Getting to China
GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
There are several non-stop flights daily from various major European cities to Beijing and from there to Shanghai. All major national airlines in Europe as well as Air China (CA) and China Eastern (MU) offer these connections.
According to topb2bwebsites, China’s national airline is called Air China (Internet: www.airchina.de). Air China and its partners offer direct connections from Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Geneva and Zurich to Beijing, as well as from Vienna and other major European cities to Beijing and Shanghai. Air China also offers direct connections from Frankfurt to Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu.
Lufthansa (LH)flies daily non-stop from Frankfurt and Munich to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong and from Frankfurt to Guangzhou / Canton; via Beijing to Chengdu, Dalian, Hangzhou, Nanking, Xiamen and Xi An and via Shanghai to Tsingtao, Wenzhou, Chengdu, Dalian, Shenzhen, Chongqing and Whenzhou.
Ua British Airways (BA), Air France (AF), Finnair (AY), KLM (KL), Qantas (QF), Swiss (LX) and Singapore Airlines (SQ) fly also Beijing, Shanghai and / or various other Chinese cities at.
Finnair (AY) flies daily from Vienna via Helsinki to Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.
Austrian Airlines (OS) flies from Vienna to Beijing and Shanghai (daily non-stop).
Air Berlin (AB)flies from Düsseldorf to Beijing and Shanghai.
China Southern Airlines (CZ) operates the Amsterdam – Beijing – Shanghai route and the Frankfurt / aM – Changsha – Guangzhou route.
Hainan Airlines (HU) flies from Berlin to Beijing.
Note: Bookings should be confirmed in advance, as incorrect bookings can occur.
Flight times
Frankfurt – Peking (Beijing): 9 hours 10 minutes; Frankfurt – Shanghai: 10 hours 25 minutes; Vienna – Peking (Beijing): 9 hours 25 minutes; Vienna – Shanghai: 13 hours 30 minutes (with a stopover); Zurich – Peking (Beijing): 11 hours 40 minutes (with a stopover); Zurich – Shanghai: 12 hours 30 minutes (with a stopover).
Arrival by car
The main roads to China follow the historical trade routes through Myanmar, India, the CIS, Mongolia and Nepal.
In addition, the Nathu La mountain pass between Sikkim, India and Tibet has now reopened after more than four decades.
Arriving by train
There is a regular train connection between Hong Kong and Guangzhou (Canton). International trains are generally more comfortable than domestic trains. Travelers with a lot of time can take the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing. Advance booking, if possible 2 months before departure, is recommended. Caution should be exercised due to the increased activity of smuggling gangs.
Travel times with the Trans-Siberian Railway: Peking (Beijing) – Moscow (Russian Federation): 5-day journey (7622 km); Beijing – Ulan Bator (Mongolia): one-day drive (1356 km).
Arrival by ship
The main ports are Shanghai and Hong Kong as well as Fuzhou, Guangzhou (Canton), Qingdao (Tsingtao), Tianjin and Xiamen. Numerous ferry connections with neighboring countries, including Shanghai – Kobe, Shanghai – Yokohama, Shanghai – Nagasaki, Shanghai – Osaka, Tianjin – Kobe and to the west coast of South Korea.
Various cruise lines such as Princess Cruises, Silversea and Seabourn offer cruises that either call exclusively at Chinese ports or do so in connection with an East or Southeast Asia tour
On the way by ship
Ferry traffic on all major rivers. The coastal ferries operate between Dalian, Tianjin (Tientsin), Qingdao (Tsingtao) and Shanghai. Important ports are Tianjin (Tientsin), Qingdao (Tsingtao) and Shanghai. Victoria Cruises (Internet: www.victoriacruises.com) offers year-round cruises on the Yangtze Kiang between Chongqing and Shanghai via Wuhan and Nanjing. In addition to other shore excursions, a visit to the so-called City of the White Emperor, a 2000 year old temple complex, is offered. So far it has not been accessible to tourists.
MONEY
Currency
1 renminbi yuan = 10 jiao = 100 fen. Currency abbreviation: RMB ¥, CNY (ISO code).
There are banknotes in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 ¥ as well as 5, 2 and 1 Jiao as well as 5, 2 and 1 Fen.
Coins are in circulation in denominations of 1 ¥ and in 5 and 1 Jiao as well as 5, 2 and 1 Fen.
Fen notes and coins have become very rare.
Credit cards
MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club and American Express are accepted in some, but not all, international hotels and larger, mainly tourist shops. Using the card in Beijing and Shanghai is unproblematic. (Note: Even if the card works theoretically, there are occasional problems with machines that are not connected abroad.) Details from the issuer of the credit card in question.
The establishment of the Chinese Bankers Association has promoted the use of credit cards from state-owned banks in China.
ATMs
Cards with the Cirrus or Maestro symbol are accepted in Europe and worldwide. At the moment, cash withdrawals from ATMs with German EC cards are only possible to a very limited extent in China. For this reason, you should have alternative means of payment such as credit cards and cash.
(Note: Even if the card works theoretically, there are occasional problems with ATMs that have no international reference. In this regard, the Bank of China is particularly recommended for withdrawing cash.) Further information from banks and financial institutions.
Note: You can usually withdraw 2000-3000 RMB from ATMs. Some machines accept multiple debits (1-3 times).
Attention: Travelers who pay with their bank card abroad and want to withdraw money should find out about the possibilities of using their card from their bank before starting their journey.
Bank opening times
Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-12 p.m., 1 p.m. / 2 p.m.-4 p.m. / 5 p.m. Sometimes also on Sat 8 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.
Foreign exchange regulations
The import of foreign currencies is unrestricted and must be declared from an equivalent value of US $ 5,000. The import and export of the local currency is only permitted up to RMB ¥ 20,000. The export of foreign currencies is permitted up to the amount declared, minus the exchange amounts.
Currency Exchange
Foreign currencies and travelers checks can be exchanged in international banks and hotels. In the hotels and the so-called friendship stores you can pay for the luxury items (such as spirits) imported for visitors in foreign currency. The banks’ exchange counters are already at the airport; all common currencies can be exchanged here.
