Ask a QuestionTraveling to China, no matter you choose a city or several cities, you should consider the transportation among the hotels, attractions and restaurants. China is a vast country, providing various types of transportation including plane, high-speed train, train and public transportation like subway.
Most of the people will be familiar with planes. Maybe most of the tourists from Southeast Asia are not familiar with the high-speed train in China. High-speed trains, also known as bullet trains, have developed quickly in China among major cities. With the speed of more than 250 kilometers per hour, the high-speed trains give great convenience to Chinese and travelers in China.
Based on the various types of transportation in China, how to choose the transportation in China? This article will help you to find out the best way to choose the transportation in China.
In China, we will choose flights for long-distance journey or business trip, which is fast and comfortable. China is a vast country, traveling from cities to cities may be a long distance. There are flights in many main cities of China. Till 2023, there are 254 airports in China connecting 249 cities and regions. There are 69 airports with an annual passenger throughput of more than 1 million passengers, including 18 airports with more than 10 million passengers. And till 2023, there are more than 3,900 passenger aircraft in China. We can find that the air transportation in China is convenient. Flights greatly reduce the time of transportation for passengers and goods.
Railway refer to the railway transportation in China, which mainly include high-speed trains and trains. High-speed trains, also known as bullet trains, refer to the trains with the speed of more than 250 kilometers per hour. High-speed trains include G-Series, D-Series and C-Series. High-speed trains are clean, safe, comfortable, fast and convenient. Traveling to China, you should experience the high-speed trains in China to see the real China, which has comprehensive transportation networks.
Trains usually refer to the common trains in China, including K-Series, T-Series and Z-Series. Trains are slower than high-speed trains.
Both flights and high-speed trains have their own advantages and disadvantages. How to choose from flights and high-speed trains in China? Following is a comparison of flights and trains.
| High-speed Train | Flights | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | High-speed train’s stations are located in the downtown | Airports are located in the suburbs, which is far away from the downtown |
| Scenery | In the high-speed trains, you can see the landscapes alongside your way including mountains, rivers, buildings, etc | In the airplanes, most of the things you can see are the clouds on the sky |
| Waiting Time | To travel by high-speed train, you should arrive at the high-speed railway stations half an hour in advance | To travel by plane, you need to arrive at the airports 1-2 hours earlier to wait for your flights |
| Moving | At a high-speed train, you should not fasten the safety belt and you can move most of the time you want | At an airplane, most of the time you should fasten your safety belt and you can not move anytime you want |
| Waiting for the Luggage | Taking a high-speed train, you can take your luggage with yourself and you can take your luggage as soon as you get off the high-speed train | Taking an airplane, there is weight limit of your luggage and you should wait for your luggage after you arrive in the airport |
| Delay | Without special circumstances, there is no delay for the high-speed trains | Flights are easily influenced by weather, and it is more likely for flights to be delayed by weather |
After comparing, we will find that flights are suitable for long-distance journey, which greatly saves the time of travelers. And high-speed trains are suitable for short-distance journey, which greatly saves the waiting time of the travelers. And the you can also compare the price and time of flights and high-speed trains. If you want to save your time, you can get around China by air. And if you do not mind spending several hours on the high-speed trains, you can choose high-speed trains to get around China.
China Metro has developed quickly. Till 2023, 55 urban rail transit has been opened. That means most of the main tourist cities are covered by subways including Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu and Kunming. Subways in China are clean, fast, comfortable and convenient. The air conditioning in the Chinese subways are really comfortable in summer. The cost of subways in China is usually from 3 CNY to 10 CNY, which depends on the distance of you. Kindly reminder, some subways in some certain time are crowded because of the commuters in some cities, especially some big cities. Subways are usually the first choice for the commuters in cities in China.
Chinese subways are friendly to Foreign visitors with English signs and maps on the subway stations and English broadcast on the subways in cities of China. Taking subways in China is not difficult for foreign visitors, there is no need to worry for travelers. The ground transportation like taking taxi may be busy and there are no traffic jams for underground subways in China.
Among the river cruises in China, the most famous and popular is the Yangtze River Cruise. The total Yangtze River cruise is from Chongqing to Shanghai. You can choose parts to take the cruise on the Yangtze River. The Three Gorges are the most famous part on the Yangtze River. Taking the cruises on the Yangtze River, you can enjoy the wonderful landscapes alongside the river including many famous attractions in China. You can feel the difference between the scenery of the Yangtze River and others. And you can also feel the gorgeous waterway on the Yangtze River.
Traveling to China, it is likely for you to take taxi. There are many taxis in cities of China. If there is no passengers on the taxi, it is easy to wave your hand to take a taxi in cities of China. However, most of the taxi drivers in China can not speak English. You can prepare the address of your destination in Chinese to show the taxi driver or using a translate APP to translate. The charge of taxis in China is not very expensive, which is reasonable. But the traffic will be busy at the peak periods when taking taxi, which you should take into your consideration while choosing the transportation.
Travel in China, you can use the transportation combining flights, high-speed trains and subways. Among these transportation, you will find the most suitable one for the part of your tour. Experiencing the different transportation in China, you can feel the daily life of Chinese and the convenient transportation in China. China is a country with comprehensive and convenient transportation.
To get authentic travel experience in China including sightseeing, history, culture, transportation and foods, you can choose Top China Travel to be your travel operator or partner to help you arrange the most suitable itinerary for you. We are China-based and experienced travel agency in China, providing unique service to each traveler for China tour.
From $ 1335
From $ 1149
From $ 1546
We are member of
Follow us on
