To and from Liuzhou

This page is mainly about transport in and around Liuzhuo. For information on how to get to Liuzhou from outside China , click on 'Visit Liuzhou' above.

Liuzhou is situated in the centre of Guangxi and has good transport links with the rest of China, and easy access overseas via Hong Kong. Road, rail, air and water transport are all available.

ROAD: Expressways link Liuzhou with Nanning to the south and Guilin to the north. A regular and comfortable coach service runs between Liuzhou and these two cities. Additionally  there are highways linking to Guangzhou (Canton) and to the port of Beihai in the far south of Guangxi. Buses run both by day and by night (sleeper bus). Coaches to Guangzhou and Shenzhen are faster than the train, but less comfortable.

RAIL: Liuzhou is well connected by train to the rest of China. There are several daily trains to Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an etc. and Hong Kong is easily accessible via Guangzhou or Shenzhen (although the coach is much faster). Ticket availability is reasonably good (except around the big public holidays - Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), May 1st and October 1st). It is also possible to travel by train to Hanoi in neighbouring Vietnam. Liuzhou Train Timetable

AIR: Liuzhou Bailian Airport has regular flights to Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Haikou (Hainan) and Shanghai. For other cities in China or for Hong Kong and other countries in South East Asia  it is necessary to fly from Guilin. Liuzhou Bailian Airport Timetable

WATER: There is a river route linking Liuzhou with Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao which carries over 1.2 million tons of freight per year. There are no passenger services at present.

Within Liuzhou

Within Liuzhou there is a good, frequent and cheap bus service although it can get very crowded, especially at rush hours and weekends. Chinese bus drivers do not know the meaning of 'full'. There is always room for one more. Also, people are quite happy to carry all sorts of goods by bus. Bought a new television, DVD player, 5 + 1 speaker system and a microwave oven? No problem! Take it home on the bus. This is not a joke. I saw it today. Seen a lot of livestock, too.

Taxis are also widely available and reasonably priced. I have only ever met two taxi drivers who spoke anything like English (although many more who thought they did) so make sure you have your destination written in Chinese unless you can speak the local language! Motorcycle taxis offer a cheaper alternative but they are technically illegal (the police turn a blind eye most of the time) and the accident rate is high. I wouldn't use them if they paid me. China, I'm told, has 1.9% of the world's motor vehicles, but 14% of the world's road accidents. This is due to poor driving skills, lax enforcement of road regulations and poor maintenance of vehicles and roads. You have been warned! 

It is possible to obtain a driving licence here in Liuzhou, provided you have a Residence Permit.