Baotou Transportation
Getting There
By Air
Baotou Airport (BAV) is located in Donghe District, about 2.7 kilometers southwest of the East Railway Station, 23 kilometers (about 14 miles) from the city center (Kundulun District). The airport was first built in 1934. In May, 2006, the airport conducted a restoration on the airfield and the project was inspected and the final acceptance checks were made in December, 2007. Former runway is expanded into 2,800 meters (3,062 yards) long and 60 meters (66 yards) wide. Parking apron has been enlarged into 58,000 square meters (about 14 acres) which can handle seven medium and large airplanes. This facility has become increasingly important as demonstrated by its designation as the alternate airport for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The passenger terminal will put through about 300,000 passengers a year. The reconstruction of the airport greatly lifts the strain on the air transportation to or from Baotou. Currently, it has scheduled flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Taiyuan, Guangzhou and Hohhot every day and four flights a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) to Chengdu and Shenyang.
Parking lot of the passenger terminal building was completed in 1999, designed to have a capacity of 210 cars. As the passengers get increasing more, parking spaces are insufficient. At present, the parking lot is 2,480 square meters (2,966 square yards) larger than before and 100 parking spaces are added.
There are no shuttle buses or city bus lines between downtown Baotou and the airport. Taxis are the only means of public transportation to get into the city. Metered taxis charge CNY10 from the East Railway Station and CNY40 from the city center (Kundulun District) to go the airport. It is a good idea for passengers to agree upon a fare beforehand whether the cab is metered or not.
CAAC ticket office ：Baotou Hotel, Kundulun District, about 23 kilometers from the airport.
By Train
Baotou Railway Station and East Railway Station are the two main rail hubs in the city. Trains to many major cities can easily be found at either station. The former station is in Aerding Dajie of Kundulun District and can be reached by taking Bus nos. 1,2,15,22,101 and 134. It was the joint area of Beijing-Baotou Railway and Baotou-Lanzhou Railway. The latter station is the east railway station located at Donghe District and can be reached by taking Bus nos. 5,7,10,16,34,131,132. Trains to Xian, Changsha, Chengdu, Datong, Taiyuan, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Jiayuguan, Lanzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shijazhuang, Tianjin, Zhengzhou and many other cities are all available in Baotou. Passengers should make sure they are going to the correct station for their journey. The city's two railway stations are rather distant from each other, so going to the wrong one could cause a considerable waste of time.
Two smaller stations in Baotou are the West Railway Station and the North Railway Station both of which are located in Kundulun District. Most of the trains here travel to destinations west of Wuhai City and the Baiyun Mineral District of Baotou (Baiyun’ebo). Trains to Xian, Changsha, Chengdu, Datong, Taiyuan, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Jiayuguan, Lanzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qinhuangdao, Shijiazhuang, Shanghai, Tianjin, Zhengzhou and many other cities are all available. Passengers should draw special attention to testify which railway station they will go. The two railway stations are far away from each other. It making mistake about them, they will have scare time to catch the train.
By Long-Distance Bus
There are two bus stations in Baotou for long distance travel. Both stations serve many of the major cities in China.
New Long-Distance Bus Station
(aka Donghequ (Donghe Distrct) Long-Distance Bus Station)
Address: in former Wenzhou Shangmao Cheng, near the East Railway Station
Bus Routes: Nos. 13,17, 34
Long-Distance Bus Station
(aka Kunqu (Kundulun District Long-Distance Bus Station)
Address: at the intersection of Tuanjie Da Jie and Sanba Lu
The Baotou-Hohhot Expressway was one of the earliest freeways built in this ethnic minority area of China. Hohhot is only about 2 hours from Baotou. The Baotou-Hohhot buses depart every eighteen to thirty minutes. The Hohhot Long-Distance Bus Station also has many buses daily to the city district and other regions of Baotou.
Getting Around
By City Bus
There are forty-eight city bus liens servicing the districts and suburbs of Baotou City. These are conductorless buses and the ticket price is usually CNY1. Some buses that run a longer distance (for example, Bus no. 35 between Kundulun and Hedong Districts) may charge CNY2. Usually signs are posted inside the buses designating the fares.
Fares can also vary between different bus types. Air- conditioned buses are CNY1 more expensive than those that do not have that feature. The ticket prices for microbuses depend on the distance traveled. Monthly tickets are available, but note that the CNY 60-per-month ticket cannot be used for microbuses nos. 5, 10 and 35. Tickets with a value of CNY 80 or more can be used on all buses.
In addition, there are some special tourist buses for visitors to choose.
Line 1 (double-deck bus)
Qiate (– Bayi Park – Baotou Hotel – Yinhe Square – TV Station –) Labor (Laodong) Park
Ticket Price: CNY1 for the whole course
Operating Hours: 09:00-17:30 every 40 minutes
Duration (for a single trip): 55 minutes
Line 2 Qiate – Nanhai Park (Nanhai Wetland Scenic Area)
Ticket Price: CNY3 for one way, CNY5 for round trip
Operating Hours: Holidays and weekends from May to October departing at 08:30 and 09:30 and returning at 16:00 and 16:30.
Line 3 Minhang Community (– Qiate –) Kundulun Reservoir
Ticket Price: CNY5 for one way, CNY9 for round trip
Operating Hours: Holidays and weekends from May to October departing at 08:00 and 08:30 and returning at 16:00 and 16:30.
Line 4 Minzhu Lu (– Qingshan Park, Aerding Park –) Kundulun Reservoir
Ticket Price: CNY3 for one way, CNY5 for round trip
Operating Hours: Seasonal buses departing at 08:00 and 08:30 and returning at 16:00 and 16:30.
Note: The city of Baotou includes Kundulun District (Kunqu for short), Qingshan, Hedong and Donghe Districts. Hedong, which is the farthest from city center can be reached by bus nos. 5, 10, 19, 24, 26, 32, 35, 133 and Special Tourist Bus Lines 2 and 3. In Donghe District, many city buses depart from the square in front of the East Railway Station.
By Taxi
There are more than 6,000 taxis in Baotou. The starting price is CNY6 for the first 3 kilometers (about 1.9 miles) and thereafter CNY1.2 for each additional kilometer. Most taxis are the Xiali brand. Songhuajiang mini buses are also operated in the city. The minimum price is CNY5 for the first 3 kilometers and CNY1 for each additional kilometer. Baotou Airport has taxis to the city center. It may cost CNY40.
