Getting to Shantou
Shantou is located in eastern Guangdong province and is accessible by bus/train/air from Guangzhou (the capital city of Guangdong province), Shenzhen (Guangdong province), Hong Kong and Xiamen (Fujian province). The following information is for your reference only.
1. By plane
Flights arrive at Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport (airport code: SWA, Chinese: 揭阳潮汕国际机场). The airport is served by:
Airlines |
Destinations |
Air China (CA) |
Beijing-Capital, Chengdu |
China Eastern Airlines (MU) |
Hangzhou, Nanjing, Qingdao, Taiyuan, Hefei, Xi’an, Shenyang, Yichang, Chengdu, Luzhou, Hengyang, Lanzhou, Huai’an, Beijing, Liuzhou, Zhoushan, Mohe, Zhuhai, Changsha, Harbin, Shanghai-Hongqiao, Shanghai Pudong, Zhengzhou |
China Southern Airlines (CZ) |
Domestic: Zhengzhou, Yiwu, Chongqing, Guiyang, Changsha, Haikou, Shanghai-Pudong, Kunming, Beijing, Dalian, Sanya, Hohhot, Hangzhou, Huangshan, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shanghai-Hongqiao, Shenyang, Nanjing International: Bangkok, Seoul, Singapore |
Jetstar Asia Airways (BL) |
Singapore |
Shenzhen Airlines (ZH) |
Harbin, Chengdu, Jinan, Beijing, Xi’an |
Sichuan Airlines |
Chongqing, Xi’an |
Spring Airlines (9C) |
Shanghai-Hongqiao, Shenyang, Yangzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guilin, Zhanjiang, Yinchuan, Hefei |
Shanghai Airlines (FM) |
Shanghai-Hongqiao, Zhanjiang |
AirAsia |
Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur |
For more information on departures and arrivals at the airport, please visit these links:
· https://airport-departures-arrivals.com/china-airport/jieyang-chaoshan-international-airport-live-departures/ (in English)
· https://flights.ctrip.com/actualtime/arrive-swa/ (in Chinese)
You can also find possible flight options by visiting the following websites:
· https://www.traveloka.com/en/
· https://english.ctrip.com/flights/
· https://www.kayak.com/horizon/sem/flights/general
Airport Transportation (from Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport) to Shantou City and Shantou University
By Airport Express Bus: The airport express ticket office is in the Arrival Hall, on the first floor of the terminal, to the left of Exit No. 4. There you will find several routes of express buses running between the airport and the nearby cities, Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang, but only two routes of express buses to/from Shantou.
· Shantou West Line (汕头西线shàn tóu xī xiàn):
Route: Shantou Overseas Chinese Hotel – Shanzhang Road – Zhongshan Road – Shantou Tourist General Company (Stop) – Guanghua Road – 324 National Highway – Chaoshan International Airport
Fare: 28 Yuan
Operating Time at Airport: 7:00-17:00
Operating Time at Shantou Overseas Chinese Hotel (华侨大厦huá qiáo dà shà): 05:30 – 18:00
From Shantou Overseas Chinese Hotel to Shantou University: take bus #39 on the same side of the hotel and the last stop is Shantou University.
· Shantou East Line: (汕头东线shàn tóu dōng xiàn):
Route: Shantou General Long-distance Bus Station – Taishan Road – Jinshadong Road – Tianshan Road (Stop: China Southern Airlines Building) – Huanghe Road – Jinfeng Road – Chaoshan International Airport
Fare: 28 Yuan
Operating Time at the Airport: 7:30-17:30
Operating Time at Shantou Golden Gulf Hotel (金海湾大酒店jīn hǎi dà wān jiǔ diàn): 05:20 – 18:40
From Golden Gulf Hotel to Shantou University: take bus #6 on the opposite side of the hotel. The third from the last stop is Shantou University.
