Transportation in Chengdu

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport 成都双流国际机场

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is seated in the central section of Shuanxi Plain and is 16km southwest to the center of Chengdu City. Located at 30°34'47' N and 103°57'02''E, it is an important aviation hinge and distribution center of passengers and cargo in the southwestern region.  It is stationed with over 20 civil aviation and port units, including Southwestern Civil Aviation Administration of China, China International Airlines Southwest Division, Sichuan Airlines, etc. The airport is connected with the urban district via expressway. Bus no. 303 can take you to the China Airlines office on Renmin Nanlu, right in the center of the city. It costs ￥10. You can also rent a taxi to the airport and the expense is around RMB50.

Chengdu railway station成都火车站

The North Railway Station is the main train station is Chengdu's main train station. It is located at the north end of the Renmin Lu, Chengdu's main thoroughfare, at the junction with the north second ring road, a 15RMB taxi ride from the city center. Many buses go to the train station: 2, 9, 11, 16, 24, 27, 28, 34, 36, 44, 52, 54, 55, 64, 65, 70, 85, 303, and 402. Ticket windows are on the first floor of the station. Tickets can be purchased to almsot anywhere in China, but for those who can become claustrophobic, remember that train rides from Chengdu to almost any other big city with the exception of Chongqing are at least 18 h ours, if not more than 40.

Taxi 的士
Taxi's in Chengdu are fairly cheap. Standard taxi rates are: during the day, 5 RMB for 1km, then 1.40 RMB for each additional kilometer up to 7km, after that 50% spare return charge for each additional kilometer is required. During 10:00pm and 6:00am, 6 RMB for 1km, then 1.70 RMB for each additional kilometer. More and more new taxi's can be found. Most taxis are Citroen, from the local Joint Venture in Chengdu. The newer model is 988 type, but more and more Elysees can be found as well. Nowadays all taxi's have a meter that can print a receipt. Taxis will all change their shift at 6 pm, which makes it very hard to find a taxi between 5.30 and 6.30 pm.

Bus 公交车
Common buses and trolley buses will go from any place. Chengdu has an extensive system of city buses plying the streets. At each bus stop, there is a list of the bus lines coming through on this road, and on some city maps the whole network is displayed. Tickets are 1RMB for common and 2RMB for air-conditioned buses respectively. You put the money in the box next to the driver. You can also purchase Bus IC card from all McDonald in town, accepted in all buses city wide.

Bicycle自行车
Even though China is a country where the bicycle is the most common used way of transportation, the facilities for bicyclers are not that good. Many roads have a new surface now, which makes riding your bicycle a little safer. More and more traffic ayi's can be seen on the roads, they control the traffic on the crossings. The bicycles, motorcycles, cars and buses sometimes all use the same road. Sometimes you will need to take the pavement to continue your road. Most guesthouses have bicycles for hire. Check for technical problems before starting out unless you want to be held responsible for it later. If you leave your bicycle, do so in one of the designated 'parking lots', where it will be guarded over for a small fee. If you can't find such a place, be sure to lock it securely against some structure.

★ There are bicycle-propelled two-seat rikshaw-thingofa-likes who will take you short distances. Fix a price (Y5-Y10) in advance.

Long Distance Bus 长途汽车站

A lot of long distance bus stations can be found in Chengdu, such as

• Chadianzi bus station ( 西门 Ximen), for Songpan and Jiuzhaigou
• Xinnanmen bus station ( 新南门汽车站 ), near the Traffic hotel, has daily buses heading to Leshan and Mount Emei and to Kangding in Kham .
• Wuguiqiao bus station ( 五桂桥汽车站 ), for Chongqing .

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