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Voykit pocket guide · China
Jinhua
金华
Give Jinhua one full day for the old town and one for the caves or Hengdian, or skip it if your Zhejiang time is under four nights.
Jinhua is a 2,200-year-old prefecture-level city in central Zhejiang and a rail junction, about 1 hour from Hangzhou by high-speed train. It is not a headline sight: the draw is the riverfront old town, Jinhua ham, and day trips to Double Dragon Cave, Dongyang woodcarving country and the Hengdian film studios. Two nights covers the city; three lets you add one big side trip.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 金华
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (heavy rain and humid heat), Chinese New Year week
- Stay
- 2–3 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 |
|---|---|
| Noodle soup or rice bowl | ¥15–35 |
| Jinhua ham dish at a local restaurant | ¥40–90 |
| Coffee | ¥20–35 |
| Beer: bottle at a shop / draught in a bar | ¥5–10 / ¥20–40 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | ¥15–25 |
| City bus ride | ¥1–2 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥50–150 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- YIW · Yiwu Airport
- About 45 km from central Jinhua; taxi 50 min, ¥100–150; shuttle buses run to the city.About 28 mi from central Jinhua; taxi 50 min, ¥100–150; shuttle buses run to the city.
- HGH · Hangzhou Xiaoshan International
- About 150 km; high-speed train to Jinhua in roughly 1 hour, ¥50–100.About 93 mi; high-speed train to Jinhua in roughly 1 hour, ¥50–100.
- PVG · Shanghai Pudong International
- About 250 km; high-speed train to Jinhua in roughly 2 hours, ¥150–250.About 155 mi; high-speed train to Jinhua in roughly 2 hours, ¥150–250.
Typical fares
- Yiwu Airport → central Jinhua, taxi
- ¥100–150, about 50 min
- Hangzhou → Jinhua, high-speed train
- ¥50–100, about 1 hour
- City bus
- ¥1–2
Get around
City buses cost ¥1–2 and cover the centre; routes 1, 5, 9 and 19 link the railway station, the commercial districts and the suburbs. Taxis and ride-hailing are cheap for short hops. Shared bikes need a Chinese phone number or local ID to register, so most short-term visitors cannot unlock them; hotel bike rental runs about ¥20 a day. High-speed trains from Jinhua South reach Hangzhou in about 1 hour and Shanghai in about 2.
See and do
Known for
- Jinhua ham
- Double Dragon Cave
- Dongyang woodcarving
- Hengdian film studios
- Wuzhou old town
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Double Dragon Cave (Shuanglong Dong) | Bus or taxi from the city centre to the cave area, then a short walk | About 1–1.5 h |
| Hengdian World Studios | Bus from South Bus Station toward Hengdian, then local shuttle | 1.5–2 h |
| Dongyang | High-speed train or bus east, about 30–60 min | About 1–1.5 h |
| Yiwu | High-speed train or bus from Jinhua, about 1 hour | About 1.5 h |
| Lanxi | Bus from West Bus Station, about 1 hour | About 1.5 h |
Sleep
- Wucheng District (city centre)
- Around Jinhua Railway Station and Bayi North Street; walkable to the riverfront old town and the main bus stops. Best for a short stay.
- Jinhua South Railway Station area
- Southern outskirts; high-speed trains to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo. Choose it only if you leave early.
- Yiwu
- Separate city 1 hour east, with its own airport and the international trade market. Base here only if Yiwu is your reason for coming.
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 |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ |
| I don't understand | 我听不懂wǒ tīng bù dǒng |
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
- Summer rain is heavy from June to September, with frequent thunderstorms; build indoor backup into any day.
- Shared bikes and some apps need a Chinese phone number or ID; set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you arrive.
- Double Dragon Cave and Hengdian are outside the city: check opening hours and last entry before you set out.
- English is limited outside hotels; keep your address in Chinese characters.
Jinhua is a low-crime city and walking the centre at night is normal. The real risks are summer heat and rain, traffic when crossing, and app or payment problems if you arrive without Alipay or WeChat Pay set up.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Jinhua yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Jinhua ham
- Double Dragon Cave
- Dongyang woodcarving
- Hengdian film studios
- Wuzhou old town
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikidata — Jinhua: www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q58208
- Wikivoyage: Jinhua, revision 5308447 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5308447
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Jinhua金华
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most countries: embassies in Beijing, consulates-general in Shanghai. Check your own country's list before you travel.
Keep the hotel name and address in Chinese characters on your phone.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/jinhua). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.