Anhui is an inland province in eastern China, best known for the granite peaks of Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), the UNESCO-listed Huizhou villages of Hongcun and Xidi, and the Buddhist mountain of Jiuhua Shan. Its capital and largest city is Hefei. Anhui is the home of Hui cuisine, Xuan paper and Hui ink, and some of China's most famous teas. It has no sea coast, but the Yangtze River, Chaohu Lake and Taiping Lake give it plenty of waterfront.
- Public
- Anhui is well served by high-speed rail: Hefei South is the hub, Huangshan North (about 8 km from Tunxi) serves Mount Huangshan and the Huizhou villages, and lines to Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Hangzhou and Beijing make the province easy to reach. City buses, Hefei Metro and intercity coaches fill the gaps
- Taxi
- Metered taxis and DiDi ride-hailing operate in Hefei, Wuhu, Huangshan (Tunxi) and other cities; DiDi's English interface accepts foreign cards and Alipay, and is usually the easiest way to avoid language problems
- Rental
- Self-drive rental needs a Chinese driving licence or temporary permit; an International Driving Permit alone is not valid. Chartered cars with drivers are the practical option for Hongcun, Xidi, Jiuhua Shan and Taiping Lake
- Walking
- Tunxi Old Street, the village lanes of Hongcun and Xidi, and Hefei's Xiaoyaojin Park are very walkable; distances between sights in Huangshan and Chizhou are large and need a bus or car
Transport at a glance
- Public
- 5/5
- Taxi
- 4/5
- Rental
- 2/5
- Walking
- 3/5
Transportation details
Full breakdown of how to get around.
Anhui sits between Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan and Hangzhou and is one of the easiest provinces to reach by high-speed rail. Hefei is the capital and largest city, with a rail hub at Hefei South and Xinqiao International Airport (HFE). The tourist south is reached through Huangshan North station and Huangshan Tunxi Airport (TXN), with Jiuhua Shan (Chizhou) and Tianzhu Shan (Anqing) as separate rail-plus-bus branches. Fares use a fixed rate of 1 USD = 6.70 CNY and are approximate; timetables change, so check 12306 or Trip.com on the day of travel.
Airports
Hefei Xinqiao International Airport (合肥新桥国际机场)
Huangshan Tunxi International Airport (黄山屯溪国际机场)
Chizhou Jiuhuashan Airport (池州九华山机场)
Anqing Tianzhushan Airport (安庆天柱山机场)
Fuyang Xiguan Airport (阜阳西关机场)
Transport tips
Travel smarter, not harder.
Buy high-speed rail tickets on the 12306 app (English version accepts foreign passports) or on Trip.com; the e-ticket is tied to the passport number and is scanned at the station gate
Mount Huangshan is not at Huangshan North station: from the station take a bus or DiDi to Tunxi (about 8 km) or to Tangkou, the mountain-foot town (about 60-70 km)
Set up Alipay (Tour Pass) or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before arrival; many small shops, buses and ticket kiosks prefer QR payment, and cash acceptance is declining
Keep the passport on the person at all times: it is needed for train tickets, hotel check-in and entry to Huangshan, Jiuhua Shan, Hongcun and Xidi
Book Huangshan cable-car and entrance tickets and Hongcun/Xidi tickets in advance in peak periods (May Day, Golden Week 1-7 October, summer weekends)
Amap (Gaode) and Baidu Maps work far better than Google Maps in China; download offline maps before arrival
Use a translation app such as Pleco or Google Translate with offline Chinese for bus stations that show only Chinese destinations
Fog and rain can close Huangshan cable cars, and the June-July plum-rain season occasionally floods roads in the south of the province, so leave a buffer day