Private Drivers
GZ airport
Getting to GZ
Getting to HK
International Flights
Foshan Airport
Foshan Shati Airport is a small regional airport that
reopened for public travel on 18th November 2009. It
is the second home base for China United Airlines, and
is expected to handle 1 million passengers each year.
The airport does not operate international flights,
but does service 20 major cities including: Beijing
(Nanyuan Int'l), Hangzhou, Lianyungang, Sanya (Hainan
Island), and Yulin. The airport code is FUO/ZGFS, although
some web sources refer to it as ZCP which is incorrect.
During 2010 extra services will be introduced to ease
air traffice at Guangzhou airport. To be added are daily
services to Shanghai, Chongqing, and Guilin.
The airport is located to the Northwest of Foshan City
in Nanhai District, and the only way there is by car.
The Airport is very well signposted in both Chinese
and English. China United Airlines, part owned by Shanghai
Airways, operates Boeing 737-8Q8 and 757 aircraft.
There is absolutely no other information about this
airport on the internet, but we will provide this as
soon as anything becomes available. Foshan Airline inquiry
office: 0757-82263555, 0757-82810531. Flights can be
booked at any local travel agency, or online via a portal
such as 9588.com Railway
Foshan railway station is located north of the main
bus station on North Wenchang Road. It enjoys convenient
transportation as No.1, No.2, No.4, No.5, No.6, No.8,
No.9 and No.10 buses will take you there. Just make
sure you are headed North, and not in the other direction!
The rail line linking Guangzhou with Zhanjiang runs
through the city and connects Foshan to the nation railway
network. In Foshan Railway Station, there are a lot
of trains bounding for almost every city around China.
Foshan Railway Station inquiry office: 0757-82710268,
0757-82810543.
The main rail link is to Guangzhou main train station,
from where connecting trains run to every part of China.
Direct trains from Foshan also go to Beijing, Shanghai,
and there is one each day to Hong Kong each day - therefore
this is also an International railway station and has
Customs. Starting at the nearby City of Zhao Qing, this
train only stops at Guangzhou East railway station,
and runs around 2pm at present, or is that now 6pm?
You better check yourself.
Our link for China Railways website is down, and only
in Chinese anyway; but you can get an idea of what direct
trains are available here at Travel
China Guide.
You will see from this link that trains to Guangzhou
are frequent and almost 24 hours, most taking about
30 minutes (Some 50 minutes). A very easy and relaxing
way to travel when compared to the alternatives. Light Railway
Foshan Light Railway is what you may know as: Metro,
Underground, and Chinese outside of Guangdong call 'Subway'.
Currently there is massive construction all over this
area of Guangdong, which essentially expands the existing
Guangzhou Metro lines to all corners of The Pearl River
Delta. This is an astronomical undertaking, as the eventual
project will also interlink via Panyu with Shenzhen
(= Hong Kong).
Regards Foshan City, the project was completed in summer
2010, just in time for the Asia Games which Foshan is
co-hosting with Guangzhou City.
The completion of this network has had major impact
on Foshan City, and makes it a truly preferred location
for business and leisure.
• Guangzhou
Metro Map - 2010 version includes Airport, Punyu,
Canton Fair and Foshan line - In English and Chinese. Foshan Main Bus Station
This is located North of the city on Feng Jiang North
Road, and as well as serving all major Guangdong destinations
directly; also connects via express coach directly to
Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and Shenzhen (For Hong Kong).
Hongyun Coach Station, is locally called 'Hong Wan'.
Telephone：0757-82281287.
On the Google map this is where the Hongyun Hotel is
located, and the area is also home to Foshan Computer
City - which has three parts closely associated.
If you arrive at this bus station later at night, then
please be aware that a local operator (Bully or Mafioso)
controls all the taxi services on the rank outside,
and will charge you exorbitant prices for places you
do not want to go to. He will not accept metered fares
from any foreigner (Or non-local Chinese), which I seem
to recall is illegal in China.
However, he has gotten away with this for years - so
what you do on exiting this bus station is walk left
passed all the waiting taxis, and stopping at the adjoining
road, hail a regular cab. At midday a foreigner I know
also experienced this, and was quote Y30 RMB to take
him to his hotel, whilst the meter charge later turned
out to be Y8. Nightmare! And also a very bad experience
if this is your first visit to Foshan, because the ordinary
taxi drivers offer excellent services and are very trustworthy
and secure. Apart from Le Cong International Exhibition
Centre, this is the only place in Foshan where malpractice
concerning taxis occurs.
