China Travel Guide

China is huge, and unless you concentrate on a small area, you're going to spend a good deal of your time - and budget - just getting around. Fortunately, public transport is very comprehensive and reasonably priced considering the distances involved, and there's usually a choice of travel options available. You can fly to all regional capitals and many of the larger cities; the rail network extends to every province except Tibet; while if you're up to slow hours of rough riding, you can reach almost all corners of the country on local transport - which covers everything from buses to tractors. There's even a fair number of rivers still plied by passenger ferries, and a few vessels chugging between coastal ports and down to Hainan Island. Tibet is the one region where there are restrictions on independent travel. Tours are one way of taking the pressure off travel, and in some cases are the only practical way of getting out to certain sights; they're never cheap, but can be good value.

While there are plenty of options, travel can also take some planning and patience. Bus timetables are unpredictable, with scheduled state services losing out to ad hoc private operators, while train journeys have their own peculiar pitfalls. You also want to weigh up the mental and physical rigours involved if you insist on travelling the cheapest way all the time - it's well worth covering long distances in as much comfort as possible