Info for Travelers Getting There
Getting There
Travelling to Hainan is as stress free and easy as life on the island itself. You can travel to the island by air or embark on a fascinating train ride from the Mainland and watch as the train is ferried across the Qiongzhou Strait to Hainan Island.
Getting there by Plane
Located just off the southern coast of the Chinese mainland and with a very travel friendly two hour time difference, you short trip to Hainan should see you land on the welcoming Island sanctuary without the typically associated drawbacks of international travel. In addition to no jetlag, services to Hainan also allow you to enjoy some of Asia's most fascinating and rewarding locations with stop over's available in Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
With 14 direct and indirect flights departing from Australia for Hainan everyday, getting a flight to the island could not be simpler. Hainan is also serviced directly from nearly every major city on the Chinese mainland and nearly every port in Asia.
Jetstar
With daily direct flights from Melbourne to Singapore starting December 16 2010 access to Hainan is now easier than ever on Australia's premier discount airline. With flights from Singapore to Haikou running daily, you can now fly Jetstar directly from Australia through to Hainan. With direct flights from Sydney to Singapore also commencing in early 2011 and flights still running daily from Darwin, Hainan is now closer to Australia than ever before.
Air Asia
Malaysia's answer to Jetstar, Air Asia is the region's largest low fare, no frills carrier. Avoid the hassle and complications that plague other airlines by taking advantage of Air Asia's hassle free ticketless booking system and sharp service. With three flights a day from Melbourne, Perth and the Gold Coast into one of Asia's most fascinating cities Kuala Lumpur, Hainan can be the final stop on the Asian holiday adventure of a lifetime. With multiple connections through to Haikou available, combining your trip with Air Asia means a simple and easy passageway through to Hainan.
Cathay Pacific
With a proud 63 year history of reliability, safety and engineering excellence, Cathay Pacific is one of only six airlines worldwide to carry a five-star rating and is a founding member of the One World global alliance, guaranteeing impeccable service and safety for your flight to Hainan. Why not take advantage of this by combining your trip to Hainan, with a stop over in China's most exciting and dynamic city, Hong Kong. With 9 direct flights a day leaving from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Cathay Pacific connects directly into Sanya making a stop over in Hong Kong the ideal way to start or finish an amazing Chinese adventure.
Getting there by Train
Catching the train to Hainan Island is an easy and unique experience
Have you ever seen a train loaded onto a ferry? A trip from Guangzhou to Hainan is one of the most interesting train rides you are ever likely to experience, and one that you certainly will never forget. The train is loaded onto an ocean-going railway ferry that crosses the Qiongzhou Straits to Hainan Island. The crossing takes approximately 55 minutes and once on the island, the train drives off the ferry and onto the tracks that take you to the Central Haikou train station.
You can buy railway tickets at Haikou New Port (Xin Gang) Ticket Office (transferring at Guangzhou) or at Xiuying Port Ticket Office (transferring at Zhanjiang).
Train from Beijing to Hainan Island...
You can Journey to Hainan by train from most major cities, trains depart from Beijing West train station.
Train #T201 / #T201 leave Beijing at 6.10pm and arrive in the early morning in Hainan.
Its best book in advance if you want a sleeper bed, priced at ¥900CNY (A$180). Or if you're a bargain seeker you can get a hard seat for ¥300CNY (A$67).
Train from Shanghai to Hainan Island...
The train departs for Hainan at Shanghai South train Station daily.
Train #K511, departs at 9:50am and arrive at 6:27pm. Standard fares cost less than ¥280CNY for a hard seat and ¥785CNY for a bunk to sleep in.
Train from Guangzhou to Hainan Island...
There is a train link between the island and Guangzhou city in Guangdong province.
Train #K407 departs Guangzhou at 9:25pm and arrives in Sanya at 9:06am. A Hard seat costs ¥145CNY(A$29) and a sleeper costs ¥415CNY(A83).
It takes about 10 hours for trains to complete the journey from Guangzhou to Haikou.
Getting Around the Island
Once in Haikou you can choose how you would like to experience the island. The latest and most exciting option is surely the newly constructed Bullet train from Haikou to Sanya. The Eastern ring train line as is known, is the first stage of a high-speed train network on Hainan that is set to change the way people travel. The trains themselves are designed to travel at approximately 280 km/hr (making them the fastest in China) and will stop at 14 stations along the Eastern coast of the Island. Travel time is expected to be 80 minutes from Haikou to Sanya, which represents a dramatic improvement from the previous train line, which took around 4 hours, or even the journey, by car, which takes around 3 hours. The bullet train is officially opens on 1 November 2010.