Conversely, if you arrive at this bus station - either
by bus or taxi, then you will be greeted by a buggery
of Beggars. Begging is also illegal in China, but is
very prevalent here. Being a Foreigner you are immediately
their number 1 target, and this extends all the way
to the doors of the bus station. What can I say? I do
strongly object to my teeth and lips being hit repeatedly
by a beggar's bowl from the open taxi window; whilst
both my hands are full trying to pay the taxi driver
his fare. They never bother me any more after what I
did next ... but it should not have been necessary in
the first place!
However, apart from the above this bus station is actually
pretty good. What you need to know is that the ticket
office is on your left, and the ticket office for the
Guangzhou Airport Express coaches it at the extreme
left in a separate area. These coaches run every 30
minutes in both directions (Obviously), and begin at
5am. The last one at night is at around 9.30pm, but
please check this information yourself.
Entering the main ticket office you are faced with 12
ticket vendors, and for Shenzhen or special places you
need numbers 11 or 12 on your right. They will default
to speaking in Mandarin, but also speak Cantonese as
their own local language. Do not expect anybody to speak
English, although it does happen.
Exit this hall to your right (Towards the buildings
centre), and there is an escalator in the middle of
the next hall. This takes you up to Computer City. Just
before it is the entrance to the waiting room, whilst
the public toilets are located straight-on and then
left a bit.
They have an X-ray machine here in front of the waiting
room, and security may require you to pass your luggage
though. Your ticket will have trap number, bus and seat
number on it, but if you are headed for Shenzhen (Hong
Kong), then know this is the very last gangway on your
right. Once your coach is readied, it will be announced
in both Mandarin and Cantonese - sorry, no English yet.
The counter girl will swipe your ticket and allow you
through. They only process one destination from one
trap at any one time, so if you are unsure where to
find the coach you want - simply follow someone else.
You really need to know the Chinese Characters to use
this effectively, although you will be very surprised
also at just how many of the coach staff speak good
English.
Boarding the coach you will sometimes be offered a free
bottle of water, or can take one from the box inside
the door (on entry only). Morning buses also come with
a free daily newspaper in Chinese. Most coaches also
offer 'Bus TV' (Copyright paid), which will either feature
a Kung Fu film, or some romantic thingymagig - and don't
expect these films to always start at the beginning
either, although occasionally some do. Whilst seats
are allocated, any bus that is not full allows you to
move around to suit. It is very likely the seat spacing
will be different on one side from the other - so if
you are a large person such as myself, then pay attention,
as the smaller spacing is a bit like an international
airplane flight = where do I put my knees?
Other Foshan Bus Stations:
Foshan has 5 other bus stations, one of them being in
what you think is Foshan, but is technically in Nanhai
(Quite near Jusco). This goes to Guangzhou. The others
are:
Zumiao Coach Station: Address No.2,
Mentou Road, Chancheng District，Telephone：0757-82223535,
Destination: Guangzhou Railway Station and No.8 Zhongshan
Road Station of Guangzhou.
Dongfang Plaza Coach Station: Address
No.87, East Jinhua Road, Chancheng District, Destination:
The suburb areas and Guangzhou City.
Chengbei Coach Station: Address Zhanqian
Road, on the west of Foshan Railway Station. Telephone:
0757-82810637. Destination: South Yuexiu Station of
Guangzhou and Guangzhou Railway Station.
The 'Bright Green Bus' Station is located
just South of Hongyun near the head of Si Zhi Road.
This private operator runs coaches to the outskirts
of Shunde Daliang (Stopping at Le Cong, and Long Jiang
Town), and the other to San Shway via Dali. We think
they have added a third bus route also, but not sure
where that goes to as we just see it pass headed South
with Chinese characters on the front. Other Coaches
There are numerous other coaches run by privateers servicing
all parts of China, and especially the further reaches
of Guangdong and neighbouring Provinces. About 20% of
these are 'sleeper' coaches, meaning you get a 'bed'
large enough for a small Chinese persons body. If you
use these, then you are expected to remove your shoes
before settling down. They will provide a toilet (Smoke)
break every couple of hours; and can take days to reach
their destination - depending upon where that is.
