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Voykit pocket guide · China
Hefei
合肥
Give Hefei 1–2 nights as a high-speed rail hub for Anhui, not a destination: parks, two free museums and Chaohu Lake day trips.
Hefei is Anhui's capital and largest city, a science and university hub of over 9 million people between the Huai River plain and the Yangtze basin. It is not a sightseeing city: foreign visitors mostly pass through on the way to Huangshan, Hongcun or Chaohu Lake. One full day covers the parks, Lord Bao's tomb and the Anhui Museum; two nights let you add a lake or mountain day trip.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 合肥
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (hot, humid, heaviest rain), Chinese New Year
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥250–450 excl. bed · Mid ¥450–900 excl. bed · High ¥900+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or milk tea | ¥15–35 |
| Noodle soup or rice bowl | ¥15–40 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a convenience store | ¥15–30 / ¥5–10 |
| 5 km taxi ride3.1 mi taxi ride | ¥15–25 |
| Metro ride | ¥2–5 (check) |
| Museum entry (Anhui Museum branches, Li Hongzhang residence) | Free |
| Lord Bao Park through ticket | ¥50 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HFE · Hefei Xinqiao International Airport
- About 30 km northwest of the centre; metro and airport buses run to the city (check current lines and times).About 19 mi northwest of the centre; metro and airport buses run to the city (check current lines and times).
Typical fares
- Hefei South → Hefei station, Metro Line 1
- about ¥3, 30–40 min (check)
- Taxi across the centre
- ¥10–30 metered
- Airport to city centre
- bus or metro, about ¥20–30 (check)
Get around
The metro is the easy option: Line 1 links Hefei South and Hefei stations (about ¥3, 30–40 min), Line 2 crosses the centre east–west. Buses cost ¥1–2 but are Chinese-only and packed at peak. Metered taxis start around ¥8–9; a cross-town ride is usually ¥10–30. Bike-share needs Alipay or WeChat Pay set up before you arrive.
See and do
Known for
- Lord Bao Park and the tomb of Bao Zheng
- Anhui Museum (Shushan branch)
- Chaohu Lake
- High-speed rail junction for Anhui
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chaohu Lake and Zhongmiao Temple | Bus or train toward Chaohu, then local bus or taxi to the north bank | 1.5–2 h each way |
| Dashu Mountain | Metro or taxi to the west side, then a 30-min walk up | About 1 h |
| Zi Peng Mountain | Taxi or car, about 30–45 min from the centre | About 1 h |
| Hongcun and Huangshan | High-speed rail toward Huangshan North, then bus or taxi | 2.5–3.5 h |
Sleep
- Around Hefei South station
- Best for one night with bags: high-speed trains, Metro Line 1, chain hotels.
- Luyang district / Huaihe Road
- Old centre: pedestrian mall, Li Hongzhang residence, Xiaoyaojin and Xinghua parks, Metro Lines 2 and 4.
- Swan Lake / Shushan
- Newer west side near the Anhui Museum Shushan branch and Dashu Mountain; quieter, more spread out.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duō shao qián |
| I don't want to share the taxi | 我不想拼车wǒ bù xiǎng pīn chē |
| Please use the meter | 请打表qǐng dǎ biǎo |
| Where is the metro station? | 地铁站在哪里？dì tiě zhàn zài nǎ lǐ |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Unmarked 'black' taxis at the airport and stations quote inflated flat fares: use the official taxi rank or the metro.
- Drivers may try to pick up a second passenger mid-ride; say no if you do not want it.
- Summer heat and humidity are severe; plan indoor sights for midday.
- Museum branches close on different days (Monday or Tuesday) and stop entry 30 minutes before closing: check before you go.
- English is limited outside hotels and metro signage; have place names written in Chinese.
Hefei is a low-crime city by international standards; the real annoyances are unlicensed taxis, traffic and summer heat. Keep the taxi licence plate visible, ask for a receipt, and avoid arguments over fares.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hefei yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Lord Bao Park and the tomb of Bao Zheng
- Anhui Museum (Shushan branch)
- Chaohu Lake
- High-speed rail junction for Anhui
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Anhui Museum: www.ahm.cn
- Wikivoyage: Hefei, revision 5314383 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5314383
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Hefei合肥
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No US or UK embassy in Hefei; the US embassy is in Beijing and the UK embassy in Beijing, with consulates-general in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Your country's nearest mission is likely in Shanghai or Beijing — check before you travel.
Tipping is not expected. Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign card covers almost everything; keep some cash for small vendors.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hefei). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.