Getting There

By Plane

Although flying is still the most popular way to arrive, many are becoming concerned at the breakneck pace of China's civil aviation growth. China plans to spend $17.4 billion over the next 5 years to build 42 airports, expand 73 more, and move a further 11 because they are already too congested. And this kind of congestion, in addition to China's somewhat dubious air traffic control procedures, has some pundits worried about safety.

Still, Cathay Pacific Airlines, Hong Kong's main international carrier, is effortlessly superior to North American airlines in service standards, and should be the first choice for direct flights to Hong Kong where available.

Note that when you leave the country there's a departure tax, currently ¥100 ($13/£6.50), payable only in cash. Departure tax on domestic flights is ¥50 ($6.50/£3.25), but note that flights between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macau are treated as international flights. Hong Kong's taxes and fees are usually included in ticket prices, but Macau's are not.

From North America -- Among North American airlines, Air Canada (www.aircanada.com) flies to Beijing and Shanghai, Northwest Airlines (www.nwa.com) to Beijing via Tokyo, and United Airlines (www.ual.com) to Beijing and Shanghai.

Japan Airlines (www.jal.co.jp) flies via Tokyo to Beijing and Shanghai, but also to Dalian, Qingdao, and Xiamen. All Nippon Airways (www.ana.co.jp) flies to Beijing, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Tianjin, and Xiamen. Korean Air (www.koreanair.com) flies via Seoul to Beijing, Qingdao, and Shenyang; and Asiana Airlines (us.flyasiana.com) flies via Seoul to Beijing, Changchun, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Guilin, Harbin, Nanjing, Shanghai, Xi'an, and Yantai.

Hong Kong is served by Air Canada (www.aircanada.com), American Airlines (www.aa.com), Continental Airlines (www.continental.com), Delta Airlines (www.delta.com), Northwest Airlines (www.nwa.com), US Airways (www.usairways.com), and United Airlines (www.ual.com), as well as Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airlines (www.cathaypacific.com). Indirect routes are offered by All Nippon Airways (www.ana.co.jp), Asiana Airlines (us.flyasiana.com), China Airlines (via Taipei; www.china-airlines.com), Eva Airways (excellent value, also via Taipei; www.evaair.com.tw), Korean Air (www.koreanair.com), and Japan Airlines (www.jal.co.jp).

From the United Kingdom -- British Airways (www.britishairways.com) flies to Beijing and Hong Kong, and Virgin Airlines to Shanghai and Hong Kong (www.virgin-atlantic.com). Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com) also flies directly to Hong Kong. Fares with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (www.klm.com) via Amsterdam, with Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com) via Frankfurt, and with Finnair (www.finnair.com) via Helsinki, can often be considerably cheaper. Fares with eastern European airlines such as Tarom Romanian Air Transport (www.tarom.ru) via Bucharest, and with Aeroflot (www.aeroflot.com) via Moscow, or with Asian airlines such as Pakistan International Airlines (www.piac.com.hk) via Islamabad or Karachi, Malaysia Airlines (www.mas.com.my) via Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com) via Singapore, can be cheaper still. There are even more creative route possibilities via Ethiopia or the Persian Gulf States.

From Australia -- There's not much choice to the mainland from down under, although Sydney is served by China Eastern and Air China to Beijing and Shanghai, and by Air China and China Southern to Guangzhou. Qantas (www.qantas.com.au) and Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.com) fly to Hong Kong, and there are possible indirect routes with Philippine Airlines (www.pal.com.ph) via Manila, and with Garuda Indonesia (www.garuda-indonesia.com) via Jakarta. Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com) flies directly from six Australian cities and Auckland.

By Road

Foreign visitors are not freely permitted to drive their own vehicles into China, unless arrangements are made far in advance with a state-recognized travel agency for a specific itinerary. The agency will provide a guide who will travel in your vehicle and make sure you stick to the itinerary, or who will travel in a second vehicle with a driver. You will have to cover all the (marked-up) costs of guide, driver, and extra vehicle if needed, and of Chinese plates for your vehicle. The agency will book and overcharge you for all your hotels and as many excursions as it can. Forget it.

There are bus services between Sost in Pakistan and Kashgar, between Almaty in Kazakhstan and Urumqi, and between Hong Kong and Macau and various points in the mainland. The Torugart Pass between Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan and Kashgar can be crossed if prearranged transport is waiting to collect you on the Chinese side. It's also possible to cross various borders on foot, including from Mongolia on the route from Ulaan Baatar to Beijing, from Vietnam to Yunnan and Guangxi provinces, from Laos to Yunnan, and from Macau and Hong Kong to Guangdong Province.

By Train

From Hung Hom station in Kowloon (Hong Kong), expresses run directly to Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai (visit www.kcrc.com for schedules and fares). From Almaty in Kazakhstan there are trains to Urumqi in Xinjiang. From Moscow there are trains via Ulaan Baatar in Mongolia to Beijing, and via a more easterly route directly to Harbin in China's northeast and down to Beijing. There are also services which start in Ulaan Baatar and run via Datong to Beijing. There is a service between Beijing and Pyongyang in North Korea.