However, most of the coaches are short or medium haul,
and service the popular destinations nearby. Most will
show a film, and only a few will have a toilet. As a
generality; these coaches always stop at major road
intersections - but in Foshan you should go to Foshan
Avenue and wait at one of the bus lay by's. Some of
the through coaches service districts of Foshan City
proper, so if you are headed South, then get South on
Foshan Avenue. North is the opposite of course. Once
you learn the actual routes taken by these coaches,
then you will often find they stop quite near to your
apartment, especially around Dong Jian Century Plaza
and Nanhai. Local Buses
These look like city buses, are extremely frequent and
nearly always full. You will need to know what bus number
you need to catch, and which side of the road to be
on. Otherwise they are very simple to use. Upon entering
you will pay a fixed charge for any destination, which
is currently Y2 RMB. If you use Foshan buses a lot,
then invest in a swipe-card, which saves you around
30% of the fare.
Whichever payment method you use, at the top of the
steps you will be faced with a machine. Either put your
money in the slot, or swipe your card - making sure
to hold it against the card reader a very long time,
or until it goes 'Beep'. 3-seconds is about average
for this. Get off at the doors in the middle of the
bus. There are numerous bell-push you can alert the
driver with, although some need a very hard press; and
they normally make a 'Beep' when actioned correctly.
Expect most buses to begin around 7am, and finish before
8pm. Some prime routes run from 5am to 10pm. At night
you will need to use Taxis. Taxis
Taxi is the preferred method of transportation for most
foreigners, as they charge on the meter + possibly a
Y1 fuel surcharge (That appears to have been dropped
recently). Taxis are heavily monitored, and by Law must
charge you the meter price - unless you fix a deal (Sometimes
useful for longer haul destinations, but not always
cheaper then the meter). If you fix a deal, then expect
to pay any toll charges as extra. All taxis give receipts
for business purposes.
Old Foshan taxis are all VW Jetta's and pained maroon.
New cabs are often Kia's and can be red of sometimes
gold in colour. Green taxis usually come from Shunde,
although some may be from Guangzhou. Any other colour
is not a local cab, and probably from Guangzhou also.
You need to know that during rush hours (8-9am, and
5-7pm) all Foshan taxis are already full. Most taxi
drivers work 12 hour shifts, and with a second driver
the cab works 24/7. The changeover time is 7 o'clock,
and impacts some time before this as the driver needs
to refuel and also exchange with his partner. They also
tend to have a 30-minute lunch break around 11am.
I highly recommend Foshan taxis for any foreigners or
single girl, as they are in general extremely safe and
reliable. You see the charge on the meter, and it is
very easy to do. There are also a few female taxi drivers,
which girls may prefer.
If you know where you want to be, but don't know how
to say it, then simply give the driver a name card of
somewhere close to your destination ... or here is a
simple guide in Cantonese: 'Jin Jor' = left, 'Jin Yaow'
= right, 'd'Zhik hoi' = straight on, and 'Hong Lop Dang'
= traffic lights. 'Lido' means 'Here', whilst 'Gordo'
means 'There'. That should do it!
Motorcycle Taxis
These can be excellent, but 90% will rip you off for
double the regular taxi fare or more. Unless you know
them well, don't bother.
Motor Tricycles are even worse, and will charge you
4 or 5 times the taxi fare. Virtually all of these are
unlicensed, and owned by migrant workers looking for
a fast buck. Occasionally you will find a genuine one,
and then this becomes 'Fun'! Ferries
In this short section I will refer to major ferry operators
who supply Sea Cat as standard means of transport. These
are large, high-speed, catamaran ferries that operate
between various Foshan District ports and also Hong
Kong and Macao. These things are pukka!
When travelling from Foshan the very best one is located
in Shunde (Daliang), and with free minibus connections
from Downtown Hotels (Foshan Hotel, Golden City Hotel,
Carrianna Hotel, and somewhere outside CITS in Nanhai),
which brings you directly to central Kowloon (China
Ferry) within 2-hours. And no stress! They serve meals
with waitress service, and things like coffee + show
movies from the beginning. First Class is probably not
worth the extra Y20, but if you have a party, then consider
a private room (There should be two of them of different
sizes).
You can book these from the hotel providers only, or
use the details below:
Shunde Port
Address: Desheng Dong Road, Shunde District, Foshan
City
Details of Passenger liners: Departure time from Hong
Kong: 07:30, 08:30, 10:45, 13:30, 15:20, 18:00; from
Shunde: 08:30,
10:00, 11:00, 15:00, 17:30, 20:20
Ship Passage: CNY180
Voyage Duration: Two hours
Gao Ming and He Shan
Details of Passenger liners: Departure time from Hong
Kong (Tsim Sha Tsui): 08:20; from Gaoming Port: 15:30,
from He Shan 16:00
Ship Passage: CNY220
Voyage Duration: 3 hours from Gaoming; Two and a half
hours from He Shan
This ferry also calls at He Shan (Hoksan), and has a
dedicated coach connection with Zhao Qing). The number
for Hoksan Port is: 0757 8820284
Pingzhou Port
Address: No.1, Yong'an Road, Nanhai District, Foshan
City
Details of Passenger liners: Departure time from Hong
Kong: 07:00, 13:30; from Pingzhou Port: 09:45, 16:00
Ship Passage: Price not known, but in keeping with above
Voyage Duration: About two and a half hours Note: This port does not currently
offer ferry services to Hong Kong, but it used to, and
may do so again.
