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| Home > City Guide - Shanghai - Getting There By Road | ||
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Getting There By Road Foreign visitors are not encouraged to drive cars in China and, until recently, tourists were prohibited from doing so. Foreign residents can bring their own cars into the country but this involves a huge bureaucratic effort. Ex-pat drivers need a physical examination and a written exam of local traffic rules to obtain a local licence from the vehicle administrative department (VAD) under the Municipal Public Security Bureau. They must already possess a valid International Driving Permit. The licence is temporary for residents staying less than a year, permanent if longer. To obtain it, they must present their original driving licence and a translated version, passport and local residence certificate. Even then, the licence only covers the Shanghai municipality. All foreign visitors who want to travel within China by car are advised to hire a car with a local driver. Emergency breakdown service: There is no breakdown service in China. Drivers have to rely on assistance from other passing vehicles. Routes to the city: Main routes out of Shanghai are denoted by city names such as the Shanghai–Nanjing Highway. The Shanghai–Beijing Expressway provides a (relatively) fast artery to the north. There are road links to Zhouzhuang, Suzhou, Hangzhou and most of the other major regional centres. Approximate driving times to Shanghai: From Wuxi – 2 hours; Shaozing – 3 hours; Nanjing – 3 hours; Chengde – 3 hours 30 minutes; Ningbo – 4 hours; Taiyuan – 6 hours. Coach services: Coach and bus travel can be very slow and rather uncomfortable. Nevertheless, bus tickets are cheaper than rail fares and easier to buy, because of the lower demand. There are many service providers, including Shanghai Dazhong Bus Corporation (tel: (21) 5651 3313). Information on coach travel is available from a passenger information and complaint hotline (tel: (21) 5652 4623). There are few facilities at the bus stations and travellers should purchase tickets in person at the ticket office. There are many bus stations around the city. In the north, the key station is Hengfeng Lu Bus Station, Hengfeng Lu (tel: (21) 6317 4966), which has buses for Nanjing, Ningbo and Wuxi. In the south, Xujiahui Bus Station, Hongqiao Lu (tel: (21) 6469 7325), located behind Grand Gateway, has departures to Nanjing and Yangzhou. In addition, buses leave the Shanghai Stadium, 666 Tianyaoqiao Lu (tel: (21) 6426 5558), in the Xuhui District, for Hongqiao, Wuxi, Lingshan and Yangzhou. |
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