Sanya

By bus

The 3.5 hour bus ride from Haikou will cost about ¥80. Buses between Haikou and Sanya depart about every 30 minutes; the last bus from Sanya to Haikou departs around 11PM. Sanya's bus station is along Jie Fang Lu 解放路 jiěfàng lù, a few steps south away from McDonalds of the east end of "Shopping Street" 步行街 bùxíng jiē.

By plane

Sanya has an airport with flights to most major Chinese cities such as Guangzhou or Hong Kong. Fares vary significantly, depending on season and the particular tour. You may be able to save money by first taking a bullet train to Haikou and flying out of the provincial capital's larger airport. The Meilan high-speed rail station is in the same building complex with Haikou's international airport. For intercity bus, ticket and overnight lodging can exceed the difference and you should account for travelling 3-4 hours each direction. In addition to the bus, you will easily be able to find "heiche" 黑车 hēichē taxis that will take you between the two cities, for between 350 and 500 yuan per car. Although strictly illegal, you can find drivers that are courteous, safe and reliable, although this is much more difficult without being able to speak at least basic Chinese.

By train

Sanya can be reached directly by train from Beijing 35 hours, Shanghai 36 hours and Guangzhou 15 hours. The whole train is loaded on to a ferry for the journey from mainland China to the Island, then continues its journey around the west coast as far as Sanya. As trains leaving the island originate in Sanya, tickets from this smaller town are easier to obtain than if leaving from Haikou.

High-speed train connect all major cities and towns on the eastern coast. It takes 1.5 to 2 hours from Haikou, travels up to 250 km/h.

The new train station in Sanya is far from downtown, approximately as far as the airport. A taxi to Dadong Bay 大东海, the most popular tourist area) is approximately ¥25-30. A public bus will cost ¥1. Lines 2 and 4 lead through Sanya city proper and continue through and past Dadong Bay.