Getting There
The nearestairportis at Hangzhou, and there's a bus from there to Shaoxing's Wangchao Jiudian; the trip takes 1 1/2 hours. To get to the Hangzhou airport from Shaoxing, there are seven services a day between 8:30am and 5:10pm. Shaoxing is on therailway linefrom Shanghai via Hangzhou to the terminus at Ningbo but the railway carries little traffic, and buses are more frequent. There are five train services from Hangzhou between the K869 at 7:30am and the K867 at 7:18pm. The trip takes about 2 1/4 hours; soft seat costs ¥19 ($2.40). Taxis are lined up to the left as you leave the railway station; buses into town leave from the right (bus nos. 1, 2, and 4 take you into the center). Leaving Shaoxing, rail travel for longer distances involves changing at Hangzhou; and in the case of coastal destinations to the south, it also involves long, slow loops through the interior. For train information, call tel.0575/802-2584,or 0575/514-4422 for ticket booking. Agents ask a ¥10 ($1.25) commission for tickets from Shaoxing to Hangzhou and Shanghai, but ¥30 ($3.75) for hard sleepers and ¥50 ($6.25) for soft sleepers for departures from Hangzhou -- book at least 3 days in advance. Try theZhejiang Kuaiji Mountain Tour Co Ltd.,Renmin Zhong Lu 45 (tel.0575/513-9886), which is also the mainair ticketagency, just east of the Bank of China. Or tryCTSat Shaoxing Renmin Zhong Lu 367 (tel.0575/511-6282). CTS also offers English-speaking guides for a ridiculous ¥300 ($37) per day.
The mainLong-Distance Bus Station (Keyun Zhongxin)to the northeast of the city center offers highly comfortablehaohua gaosu kongtiao che,the luxury high-speed air-conditioned buses that are a better choice than trains down the coast. Departures are announced in astonishingly clear English. Tickets are on sale at the bus station from 5:30am to 7:30pm (tel.0575/801-8852). Buses arrive here directly from Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Wenzhou. There are plentiful taxis, or bus no. 3 will take you along Shengli Dong Lu to Jiefang Bei Lu at the main town square (Chengshi Guangchang). The bus trip to Hangzhou'sQiche Dong Zhan (East Bus Station)is 60km (28 miles) and costs ¥19 ($2.30). There are departures every 40 minutes for Ningbo between 6:40am and 6pm, for ¥38 ($4.75); the fare for a regular bus is ¥18 ($2.20). The 239km (149-mile) bus trip to Suzhou costs between ¥20 and ¥51 ($2.50-$6.30), depending on the quality of bus and route taken. Shanghai is 230km (144 miles) by the expressway and costs ¥60 to ¥70 ($7.50-$8.75), but as little as ¥18 ($2.20) by regular bus on regular roads. The trip to Wenzhou is 350km (219 miles) and costs ¥108 ($13).
Getting Around
Santana and Fukangtaxishave a flagfall of ¥5 (65¢) which includes 4km (2 1/2 miles); after that, it's ¥2.20 (30¢) per kilometer. There are no "one-way" extras or night surcharges, and as a result,sanlunche(cycle rickshaws) tend to take over at night. They also provide all-day access to narrower streets at typically ¥3 (40¢) minimum per trip.Busescharge a flat fee of ¥1 (15¢) upon boarding, or up to ¥3 (40¢) on longer journeys with a conductor. Shaoxing's center is small enough to tackle on foot, Jiefang Bei Lu and Jiefang Nan Lu being the main north-south arteries, but buses are useful for access to the Long-Distance Bus Station (bus no. 9) and the railway station (bus no. 1 or 7), and for reaching sights just out of town.
Visitor Information
The official Shaoxing website is atwww.sx.gov.cn/english/index.asp; or call tel.0575/860-6879or 0575/512-0742.
Fast Facts
Banks, Foreign Exchange & ATMs-- The mainBank of China(open 8am-5pm) is at Renmin Zhong Lu 201, west of the junction with Zhong Xing Zhong Lu.
Internet Access-- Apart from the typically largewangbathat are springing up everywhere, China Telecom (Zhongguo Dianxin) has a small Internet cafe in its Dong Jie office, which is open 24 hours and charges ¥2 (25¢) per hour. Dial-up is tel.163.
Post Office-- The post office (open 7:30am-9:30pm) is at Dong Jie 27, just east of Jiefang Nan Lu.