All these ferries are operated by CKS company, who also
services other routes within Guangdong. Special Highlights:
Private Drivers
Private drivers are very good and reliable in general.
They are ideal for both business and sightseeing, plus
airport transfers. Vehicles can be anything, and we
found the best for our purposes was a lovely young guy
who owned a large and roomy PSV. His number is: 13679817421.
For other options please contact Candy tel: 13690450116
and she will be pleased to help you in excellent English.
Expect to pay around Y300 for half a day, and Y500 for
a full day. This may increase if you are travelling
a long way. A standard airport trip is Y250 for collection,
and Y220 for going to Guangzhou Airport.
International Flights
There are only 2 fully international airports in this
region: Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Allow 1 hour to reach
Guangzhou airport, although the trip is usually around
45 minutes. In a private car you could probably reach
Hong Kong airport in 3 hours, but this is seldom an
option. Otherwise you will need to use the ferry (Recommended)
or catch a coach. Public transport tends to operate
only between 7 am and 6pm, so check your flight times
and be prepared to stay overnight in Hong Kong as necessary.
Macao also has an international airport, but this has
limited worldwide coverage.
Guangzhou Airport
This is called Baiyun airport and opened in 2005. It
is located a long way North of Guangzhou city, but has
dedicated expressway and planned metro link. Most information
you need is listed above, so I will add a note for arrivals
only.
You will arrive at terminal Two, where there are ATM
machines and a bureau de change upstairs to your left.
Exiting the hall you are allowed to smoke anywhere outside.
You will be greeted by a long line of taxis looking
for your fair. There standard charge is Y500! This is
very expensive, considering a private driver or local
taxi will charge half this fare. The immediate pavement
outside has about 10 bus stops along it, and nearly
all of these go to various parts of Guangzhou, and one
goes to Shunde Daliang. Near the far end is a coach
that goes to Foshan and runs every 30 minutes. The fare
us around Y35, which is very reasonable.
Getting to Guangzhou
There are many ways of getting to Guangzhou, and most
people use the express coaches which are frequent and
offer good service. You need to be aware that like New
York, Guangzhou is a very large city; so you need to
know which part you are going to. There are dozens of
bus stations in Guangzhou! Many of these coaches will
only go to the outskirts of Guangzhou, dropping you
at KengKou, which is the second to last stop on the
Guangzhou metro line. This can be very convenient and
the cost to central Guangzhou on this line is about
Y5. The is a map of Guangzhou metro line here
Getting to Hong Kong
The best way to travel is by ferry, which is extremely
relaxing, professional, and takes you into the very
heart of Kowloon. Another option is via train, which
again is a great way to travel. Most people take a coach,
which can be OK, or a nightmare! The main destinations
are: Prince Edward and Tsim Shar Tsui in Kowloon; Airport
(Lantau Island); Central and Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island.
All involve getting off the coach at the border, passing
through both sets of Customs, and getting back on the
same or a different coach for the final leg. One of
these crossing has the Customs separated by a couple
of miles, so you get an extra ride on the connecting
coach and a very long queue (Again). Some find it easier
to simply travel to Shenzhen and walk across the border
at Lo Wu, then catching the KCR light railway into Hong
Kong.
Reaching Foshan from Hong Kong is fine during the day,
but the easy crossings all start winding down around
6pm. Even the coaches finish around 7pm, so the only
way is KCR to Lo Wu, and a connecting coach from the
integrated transport hub onwards to Foshan. The last
coach leaves here around 9.30 pm from trap 41 (Or is
it 42?), located on the outside overlooking the pedestrian
plaza. It is set at a diagonal angle (Unusual). Otherwise
you are either stuck in Shenzhen, or can travel to Guangzhou.
This information is as supplied by China Expats and
our friends, as dated 10th July 2010, and/or other reliable
sources. Please check this information yourself as it
may alter without notice, and whilst we try our best
to ensure it is correct, please do not hold us responsible
for any errors - this is intended as a simple guide
only
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