How is the border crossing of the Russian Federation and China by car. To China by car: distance, mileage calculation, travel time, fuel consumption and choice of direction By car in China
In Russian everyday life, there are many sayings about China, after all, a neighboring country, and they all boil down to one thing: this eastern state is very, very far away. So far away that, until recently, an independent trip there seemed to be something incredible, costly and extremely difficult to plan. And even more so a trip to China by car, which was compared with a flight to the moon.
But every year more and more tourists point their feet, runners, wheels and alpenstocks in this direction.
Why is it worth going there?
China is an amazing, still incomprehensible to us, incredible country that seems like another planet. You can bring anything from China, order whatever your heart desires, and you can see something there that will amaze you for life. Graceful pagodas, swift dragons, dreary music incomprehensible to our ears, ringing of bells, smooth, unhurried movements of dancers and incredible, endless expanses rise before the mind's eye of a person. China is beautiful all over, and every corner of it deserves to be seen. Snow-capped mountain peaks lost in the sky, lifeless deserts, rice fields stretching to the horizon, plantation workers in straw peaked hats. China is a country of contrasts, a country of observation and contemplation.
How to get there, so as not to go broke? Air travel is often very expensive, and many are also scared. By train - infinitely long and extremely uncomfortable, by bus - generally unbearable. There is only one way - to China by car!
To China on your own vehicle
The People's Republic of China is not a country that any tourist can freely enter, if he only wants to. Those wishing to travel to China by car should be aware that they need to settle a number of mandatory conditions. There is a whole list of requirements that apply to tourists, without which it is impossible to enter the territory of the republic on their own vehicles, and it is also necessary to correctly draw up all the documents. If it is difficult to do it yourself and there are forebodings that you may be turned around at the border, it is better to contact one of the companies that deal with the preparation of such documents.
Of course, the company will ask for money for this, sometimes a lot, but there is a huge plus in this design: in case of violation of any deadlines for departure or other problems with the car, fines will be imposed on the company. Measures in the form of detention, arrest, deportation will not be brought against the tourist. Considering how long it takes to get to China by car, that would be very sad.
What you didn't know
The most important thing to remember is that movement throughout China requires a special permit. Also in the territory of the People's Republic of China, no other driver's license is valid except for their own. Neither Russian nor international. But this is not as scary as it seems, no one will have to pass on the rights with the border guards. Three months before the intended trip, you need to start preparing documents, and a temporary Chinese license will be issued to the driver of the car when crossing the border. It should be taken into account that it is tied to a specific means of driving, and documents for its import into the country also need to be issued separately.
Together with the rights to the car, temporary numbers will be issued, and a deposit will also need to be paid.
Do you want to go to China in splendid isolation? Will not work
Another important nuance is that you cannot travel by car in China alone. The trip is possible only in a group, in which at least two vehicles- car, motorcycle, quad bike, etc. Drivers of cars can change, participants in the trip can leave, join, but the cars must be unchanged and in no case be separated, and it is also necessary to enter and leave China at the same time.
And, among other things, any group of travelers will necessarily have their own Chinese "guide", this is not a necessity for tourists, but a requirement of the travel company organizing the trip and the Chinese immigration service.
You can enter only through the point of entry, which is written on the temporary plates.
In addition to all this, there are many places in China that require additional permission to visit. These include, for example, Tibet, for a trip to which you need to get special Alien Permits.
What do you need to do in order to travel to China by car?
So, in a nutshell:
- Coordinate the travel itinerary through a travel agency (interaction with a Chinese travel agency, as a rule, it takes over) no later than 2-3 months before the trip.
- Get a visa.
- Pass a medical examination (applies to drivers).
- Through a separate company, arrange the import of a car into China.
- At the border, meet your "guide" - accompanying you throughout the trip.
- Obtain a temporary Chinese driver's license.
- Pass a vehicle inspection.
- Get temporary Chinese license plates.
How to go?
When all the bureaucratic nuances have been met, applications for documents have been submitted, duties have been paid, you need to start preparing the car for the trip and laying out the route along which the group will travel to the border. If you are residents, for example, of Blagoveshchensk or Chita, then this issue is not so important, but if you decide to go to China by car from Moscow, then you should take care of this in advance.
There are many options for entering China - through Chita, from Krasnoyarsk, Yakutsk, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok. From almost everywhere, roads lead to one place - the checkpoint of Zabaikalsk, as one of the largest and most convenient border points. Therefore, when caring about how to get to China by car, you first need to be guided by the point through which you want to enter the country and the route you intend to travel.