From the airport to Shantou University by taxi: alternatively, you can take a taxi from Jieyang Chaoshan Airport to Shantou university. If the taxi driver agrees to charge by the meter, the taxi ride will cost you about 100-120 Yuan, but often the taxi drivers might not agree to charge by the meter because their expected price is 120-150 Yuan.
2. By High Speed Train (动车/高铁)
Ø From Guangzhou Baiyun Airport (广州白云机场) → Guangzhou East (广州东) Station/ Guangzhou South (广州南) Station → Chaoshan Station(潮汕站)/Shantou Station(汕头站)
Step 1 Guangzhou Baiyun Airport (广州白云机场) → Guangzhou East (广州东) / Guangzhou South(广州南)
a) By Metro
Taking the metro from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport (广州白云机场) to Guangzhou East (广州东) / Guangzhou South (广州南) is the most convenient way. The Guangzhou Metro system consists of 14 operational lines, covering a length of 478 km and 297 stations. You may either refer to the Guangzhou Metro Map 2019 or click on the following link for more details:
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guangdong/guangzhou/subway/metro-map.htm
b) By Taxi
Taking a taxi is also a convenient way to get to the train stations. The taxi fare ranges between 100-120 Yuan (from Baiyun Airport to Guangzhou East), and between 200-250 Yuan ( from Baiyun Airport to Guangzhou South).
Step 2 Guangzhou East (广州东) / Guangzhou South(广州南) → Chaoshan Station(潮汕站) / Shantou Station(汕头站)
You can either book your high-speed train ticket online (https://kyfw.12306.cn/otn/leftTicket/init) ahead of time or buy it at any of the high speed train stations mentioned above. Below is a list of the high speed train fares:
Station |
Duration |
Fare (adult, one-way, 2nd class) |
Guangzhou East (广州东) to/from Chaoshan Station (潮汕站) |
Ranging from 3h3m to 3h28m |
212 Yuan |
Guangzhou South (广州南) to/from Chaoshan Station (潮汕站) |
Ranging from 2h25m to 2h58m |
209.5 Yuan |
Guangzhou East (广州东) to/from Shantou Station （汕头站） |
Ranging from 3h33m to 3h54m |
225 Yuan |
Guangzhou South (广州南) to/from Shantou Station （汕头站） |
Ranging from 2h50m to 3h33m |
222.5 Yuan |
Ø From Shenzhen Airport → Shenzhen North Railway Station (深圳北) → Chaoshan Station(潮汕站)/Shantou Station(汕头站)
Step 1: Shenzhen Airport → Shenzhen North Railway Station
a) By Metro
You can take Line 11 from the Airport Subway Station to Qianhaiwan first and then transfer to Line 5 to Shenzhen North Railway Station. It takes you about 50 minutes and the ticket fare is about 8 Yuan.
b) By Taxi
The shortest driving distance from Shenzhen Bao'an Airport to the North Railway Station is 33 kilometers. It will take you about 50 minutes to reach your destination by taxi, and the taxi fare is about 100 Yuan. Please note that the taxi fare mentioned here doesn’t include highway and bridge tolls.
Step 2: Shenzhen North Railway Station → Chaoshan Station / Shantou Station
You can either book your high-speed train ticket online (https://kyfw.12306.cn/otn/leftTicket/init) ahead of time or buy it at the Shenzhen North Railway Station. The fare of the train from Shenzhen North Railway Station to Chaoshan Station is 135 Yuan while that of the train to Shantou Station is 148 Yuan.
