Airport

Having been in operation since October 22, 1983, Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN) is one of the busiest airports in China. It is located at the northeast end of Xiamen just 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles) from the city center. Over 50 domestic airline routes connect Xiamen to 58 cities in China including the major cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Nanjing, Guilin, Chengdu, Harbin, and others. In addition, a number of international flights leave from Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport every week taking passengers to 17 cities in South Korea, Japan, America, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

Transport between the airport and the city center is quite convenient. At the bus station about 100 meters (about 300 feet) west of the airport, shuttle buses regularly depart for the railway station in the city center. The charge is CNY 6 per person and the trip takes about 30 minutes.

Alternately, you can take a taxi from the airport to the city center. It takes a mere ten minutes and costs CNY 25-30.

Public bus service is also available outside the airport. The bus station is about 200 meters (about 600 feet) east of the airport. Several buses can take you to the city center. Among them, the No.27 Bus runs between the airport and the ferry dock. It leaves every half-hour and charges CNY 1 per person. The whole journey will take you about one hour. The No.37 Bus heads for the railway station. It takes about 40 minutes and costs CNY 1 per person.

Railway Station

Xiamen Railway Station, located at the intersection of Xiahe Road and Hudong Road, can be easily reached by many buses such as the No.16, No.18, No.21, No.25, No.28 and No.37. Connected to the mainland by the transportation trunk line of the Ying-Xia (Yingtan-Xiamen) Railway Line across the Xiamen Bridge, Xiamen has direct trains to most of the main cities in Fujian Province including Fuzhou, Sanming and Zhangzhou. Trains also depart for most major cities in China including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chongqing, and Kunming. In the peak seasons, there are also special tourist trains between Xiamen and Wuyishan, a hot tourist destination featuring the famous Wuyishan Mountain. It's about 37 hours to Beijing, 26 hours to Shanghai, 14 hours to Guangzhou, and 30 hours to Xian.

Bus Station

Long-distance bus:

Going to Xiamen by long-distance bus is very convenient. There are mainly three long-distance bus stations in Xiamen and buses head for the major cities within Fujian Province as well as the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Guilin, Nanning, Suzhou, Shanghai, Changsha, Wuhan, Ningbo, and many others in other provinces. Buses bound for the cities of Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Longyan and Shishi within the province generally depart every hour or so during operating time. Buses headed for cities in other provinces depart at longer intervals, and buses bound for Hong Kong regularly depart twice a day from Xiamen at around 8:00 and 21:30.

Xiamen Tourist Distribution Center, located in South Hubin Bus Station, started operation on May 26th, 2007. At present there are four direct bus lines leaving the center separately for four scenic spots near Xiamen City: Wild Valley Forest Park, Sanping, Qinglong Village, and Changtai Drift. In addition, the center offers individual travelers information about the scenic spots so that they can arrange their journey accordingly.

City-bus:

Bus transport in Xiamen is well developed and is considered convenient by most tourists. Nearly two hundred bus routes make nearly 300 stops around the city. The Ferry dock, Xiamen University and the railway station are the main starting stops. Buses operate from 6:00 to 23:00. There are ordinary public buses and double-decker buses with or without a conductor, and every line charges CNY 1 per person. According to estimate, there are some ninety bus routes running between the city proper and outskirt areas. Another more than one hundred bus routes cover the city proper.

In addition, a special tourist bus route is also available. Starting from the Ferry Dock, the bus runs through Xiamen and covers many famous tourist attractions, and only charges CNY 1 per person. The specific route is:

Ferry Dock <-- --> Zhongshan Road <-- --> Culture Palace <-- --> Park <-- --> Ten Thousand Rock <-- --> Nanputuo Temple <-- --> West Village <-- --> Xiamen University Hospital <-- --> Baicheng <-- --> Hulishan <-- --> Pearl Bay <-- --> Zeng Cuo An <-- --> Zengshan <-- --> Haiyun Stage <-- --> Huangcuo Coast <-- --> Coconut Village <-- --> Huangcuo Shizhoutou

Ship port

As a southeast Chinese port with a very long history, Xiamen Port has a wide, peaceful sea area without freezing or silting, providing an excellent water transportation network. It has domestic sea routes to Hong Kong and the Taiwanese island of Jinmen. A passenger ship bound for Hong Kong departs every Wednesday at 17:00 and makes the return voyage from Hong Kong every Tuesday at 14:00. Ships between Xiamen and Jinmen depart from both sides about every hour during the operating time of 9:00 to 18:00 (Winter Schedule). The whole journey takes about one hour and costs CNY 150 (including CNY 1 for insurance) per person. Please be sure to come at least 20 minutes before the departure time to finish the boarding procedures.

Xiamen Port consists of several port areas such as Dongdu Port Area at the west side of Xiamen Island, and Haicang and Songyu Port Areas at the south coastal area. The Ferry Dock, the Heping Dock, and the Hulishan Dock are the main passenger ports and have convenient transportation to the city center. Buses No. 3, 4, 8, 12, 27, 32, 51, 71, 97 and 533 go to Heping Dock while No. 2, 8, 11, 19, 25, 27, 32, 44 and 67, etc. go to the Ferry Dock.

Taxi

Taxi is also a good choice when you tour Xiamen. There are more than 3,600 taxies running around every corner of Xiamen. The city's large numbers of taxies are more convenient and inexpensive than those of some other hot tourist destinations. A Xiamen taxi charges CNY 8 for the first three kilometers (about 1.9 miles), and CNY 2 for the next five kilometers (about 3.1 miles) plus a 50% surcharge for each extra kilometer.

In addition, 50% allowance is charged for the part beyond 8 kilometers (about 5 miles). This is for single trip and it is not charged if renting a cab for round trip. What's more, the waiting time is charged for every five minutes. Waiting time refers to the time for waiting traffic lights, car speed below 12 kilometers (about 7.5 miles) per hour. The first five minutes are free and fare for every kilometer (CNY2) will be charged for every five minutes after that.

From 23:00 to 05:00, night-driving allowance costs 20% surcharge per kilometers more than day time. CNY1 is also charged for fuel surcharge once. After July 1, 2008, passengers do not pay for the toll of CNY12 while passing through Xiamen Bridge, Canghai Bridge, Jimei Bridge, Xinglin Highway Bridge and Xiang'an Tunnel.

Xiamen is not very large in area, so taking taxies around the city doesn't cost much. Here is some information for reference:

The Railway Station <-- --> Ferry Dock; about CNY 15
The Railway Station <-- --> Island Ring Road (near Baicheng and Hulishan Battery); about CNY 18
Gaoqi International Airport <-- --> the city center; CNY 25-30
The Railway Station <-- --> Jimei University; about CNY 100