How to get to China from Moscow?
From the capital Russian Federation the easiest way to get to China is through the Zabaikalsk checkpoint (Zabaikalsk settlement, Zabaikalsk region). The road distance is 6741.7 km, excluding time for sleep, rest and eating, the journey will take about four and a half days, and, according to tourists and given that people need to eat and sleep, the journey will take from six and a half to seven days, with taking into account time zone changes. Fuel consumption at a consumption of 10 liters per 100 kilometers is 675 liters of gasoline, at a price of approximately 45 rubles per liter, the cost of a trip will be 30,375 rubles one way.
Compared to the cost of Moscow-Beijing air tickets, the price is quite acceptable, given that it can be divided into two, three, four people, and a trip to China will not be more expensive than May Day holidays in the country.
To China from Blagoveshchensk
Another convenient entry point to the People's Republic of China is the city of Blagoveshchensk in the Amur Region. The distance from Moscow to Blagoveshchensk is 7697.5 kilometers, which can be driven, taking into account the time for sleeping, eating and standing in traffic jams, on average for the same 6.5-7 days, about half a day more than to the village. Zabaikalsk. In fuel equivalent, this is 770 liters of gasoline or 34,650 rubles.
The crossing point in Blagoveshchensk differs from the Zabaikalsk checkpoint by one convenience, it is connected with China by the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe customs point, cities that are not called "twin cities" for nothing. If you are looking for how to travel to China with your own car, many experienced tourists advise choosing it.
Crossing Blagoveshchensk-Heihe water. From May to October, tourists and cars are transported by motor ships departing hourly from both sides. From January to March, tourists are transported using a pontoon bridge thrown across the Amur, and during the freezing period and off-season (November, December, April), passengers are transported by a hovercraft.
Due to the specifics of passenger transportation, at the Blagoveshchensk-Kheikhe crossing point, there is a limit on the weight of hand luggage, no more than fifteen kilograms per person.
To China from Primorye
Another convenient option for traveling to China by car is especially popular with residents of this region, because the neighboring state is literally a couple of hours away from them. You can get from Primorye to China from Ussuriysk or Vladivostok, from these cities you can easily get to a dozen Chinese settlements - Suifenhe, Hunchun, Dongning, Harbin and others.
For example, the distance to the farthest of the listed cities, Harbin, from Vladivostok is approximately 700 kilometers, or 8-10 hours of travel. This is 70 liters of fuel and 3150 rubles (with the cost of gasoline 45 rubles per liter). From Ussuriysk, this road will be an hour and a half shorter.
Many choose the “Vladivostok-China” route by car in order to see the incredible Chinese border cities and plunge into their trading atmosphere, where everything is done for the Russians and in the way they like.
From Chita to Manchuria
Once upon a time, this path was one of the most popular, of course, because Manchuria, bordering Russia, was famous for its cheapness, and from one tourist to another there were stories about luxurious hotel rooms for only two hundred rubles a day, about revelry in restaurants big company for 500 rubles and about equipment purchased there for ridiculous money. Alas, it was like that, but with the crises, prices rose everywhere, and China is no exception.
The road will not take much time, by car from Chita to the village of Zabaikalsk, to the Zabaikalsk-Manchuria crossing.
The total distance from Chita to Zabaikalsk is 483 kilometers, the road will take about 8-10 hours, depending on traffic jams. With a fuel consumption of 10 liters per 100 km, 48 liters of gasoline will be required, that is, you need to refuel for about 2200 Russian rubles.
Important facts to remember
The most important thing is not to forget to look at the calendar of public holidays and yes, the celebrations there are very different from the rest of the world.
If you are not going to see the Chinese New Year it is not recommended to plan a trip in February. The country walks for a whole month, even online stores work through one, not to mention other services and institutions.
The start of the trip, that is, crossing the border with China, is better to appoint on weekdays in the middle of the week, otherwise there is a big chance to get stuck at customs for long hours among the huge flow of tourists and "shuttle traders".
And the good news is that in 2013 the Chinese city of Sunfenhe (which is most conveniently reached from Vladivostok) was declared a visa-free territory for citizens of the Russian Federation, which gives the right to stay there without a visa for up to 15 days. But only there, leaving it without a Chinese visa is impossible. Therefore, when planning a trip "Russia-China" by car, please do not forget about such an important detail.
