How to Travel by Bus in China

When it comes to traveling in China, most tourist opt to either fly or hop on a train. The reason is quite simple: flying is fast and trains are cheap.

There are times, however, when China’s massive, intercity bus system is your best option. Perhaps the flights are too expensive or the train is too full. Maybe you want to save a few dollars or you’re heading to a place that isn’t serviced by an airport or train station.

When buying a ticket, bring along your travel details (date, time, destination, etc.) written down in Chinese. Tickets are typically not bought in advance, but there are usually options to do so if that’s what you prefer. Keep in mind that both buses and roads tend to get extremely crowded during holiday seasons when transportation in China, no matter its form, is in high demand.

To the unseasoned China traveler, it seems simple enough to find a bus station. Sometimes just look up the word for “bus station” in your handy Mandarin phrasebook and tell the taxi driver. Go!  

Unfortunately, it’s not always that easy. With the exception of small towns, most cities in China have a number of different bus stations scattered around. One may be a “long distance bus station” while the other is an “International Bus Station.” Often, bus stations are categorized by which direction their buses head (north, south, east or west) or even by which specific city or region they service.

If you’ve never had a chance to try a Chinese bus and you’re afraid about what you’re getting into, follow us and we will provide more you need to know before you travel on our following articles.