Dalian Transportation

The public bus system is quite good within Dalian city. It is quite convenient so far. It cost RMB1 for a single trip on those normal big buses and trams (exact change as no change will be given). Get a map from any stalls selling newspaper (RMB 2) and the bus routes will be detailed on the map. However, the map will be in Chinese (han yu).

There's a smartcard system on the buses (cheng che shua ka) that is valid on the public buses (gong3 gong4 chi4 che1), mini buses (siao3 gong3 gond4 chi4 che1) and the trams (you3 kui3 dian4 che1). Normal fares within the city with the card will cost RMB0.80. For the mini-buses, it will cost about RMB2. The "shua ka" can be bought from "shang ye ying hang" - Commercial bank. There's a deposit of RMB30 for the card. To revalue the card, go to any of the Commercial bank branches. Using the card is easy and save the trouble of always looking for coins.

Note that there may be a few bus stops along the same road with different bus services. So if you can’t find a bus at one bus stop, you can walk down to the next bus stop to check it out. Each bus stop has a sign like this one in the picture, showing the bus numbers and the routes taken. And you usually don’t have to flag a bus because the bus will stop at every bus stop since the bus stops are typically quite far apart, and will usually have passengers.

Public transport in Dalian is very convenient. Buses like this one ply many routes all around the city at a flat fare of RMB$1. Some buses that go further to the outskirts of Dalian may cost RMB$2 (e.g. Bus 901 that goes to the Software Park).

One thing to be forewarned, the local Dalianese are not very polite when it comes to boarding the bus. They will push their way through. So if you want to get on the bus, you may have to join the pushing game. And if it’s winter and there was snow, be prepared for a slippery bus ride, and very cold handles on the bus.

There are two main taxi companies here. One red and one white. There are numerous taxis around, so it is very easy to get one. You can definitely get one outside your hotel. Even outside condominium and guarded apartments, there will be taxis waiting for customers.

My experience:
I was walking with my friends on the streets and decided to take a taxi to where we wanna go. We saw a taxi by the road and it was empty. The driver came out from a shop, and walking slowly towards us. My friend did not see him coming, so hailed another taxi within seconds. The taxi driver ran so fast into his taxi for us to board the taxi. It was a bit funny though.
Oh yes, the quality of the taxis vary too. The first one I boarded has a karaoke screen in the front seat. Quite nice and clean. The second taxi I boarded was quite small and not very well-kept.

Remember to make sure there's a meter on the taxi, and the meter start at RMB8.00 when you board.

You can reach Dalian by air or sea. It has a beautiful, modern airport. I actually arrived by car, from Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province. The trip took about 5 hours! The road is OK, but I was surprised at how empty that part of China is.

Main Train Station in Dalian, the large building in the background can be seen from the Victory Plaza.

Here my dearest Perla in foreground.

Trams are a cheap and easy transportation option in Dalian, covering a wide area and linking important parts of the city.

Dalien city centre is small enough, and, importantly, clean enough, to walk around. You can take in more of the city and it's life if you walk.