Taxi Travel

Taxis were once plentiful, cheap, and easy to spot. While they are still all of the above, since the introduction of ride-hailing app Didi (China's equivalent to Uber), it can be difficult to get a taxi to pick you up, especially as a foreigner. Your hotel concierge can call for one by phone, or you can try hailing one on the street. The available ones have a small lighted sign on the passenger side. If you're choosing a cab from a line, peek at the driver's license on the dashboard. The lower the license number, the more experienced the driver. Drivers with a number below 200,000 can usually get you where you're going, though pretty much all drivers rely (at times to their detriment) on GPS navigation. You can also download the Didi app, which has an English version and also supports payment from international bank cards. Drivers don’t speak English, so it's best to give them a piece of paper with your destination written in large Chinese characters or show them the characters on your phone. (Keep a card with the name of your hotel on it handy for the return trip.) Between 5 am and 11 pm, taxis start at Y14 for the first 3 km, then Y2.40 for every additional km and, exceeding 10 km, Y3.60 per km; after 11 pm this jumps to Y18 for 3km, Y3.10 per additional km and, exceeding 10 km, Y4.10 per km.