Traveling in China with your own or rented car is an extremely difficult task. International driver's licenses are not valid here. So it is necessary to attend to the preparation of documents three months before the planned trip. Physically, you will be given a temporary Chinese license upon arrival. The rights are tied to a specific car, the import permit for which must be issued separately. You will be given temporary Chinese plates for the car and you will pay a deposit (the car must leave China after the license expires). The latest innovation - to travel around the country, you need not only to immediately designate the route, but the participants must have at least two cars.
Deviations from the route, to put it mildly, are not welcome. To control the movement with travelers there is always a Chinese guide (liaison officer), and in Tibet a Tibetan guide also joins, who solves all issues at numerous checkpoints. In Tibet, you need to issue a separate permit for entry and movement. The procedure for processing all documents must be taken very seriously. So, in Tibet, they didn’t fill up the car for us until they copied all the data of my Chinese driver’s license, as well as the car number. In China, a foreigner can only rent a car with a driver. The cost of such a lease is quite comparable with the costs of registration and movement in your car. However, in the latter case, you must very carefully choose the agent / company that will deal with the registration.
Where to go
China is an amazing, ancient, not very clear, rapidly developing country. As soon as its economy slowed down from eight percent per annum to six percent, the whole world felt the fall in commodity prices and other unpleasant consequences. It was extremely interesting for me to look specifically at the Chinese provinces, and not at the capital Beijing or Shanghai.
Our route ran along the Great Silk Road. Starting from the ancient city of Xi'an, we crossed the border between North and South China, which runs along the Qinling mountain range, and passed through the waters of two great rivers - the Yangtze and the Yellow River.
Tibet deserves special mention - it is worth getting there, and this must be done immediately. Even over the past few years, it has changed significantly, partly losing its original spirit. I'm afraid that in five years Tibet will differ from other provinces of China only in the presence of Everest and other highest peaks in the world, as well as the inevitable symptoms of mountain sickness that overtakes travelers at an altitude of more than 3500 meters. Although additional oxygen is supplied on the Beijing-Lhasa train, the Chinese, fortunately, have not yet learned how to saturate the entire space of Tibet with it. Otherwise, it will be a kind of Disneyland with the Potala and other sightseeing monasteries visited by millions of Chinese tourists. Obviously, domestic tourism for China is much more important than external tourism.
However, a significant part of those foreigners who still get here forever fall ill with the Himalayas. So our path again lies to Everest.
Chinese roads
We drove almost four thousand kilometers. Roads in China are excellent (and in most cases toll), and regardless of altitude and climatic conditions. We very often saw two or three tracks (several lanes each) leading in the same direction. Thus, the Chinese unload the highways, linking the provinces into a single country. Numerous tunnels have been pierced in the mountainous regions. The organization of traffic in them is similar to the European tunnels in the Alps, but at an altitude of more than three thousand meters.
All the way we did not break a single wheel ... Nevertheless, the cars, of course, should be prepared. We had winter studless tires, but there were chains in the trunk and basic set tools. The trunks of our cars are very spacious and allow you to take luggage for a long trip. We fixed boxes on the roof, in which we put shovels and canisters for gasoline in reserve. However, it should be borne in mind that canisters are prohibited from being imported into Tibet after cases of self-immolation of monks in crowded places.
Where to live
There is only one advice for travelers - do not save on hotels. In small towns (five hundred thousand - two million people) you need to take the best hotel within two hundred dollars per night. In the country of rapidly developing domestic tourism, there are no good middle-class hotels in the European sense yet.
Fives, both network and local, perform with dignity. I would especially like to note the indispensable presence of a sports pool (twenty-five meters) and a varied dinner with European cuisine. All hotels have free Wi-Fi. Moreover, in small hotels, routers are in every room, which ensures good communication.
A separate story with hotels in Tibet. They are still at a very modest level. The main problem is the cold: there is no heating, no double-glazed windows, and at night the temperature is below zero. At the same time, the Chinese love to build monumental structures of marble and concrete, in which it is impossible to warm up either in summer or in winter.
Why is it necessary
Someone will ask: is it worth it to suffer so much to drive through China by car? The answer is unequivocal: worth it! After all, in addition to a variety of impressions, the car makes it possible to pass the preliminary acclimatization with comfort, saving strength for the upcoming ascent. And one more reason - cars on such a long journey become reliable comrades, turning the road into the most exciting pastime. It is said that when the group met at the Base Camp after a successful ascent, there were even disputes between the guys about who would drive.
Since the international driving license is not valid in China, car rental is only possible with a driver. Approximate car rental prices in China with a driver-guide for a trip on an excursion are 150 USD per day. But this is for the best, the roads are usually crowded, there are many cyclists, rickshaws, the traffic is extremely chaotic, and local drivers rarely follow the rules of the road. So don't worry about car rental in China, unless you decide to live here longer and carefully study all the traditions and laws of driving.