Ø From Chaoshan Station → Shantou University
The Chaoshan Station is about 30 kilometers away from Shantou University. There are several options.
a) At Chaoshan Station, passenger can take a taxi to Shantou University. The taxi drivers might not agree to charge by the meter because their expected price is about 120-150 Yuan.
b) At Chaoshan Station, passenger can take a direct bus, Bus 181b, to Shantou University. It costs about 10 Yuan and takes one and a half hours to reach Shantou University.
c) You can also choose to take a Gaotie Express bus (Shuttle Bus) heading to downtown Shantou. There are two different express bus routes:
² If you take the Gaotie Express East Line (高铁快线东线 Pinyin: gāo tiě kuài xiàn dōng xiàn), you can stop at Star Lake Business Center (星湖商业中心 Pinyin: xīng hú shāng yè zhōng xīn)，and take bus No.6 to Shantou University.
² If you take the Gaotie Express West Line (高铁快线西线 Pinyin: gāo tiě kuài xiàn xī xiàn), you can stop at Chaoshan Road Bus Station (潮汕路汽车总站 pinyin: cháo shàn lù qì chē zǒng zhàn), and take bus No. 6, bus No. 39, or bus No.21 to Shantou University.
Ø From Shantou Railway Station → Shantou University
The Shantou Railway Station, also called Shantou Station, is located in the eastern part of downtown Shantou, and it’s about 15.6 kilometers away from Shantou University.
a) There are three buses coming to Shantou University directly. They are No. 39, No.6 and K3.
b) Take a taxi to Shantou University is also convenient. The taxi fee is about 45-60 Yuan.
3. Transportation in the city of Shantou:
Taxis are available most of the time of the day.
There are six busses that come all the way to campus: No. 6, No. 17, No. 21, No. 27, No. 39 and K3. They all go back and forth from downtown Shantou and hit some of the more useful and popular destinations. Each of them costs 2 Yuan per ride (one-way).
Bus #39 Route (Shantou University is the last stop, in front of the main gate)
- Long-distance Bus Station (to Meizhou, Chaozhou, Shenzhen etc)
- New Lotus Supermarket
- Walking Street (opposite end of this street from #21)
- Coffee Shops along Changping Road
- Suning Plaza
- Older Lotus Supermarket
- Il Santo Italian Restaurant
- 6-Star Coffee Shop
- Shantou Railway Station
- Another Long-distance Bus Station (to Meizhou, Chaozhou, Shenzhen etc)
Bus #6 Route:
- Jinsha Park/ Playground
- Pizza Hut and Deli Bar
- International Hotel
- Jinsha Park
- Yidu Theater
- Golden Gulf Hotel
- Brazilian BBQ
- Regency Hotel
- Walmart & Star Lake Business Centre
- Shantou Railway Station
Bus #17 Route:
- Long-distance Bus Station (to Meizhou, Chaozhou Shenzhen etc)
- Fabric District
- Old Shantou Area
- Zhongshan Park
- Renmin (People’s) Park
- Haibin Road
- Olympic Diving Center
Bus #21 Route
- Jinsha Park
- Pizza Hut and Deli Bar
- Walking Street
- Times Square
- Lotus Supercentre
- Close to Il Santo Italian Restaurant
Some useful phrases: (translation into Chinese and pinyin needed + add the names of other hotels)
Take me to Meritus Hotel 载我到君华大酒店( zai wo dao jun hua da jiu dian)
Take me to Golden Gulf Hotel 载我到金海湾大酒店 (zai wo dao jin hai wan da jiu dian)
Take me to Happy Hotel 载我到金乐大酒店 (zai wo dao jin le da jiu dian)
Take me to City Comfort Inn (Daxue Road) 载我到大学路城市便捷酒店(zai wo dao da xue lu cheng shi bian jie jiu dian)
Take me to Shantou University 载我到汕头大学 (zai wo dao shan tou da xue)
Can we go by the meter? 可以打表吗？(ke yi da biao ma?)
How much? 多少钱？(duo shao qian?)
150 yuan 150元 （yi bai wu shi yuan）
100 yuan 100元 (yi bai yuan)
50 yuan 50元 (wu shi yuan)
40 yuan 40元 (si shi yuan)
30 yuan 30元 (san shi yuan)
20 yuan 20元 (er shi yuan)