Chengde has no airport, and although it's an easy side trip from Beijing, it's not well-connected to anywhere else except the northeast. A convenient morning all-seatertrainfrom Beijing Zhan, the N211, departs at 7:20am, arriving in Chengde at 11:18am. It returns to Beijing as the N212, leaving Chengde at 2:40pm, arriving in Beijing at 6:38pm. Soft seat costs ¥61 ($7.60), hard seat ¥41 ($5.10). The railway station is just south of the city center, and bus no. 5 from outside to your right runs to several hotels and to the Mountain Resort. The ticket office (up the stairs and to the right) is open from 5am to 10:50pm with brief breaks. There are also limited services to Shenyang and Shijiazhuang.
The soft-seat waiting room is through a door at the far left-hand end of the main hall as you enter, while luggage storage is on the right-hand side. On the train both to and from Beijing, enterprising staff sell tea for ¥3 (40¢), instant coffee for ¥5 (65¢), maps, and hotel reservations (donotbook with them). About 1 1/4 hours after you leave Beijing, you'll see a crumbling stretch of the Great Wall.
At least until construction of a new road/rail interchange station at Dongzhi Men is complete,busdepartures for Chengde from Beijing are more frequent from Xi Zhi Men. The 233km (144-mile) trip costs ¥46 ($5.75) for an Iveco or similar, with departures about every 20 minutes from 6am to 5:30pm. The current journey takes about 3 1/2 hours, but a new highway (due for completion in 2007) should cut journey times to around 2 1/2 hours, while increasing prices. At the moment it's possible to alight and see the Great Wall at Jinshanling en route, and subsequently flag down a passing bus to finish the trip. Express buses from Beijing run to and from the forecourt of Chengde railway station. Escape the pestering of touts by dodging into a branch of the Sichuan restaurant Dongpo Fanzhuang, opposite and to the left (south) where you alight, and if you're ready for a quick lunch, have it here. The main long-distance bus station has been demolished to make way for an extension of the Sheng Hua Dajiudian, and most buses now depart from theQiche Dong Zhan(tel.0341/212-3588), a ¥20 ($2.50) taxi ride south, or take bus no. 118, which passes Yingzi Dajie and the Mountain Resort. The ticket office is open from 5am to 10pm. There are four services to Shijiazhuang (8 hr.; ¥80/$10), with seven buses connecting with Qinhuangdao (6 hr.; ¥65/$8). Buses to Beijing run every 20 minutes, but it's easier to flag an Iveco from outside the railway station.
Getting Around
Taximeters are generally not used. The fare is ¥5 (65¢) in town, or ¥10 ($1.25) to the outer temples. If the meter is started, ¥5 (65¢) flagfall includes 1km; then ¥1.40 (20¢) per kilometer, jumping 50% after 8km (5 miles).Busesusually charge ¥1 (15¢).
Visitor Information
For tourist complaints, call tel.0341/202-4549.
Fast Facts
Banks, Foreign Exchange & ATMs-- The main foreign exchange branch of theBank of China(open 8am-noon and 2-5:30pm [to 6pm in summer]) is at the junction of Dong Dajie and Lizheng Men Dajie. Another convenient branch is at Lizheng Men Dajie 19, just east of the Mountain Villa Hotel. Both have ATMs that accept foreign cards, as does a branch on the corner of Nan Yingzi Dajie and Xinhua Lu.
Internet Access-- Dial-up tel.163works, but Internet cafes are few and mostly far from the usual visitor areas. Follow Nan Yingzi Dajie south until you cross the railway line, turn right into Shanxi Ying to find a cluster of Internet bars (open 8am-midnight) on the first corner, which charge ¥1.50 (20¢) per hour.
Post Office-- The post office is on Yingzi Dajie at its junction with Dong Dajie. It's open from 8am to 6:30pm (to 6pm in winter).
Visa Extensions-- Walking south along Nan Yingzi Dajie, turn right after the Xinhua Bookstore into Xiao Tong Gou Jie, then take the first left. Next to a branch of CITS you'll find a sign that reads ALIENS EXIT-ENTRY DEPARTMENT. Open 9am to noon and 2:30 to 5pm.
