrc.com) has express trains servicing Kowloon to Guangzhou and an indirect Kowloon to Lowu service. The services between Shanghai-Kowloon/Hong Kong (journey time - 25 hours) and Beijing-Kowloon/Hong Kong (journey time - 24 hours) both run on alternate days. There are twice-weekly trains from Almaty in Kazakhstan to Urumqi. There are three types of fare: hard sleeper, soft sleeper and deluxe soft sleeper.
Further information on rail services is available from the Chinese Ministry of Railways (website: www.chinamor.cn.net).
Note: Travellers on the Trans-Mongolian or Trans-Manchurian Railways are strongly advised to search their compartments and lock the doors before departure, owing to an increase in smuggling via this route
Getting There by Road
The principal road routes into China follow the historical trade routes through Myanmar, India, the former Soviet republics and Mongolia. It is also possible to travel from Pakistan to Xinjiang on the Karakoran highway. Motorways exist between Guangzhou and Shenzhen and Guangzhou and Zhuhai. These roads link the cities of Dongguan, Zhongshan, Foshan, Jiangmen, Huizhou and Shunda to Hong Kong and Macau. Motorway links to major cities in neighbouring countries are few.