Since the beginning of 2007, international driving licenses are accepted, you can get a Chinese temporary driving license for a limited period of time up to 3 months, but no more than the period indicated on the exit document. This period cannot be extended. Before driving, the driver must obtain a temporary license, and to do this, attend classes to learn Chinese traffic rules. And even after that, you can only drive a small car or a car with an automatic transmission. So it's true, it's easier to take the driver.
Few people in China respect the speed limit, and there are no security cameras installed on most roads. In places where they are installed, there are indicators of "speed cameras". The implementation of traffic rules in China is not monitored too much. However, there is such a risk. Of course, if you take a car with a driver, it will depend on him. But it is better to understand the issue. It is permissible to exceed the speed by 10-20 km / h.
However, for a larger excess, you can be fined. On average, fines in China for traffic rules approach 2000 CNY, in some cases they can deprive a driver's license. The cost of gasoline in China varies by region. The average cost of a liter of gasoline in China is 0.94 USD, the minimum is 0.92 USD.
The speed limit in China depends on where the car is driving:
- High-speed intercity highway - 120 km/h
- Semi-fast intercity highway - 100 km/h
- City ring road - 100 km/h
- China National Intercity Non-Expressway - 80 km/h
- China National Urban Road - below 40 km/h
- Passing city highway - 80 km/h
- City road with two solid yellow lines - 70 km/h
- City road with one lane in each direction of travel - 50 km/h
Road conditions vary from region to region and depend on the municipality. In China, an open manhole or large cracks in the road are not uncommon. Most of the roads are national roads, with one or two lanes for traffic in each direction, which can stretch for several thousand kilometers. They will pass through towns and villages without any change or warning. They are the equivalent of secondary roads in Europe.
Road conditions can be excellent (driving 110 km/h is possible), or very poor (recommended speed is no more than 20 km/h). There are several expressways in eastern China. These newly built highways are of excellent quality and are not yet very busy with cars. There are no toll roads in China yet.
At the end of May 2010, the whole family made a car trip on our typewriter to the Chinese border city of Manchuria. Went with my daughter, she was almost 2 at the time. My daughter liked the long trip and she was not at all capricious. I must say right away that it’s hard to drive 1200 km (one way) in such a small car. It's good that the road was relatively normal (by Russian standards), but for small wheels and small potholes are quite sensitive.
We stayed overnight with relatives in a village not far from Chita. At the same time, they planted such a field of potatoes.
The next day, two cars (Chita relatives went to Manchuria with us) drove towards the village of Zabaikalsk. There were still 500 kilometers to go. We passed without incident. In Zabaikalsk we spent the night with another relative and in the morning we went to the Russian customs. The visa is issued through one of the many travel agencies before the border. The cost was about 800 rubles per person + 1200 rubles per car. In total, we stood at the Russian-Chinese border for 2-3 hours. I was very surprised by the discipline of the Chinese border guards compared to ours. They even have civil servants at customs go to lunch in formation. There are no photos, because it’s impossible at the border, and I didn’t have a smartphone with a camera to do this.
Manchuria begins almost immediately after the border. The center is only a few kilometers away. The city greeted us with a gloomy sky.
It was my first time abroad, and I was a little shocked by such a huge difference between our border village of Zabaikalsk and Manchuria. Manchuria is a large border city, and according to my first estimates, it seemed to me that at least 1 million people live in it. Then he clarified that in 2000, according to the census, there were 181,000 people.
The city grew up on Russian money. After all, this is the largest land customs point between Russia and China. Everything in it is imprisoned for Russians. Signboards even in the "Chinese" regions of Manchuria are duplicated in Russian. In the "Russian" areas, you can safely pay in rubles. There are also a lot of expensive cars. I always thought that there were very few rich Chinese. But no, there are a lot of such cars there:
My wife's brother found us a good hotel, 3 nights in which cost us about 600 rubles for two (that is, only $7 per night for a double room). And the hotel would be on the so-called second street. The streets in the center are called simply: first, second, third. There are almost no residential buildings on these streets, only hotels, shopping centers, markets and shops.
Moreover, small shopping centers are being demolished in order to build even larger ones in their place.
Russian restaurants are also very common. not every Russian can eat Chinese food for a long time. By the way, our wife's brother, experienced in China, was with us, and he sometimes took us to a cafe for the Chinese. Everything is much tastier and much cheaper. For example, there were five of us, we took a full table of food, beer and some Chinese vodka for a sample. And they paid a little more than 200 rubles for it. True, I didn’t like Chinese vodka at all, but their beer is not bad. In a Russified restaurant, we then paid 800 rubles for the same amount of food without beer and vodka.
