Peak travel times (and therefore the highest flight prices) include the run up to Chinese New Year, midsummer and, in Hong Kong, the few weeks before Christmas. There are airlines listed under the relevant regions below, but if you want to look for the cheapest details the following online booking agents are worth checking out:
www.bootsnall.com (US)
www.cheaptickets.com (Worldwide)
www.ebookers.com (UK & Europe)
www.expedia.com (Worldwide)
www.flightcentre.com (Worldwide)
www.flychina.com (Worldwide)
www.gonomad.com (Worldwide)
www.hotwire.com (US)
www.lastminute.com (UK)
The following airlines fly from the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand to China and Hong Kong:
Air China (www.airchina.com)
Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com)
China Airlines (www.china-airlines.com)
EVA Air (www.evaair.com)
From the USA & Canada
Direct flights from the West Coast to China take about 13 hours and will cost between US$700 and US$1,500 round-trip, depending on the season and routing. From the East Coast, you'll need to add a few hours and a couple of hundred dollars.
The airlines listed below all operate direct flights from the US and Canada.
Air Canada (www.aircanada.com)
American Airlines (www.americanair.com)
China Southern Airlines (www.cs-air.com/en)
JAL (Japan Airlines, www.jal.co.jp/en)
Korean Air (www.koreanair.com)
Northwest Airlines (www.nwa.com)
United Airlines (www.ual.com)
From the UK & Europe
Many of Europe's capital cities are linked by direct flights to China, which take between 10 and 12 hours and cost £350/i518 to £1,000/i1,480 round-trip, although a new Hong Kong-based long-haul budget carrier, Oasis Air (see below) has slashed these prices to as little as £160 for a single fare (or £470 for business class) from London. Airlines that fly from Europe to China include:
Aeroflot (www.aeroflot.ru/en)
Air France (www.airfrance.com)
British Airways (www.ba.com)
Gulf Air (www.gulfairco.com)
KLM (www.klm.com)
Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com)
Oasis Air (www.oasishongkong.com)
Virgin Atlantic (www.fly.virgin.com)
From Australia & New Zealand
Direct flights from Australia take between nine and 12 hours to reach China and should cost around AUS$1,500 to $2,000. New Zealand is less well-served but there are still direct flights, although you may want to travel to Australia and then on from there.
Air New Zealand (www.airnz.com)
Jetstar (www.jetstar.com)
Qantas (www.qantas.com)
Overland
The most popular overland routes into China are from the north through Mongolia, from the south through Vietnam and Laos, and from the west through Nepal into Tibet, but it's also possible to get into Xinjiang from Pakistan and the Central Asian Republics along the old Silk Route. Note that for most of these countries you'll need to obtain a visa in advance.
You can book train tickets for the Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Siberian Expresses in Beijing but to be sure of a berth it's worth booking in advance. Monkey Business (www.monkeyshrine.com) and Sundowners (www.sundownerstravel.com) can both arrange train tickets and connections online and can also help you obtain a Mongolian or Russian visa.
Heading to or from Laos or Vietnam there are several border crossings through Guangxi and Yunnan provinces that are open to foreigners. There are trains to Hanoi from Beijing, Guilin and Nanning or you can take a bus to Jinghong and then on to Mengla to cross into Laos.
By Water
Not many people arrive in China by ship, but it is still a possibility and Shanghai is served by ferries from Japan while cruise liners call in at Hong Kong. Cruises last from a couple of weeks to months, but they generally only spend a few days docked at Hong Kong and cost in the thousands of dollars. Cruise companies that run to Hong Kong include:
Clipper (www.clippercruise.com)
Cunard (www.cunard.com)
P&O (www.pocruises.com)
Princess (www.princess.com)
Seabourn (www.seabourn.com)
Star (www.starcruises.com)
Getting Around
China is a vast country with an ever-improving transport network, especially between principal cities, but it is also still a developing country and, while some services are ultra-modern, others are super-slow. Some regions are ruled by the road, while others are served better by rail. Travel by any mode of transport tends to be good value, especially when the distances covered are considered, although bus is usually the cheapest and flying the most expensive. The duration and scope of your itinerary and the amount of money you have to spend are deciding factors in how you travel. To get to smaller or more out of the way places you may have to take a bus (often from a railhead town), although for anything longer than a few hours, if it's an option, the train is preferable, unless you have the money to fly. Even if money is no object, I'd recommend at least one long distance train journey for the experience. Indeed, implicit in the term "traveling” is the journey itself and, for some, getting from A to B is the best part of the adventure. China has an abundance of local transport options which, while often uncomfortable, give you real insight into the lives of the people. Wherever you're planning to travel, unless you speak Mandarin, be sure to take along your destination written in Chinese (see the Chinese language section at the end of this guide). While pronouncing the name may seem like a simple process, the tones of the language and the plethora of similar-sounding place names can cause confusion.
Below are some sample fares (quoted in US dollars) in order to give a rough idea of the costs of different modes of transport.
By Air
China has an extensive flight network incorporating hundreds of frequently served airports. There are several regional airlines (China Southern, China Southwestern, etc.), many of which are subdivisions of Air China, the national carrier. Most towns of any significance have a branch of the regional airline that can issue tickets and many hotels have travel agents who can book them for a small commission. In larger cities you'll find CAAC offices where you can buy tickets for most airlines and often get buses to the airport. Airports can be close to the city center or tens of miles away so check when you purchase your tickets. While Chinese air travel doesn't have a particularly good safety track record, things have definitely improved, both in terms of pilot ability and aircraft quality. That said, flying in China is a very different experience, from the frequent turbulence to the "lucky seat lottery,” although delays seem to be a worldwide feature!
Airline Details
Air China (www.airchina.com)
China Eastern Airlines (www.ce-air.com)
China Southern Airlines (www.cs-air.com/en)
China Southwestern Airlines (www.cswa.com)
Dragon Air (www.dragonair.com)
Shanghai Airlines (www.shanghai-air.com/English/ehome)
By Rail
Rail is generally my favorite mode of travel in any country and China is no exception. More comfortable than by road and cheaper than air, train travel affords you some time to reflect on your travels as the countryside unfolds through the window to the gentle (and sometimes abrupt) clackety clack of the tracks below. It also offers the opportunity to meet locals (albeit, on occasion, too closely for comfort). And it can give you a look at the conflicts of modern China; the system is authoritarian in essence, with its smartly dressed, stern staff and regulated systems, but these days you can hire VCD players (some trains even have individual TVs in first-class sleeper compartments) and buy tacky toys along the way. Stations usually have shops and stalls selling all the goods you'll need for a long journey and there are dining carriages on many sleeper services along with platform snacks along the way. You'll also find checkrooms for luggage at stations and some stations have designated waiting rooms for first-class passengers (see Classes, below). China has an extensive railway network that covers all the major cities, now including Lhasa, which is the end destination of the high-altitude, ultra-modern Tibet line, part of the government's program to develop the west.