Using Public Transport in China Without Fear!
We visited Shanghai, Guangzhou, Zhangjiajie, and Chongqing, and we relied heavily on public transport everywhere we went.
I'll share our experience, hoping it comes in handy for your trip.
Subway Ⓜ️
Let's start with the subway. In my previous posts, I explained how to set up a transit card in Alipay. If you have it, getting in is an absolute breeze.
Fares depend on the number of stations, averaging around 2-3 RMB. The most we paid was 6 RMB in Chongqing for a 1.5-hour ride to the other side of the city.
At the entrance, just open your Alipay QR code and scan it at the turnstile. Do the exact same thing when you exit at your destination. Navigating routes with Amap is clear and user-friendly. Station names are displayed in English both in the app and on the physical signs, so it's hard to get lost.
The color-coded lines are standard and very easy to follow.
Oh, and a nice bonus: many stations have restrooms. Super convenient!
Buses 🚌
The Alipay transit QR code works for buses, too. We came across two types: flat-rate and distance-based.
When boarding, keep an eye on two things: is there a conductor, and how many scanners are there?
On flat-rate buses, everyone gets on through the front door and scans their QR code at the driver's scanner. The fare is deducted right away, and you're good to go.
If you spot scanners by the exit doors as well, it's a good idea to scan there before hopping off, just to be safe.
My golden rule also comes in handy here: just watch what the locals do, and you'll figure it out in no time.
Buses with conductors are straightforward, too. They’ll charge you for the exact distance to your stop.
You just need to communicate with the conductor. We simply showed our Amap route on our phones, and the conductors handled it perfectly—they even told us when to get off.
Bus fares are slightly higher on average than the subway, usually around 3-6 RMB.
Most buses have route numbers and color coding, which is pretty standard.
However, some routes are labeled only with Chinese characters and no numbers—be careful with those! Without knowing the characters, matching the route to the map is tricky, so avoid them if you can. We ran into this in Shanghai when heading to Zhujiajiao Ancient Town. We had to take a short bus ride from the subway, and some of the routes were text-only. But friendly locals helped us figure it out.
Almost all city buses stop at every designated stop, so there’s no need to push any buttons. On some intercity buses, though, you’ll need to keep track of your location and ask the driver to stop when you're close.
In Zhangjiajie, we mainly took taxis, but we did take a public bus from ZJJ Grand Canyon to the 72 Wonder Tower. When exiting the canyon, just follow the crowd—it leads straight to a bus plaza. Boarding is super organized, with coordinators telling you which bus to catch and how long the wait is. We waited about 20 minutes for our bus and paid by scanning the Alipay QR code to transfer the money.
Ferry ⛴️
In Shanghai, we caught a ferry from the Pudong business district, not far from the Oriental Pearl Tower, to The North Bund across the river for just 2 RMB. We scanned our Alipay bus QR code at the entrance and walked right through. The upper deck offers stunning views of the Huangpu River and the Pudong skyline.
Taxis 🚕
We mostly hailed rides using mini-programs inside Alipay or WeChat.
The interface is highly intuitive, especially if you've used Uber before.
The only difference is that when paying with Alipay or WeChat, you have to reopen the app after the ride finishes and enter your password to confirm the payment.
Trains 🚆
We booked our train tickets through the Trip app.
Since our journeys were only a few hours long, we opted for standard seats. You can check the seating layouts on the app. However, we found that when booking, you can only choose a seating preference, rather than picking a specific seat. Maybe it's possible with a bit of digging or a different fare class, but I couldn't figure it out... Because of this, our seating preferences took priority over sitting together, so my friends and I ended up in different train cars on the way there. We managed to sit together on the way back, though.
Train stations in China are very well-designed and easy to navigate. You wait at designated gates and only head to the platform when your train is ready. We swiped our passports to pass through the gates. On the platform, there are floor markers showing exactly where each train car will stop, so you know exactly where to wait.
Public transport in China is incredibly reliable and a massive time-saver—especially in Chongqing, where downtown traffic jams are pretty common!
Other visitors' reviews of Century Park
Show More ReviewsIt's been a while since I've been to Century Park. It's incredibly crowded on weekends. When the weather's nice, people bring their kids camping. All the family-friendly facilities are packed, and there are even lawn weddings being held at the restaurants. It's a great place to relax and get some fresh air on the weekend.