I must admit right away that my wife and I spent all the money that we had with us. We stupidly, like idiots, were shopping instead of exploring the city, sights, parks and entertainment. But, as I later found out, everyone who is there for the first time does it. Everyone is in a shopping craze. I was surprised how it is I, reasonable in financial plan man succumbed to mass hysteria. Well, nothing, the first pancake is always lumpy 🙂 And so, in general, there is not much to tell. A special attraction is heaps of shops: in the basement, on the first and second floors. 
It’s better not to go to the markets in general - wild screaming Chinese women yell in broken Russian. And God forbid, you will be interested in something on the market. A bunch of Chinese will immediately rush at you. Well, if you start trying on something and it suits you in size, but you don’t buy it, the Chinese will sharply become angry and start insulting you with Chinese-Russian obscenities. In shops, the people are more civilized and you will be served in most of them with almost no shouting. And it's also interesting that you can bargain in stores. And you can drop the price at times.
By the way, although there are restaurants that serve dog meat, there are dogs on the streets, both domestic and mongrels. The Chinese love to have such shaggy ones, as well as all sorts of bulldogs, pugs, etc. Even a street musician has his own dog (or maybe the dog is not his).
In the center there are a lot of bronze sculptural compositions telling about the history of the city.
While I was there, I noticed that the Chinese like to choose their second Russian name "Anton". I found a restaurant, stores named after me, and even an airline 🙂
But leaving China is not the fastest thing to do. We stood at the borders for 7 hours and were told later that we had passed very quickly. Moreover, we spent 6 of them in a car standing in line at the Russian border.
Finally, I will leave you a photo of Manchuria at night. Goodbye China!
P.S. I foolishly repaired the suspension in China - it was my mistake. In Manchuria, only bodywork can be repaired. Do not try to make a suspension there, and even more so an engine - then it will come out more expensive.
Services that we use in our independent travels:
Search and purchase of air ticketsAviasales - for us it is No. 1 of all search engines, we use it only because it is convenient and reliable, without "pitfalls".
One Two Trip! - a surprisingly convenient search engine in which you can find and purchase not only air tickets, but also railway ones. In addition, it is also easy to book a hotel or a hotel there. By clicking on our link, you will additionally receive an additional 500 rubles discount on the purchase of an air ticket!
Finding and booking accommodation
- - a world-famous search engine where you can find and book accommodation from guesthouses to luxury villas. Have used many times and highly recommend.
- Hotellook is a service for finding and booking accommodation from the creators of Aviasales.
- Airbnb - booking and renting apartments, rooms, houses from local residents. Tested on myself, everything is honest, we recommend. When booking through our link, you will receive a bonus of 2100 rubles, which you can use when paying for housing. To do this, you will need to create your AirBnB account.
- a great alternative to traveling by intercity buses and trains across Russia. Prices are usually lower public transport and significantly higher comfort.
Service-aggregator for car rental in local rental companies. You choose a car, as it were, at a local rental, but through a service, booking with a bank card, from which only 15% of the cost is charged. MyRentacar is the guarantor. You can choose not only the class of the car, but also a specific car, accurate to the color of the body and the type of radio. But most importantly, the prices on this service are the same as if you yourself came to a local rental company!
Hello! We are going on vacation to China in early autumn. We have never been to China itself, or to Southeast Asia as a whole. As a result, a number of important questions have arisen:
1. How is it in China with renting a car on a regular plastic Russian license? Are there international rental offices (Hertz, Avis)? How is the condition of the roads between cities - modern European autobahns are everywhere, or like in Russia - one-lane?
2. What is the weather like in China in autumn (September)? Are there places in the south where you can still swim in the sea? To keep the water warm.
3. Is hotel accommodation expensive in China? What chain hotels would you recommend that are inexpensive and of high quality (up to $100 per day for two)?
4. Mobile communication and Mobile Internet expensive? Which local cellular operator is preferable?
5. How to get to Tibet? You just come - and that's it? No borders, no problems with the Chinese authorities? Can you get there by car, or is it only on foot, in bast shoes, like in the movie "Seven Years in Tibet"? :) What can you see in Tibet?
6. What Chinese cities would you recommend to visit? What sights do you recommend to see? (Heard about some abandoned palace, like in "Civilization"? Beautiful?)
Many thanks in advance for your help!