In Russian everyday life, there are many sayings about China, after all, a neighboring country, and they all come 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 to flying to the moon.
But every year more and more tourists point their feet, skids, wheels and alpenstocks in this direction.
Why should you go 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 andincredible, endless spaces. 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 without going 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 left - to China by car!
To China by 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 prerequisites before traveling. 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 handle 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 to travel to China by car, it would be very sad.
What you didn't know about
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 borne in mind that a temporary driver's license 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? It won't work
Another important nuance is that you cannot travel alone in your car in China. The trip is possible only in a group, in which there are at least two vehicles - a car, a motorcycle, an ATV, etc. Car drivers can change, participants in the trip can leave, join, but 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, butrequirement of the travel company organizing the trip and the Chinese immigration office.
You can only enter through the point of entry, which is written on 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 I need to do to travel to China by car?
So, briefly on the points:
- Agree on 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 (for drivers).
- Through a separate company, arrange the import of a car into China.
- Meet your "guide" at the border during the whole trip.
- Get 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 go to the border. If you are residents of, for example, 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 thisin 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?
The easiest way to get from the capital of the Russian Federation to China is through the customs post MAPP Zabaikalsk (Zabaikalsk, 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 sleep time,food and standing in traffic jams on average for the same 6, 5-7 days, about half a day more than before the village. Zabaikalsk. In fuel equivalent, this is 770 liters of gasoline or 34,650 rubles.
The crossing point in Blagoveshchensk differs from the checkpoint Zabaikalsk in one convenience, it is connected with China by the customs point Blagoveshchensk-Heihe, 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.
Transition Blagoveshchensk-Heihe water. From May to October, tourists and cars are transported by boats 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, there is a limit on the weight of hand luggage at the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe crossing point, no more than fifteen kilograms per person.
To China from Primorye
Another convenient way to travel to China by car is especially popular with residents of this region, because the neighboring state is literally a couple of hours away. 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 hoursway. 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 shopping atmosphere, where everything is made for Russians and the way they like.
From Chita to Manchuria
Once 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 by a large 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 journey will take approximately 8-10 hours, depending on traffic. 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 weekends in China. Yes, the celebrations there are very different from the rest of the world.
If you are not going to watch 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 establishments.
For the same reason, it is not recommended to schedule a trip by car through China at the beginning of October, the whole country is celebrating the day of the founding of the People's Republic of China, they are not up to tourists.
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 good news, 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.
