By plane

Harbin Airport has services to more than a dozen domestic destinations in addition to Hong Kong.

International services are available to Khabarovsk and Vladivostok, Russia, Niigata, Japan, Seoul, South Korea and Los Angeles, USA.

The airport is not located in the city center and is about a 45 minute drive outside of the city in the middle of soybean fields. If you are flying out of Harbin most ticket agencies can arrange transportation to be included in the cost of the ticket. Another option is to take a taxi, which costs around ¥100-120. Always negotiate this price before the ride, though. Drivers will make their meters read more for the ride otherwise or try to get you to pay for the highway ticket in addition.

By train

Taking a train to Harbin is very easy and most are overnight trains, including a new rapid service from Beijing. Different ways to travel include chair, "hard berth", or "soft berth". Hard berth compartments generally have six sleeping bunks which open onto the main passageway going through the car; soft berth usually has a four person compartment, softer mattresses, and a compartment door you can close.

By car

Harbin is connected to the rest of China via the China Highway 102 via Changchun. Harbin is also connected via road to Inner Mongolia, Russia, and Jilin.

Russian Buildings

Harbin's old quarter which covers a wide area of the city near the Songhua River is still today mostly made up of buildings that were constructed by the Russians at the turn of the 19th century. Most of them are built in baroque or byzantine style with spires and cupolas and interesting shades of yellow, white, green, or red. While St. Sophia is known as the main architectural attraction to the city, areas of the city such as Harbin's old quarter are made up of buildings that have been left untouched since the Russians left.

Zhongyang Dajie

Pretty much closes by 10PM (weekend nights included). This cobblestone lined street is a pedestrian only street that could serve as a perfect remnant of the bustling international business activities at the turn of the 20th century. The 1.4-km long street is a veritable museum of European architectural styles, including Baroque and Byzantine facades.

Stalin Park

Long tree covered walkway that stretches the city-side banks of the Songhua river, a really nice and pleasant walk.

St. Sophia Cathedral

One of the few still standing Orthodox churches in the city. It is now converted into a Harbin Museum of Architecture. Inside there are exhibitions of many photographs from old times. Definitely worth going into, however, if you are used to European Churches do not expect the quality.

Unit 731 Museum

is closed from 11AM-1PM for lunch and the museum is completely closed on Mondays. A grim reminder of what happened during the Japanese occupation to over 2,000 prisoners of war. The museum, located out in the suburbs, tells the story of these individuals although its displays are limited.

January - March
September - December

Information not available

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