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Voykit pocket guide · China
Tongling
Spend 1–2 days in Tongling to see copper heritage sites and lakes; a single night is enough for the main attractions.
Tongling, the historic copper capital of Anhui, offers a compact set of museums, parks and lakes that fit into a half‑day or full‑day visit. Its rail links make it easy to reach from Hefei or Nanjing, and a night in a city‑center hotel lets you explore the Copper Culture Park and Tianjing Lake without rush.
- Country
- China
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot, humid)
- Stay
- 1 night
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 ¥80–120 CNY excl. bed (check) · Mid ¥150–250 CNY excl. bed (check) (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 | ¥15–25 |
| Local snack (daylily fry) | ¥20–35 |
| Meal at a city restaurant | ¥40–80 |
| Taxi (5 km (3.1 mi))Taxi (3.1 mi (5 km)) | ¥30–45 |
| City bus ride | ¥2–3 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HFE · Hefei Xinqiao International Airport
- ≈140 km (87 mi) by road or high‑speed rail≈87 mi (140 km) by road or high‑speed rail
- CHZ · Chizhou Jiuhuashan Airport
- ≈70 km (43 mi) by road≈43 mi (70 km) by road
Typical fares
- Hefei Xinqiao → Tongling North (high‑speed)
- about ¥350, 1 h 30 min (check)
- City bus day pass
- ¥2–3 per ride (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
City buses cover most districts; taxis and Didi are plentiful. Shared bikes and e‑scooters work for short hops between parks.
See and do
Known for
- Copper Culture Park
- Tongling Museum
- Tianjing Lake
- Phoenix Mountain
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Jiuhua Mountain | Rent a car or take a bus from Tongling; ≈1 h drive | ≈2 h round trip |
| Tianzhu Mountain | Bus or car, about 1 h each way | ≈3 h total |
Sleep
- Tongling Grand Hotel
- City centre, near railway station
- Tongling Wanda Realm Hotel
- Modern facilities, close to shopping
- Tongling Yuehua Grand Hotel
- Spacious rooms, convenient transport
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | 对不起duìbuqǐ |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxiè |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duōshao qián? |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kěyǐ shuākǎ ma? |
| Where is the toilet? | 厕所在哪里？cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? |
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
- Summers can exceed 30 °C; stay hydrated.
- Check train schedules for Tongling North station (high‑speed) and Tongling station (conventional).
- Copper Culture Festival dates vary; confirm if visiting in autumn.
Tongling is generally safe; petty theft is rare. Keep an eye on belongings in crowded markets and use licensed taxis.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Tongling yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Copper Culture Park
- Tongling Museum
- Tianjing Lake
- Phoenix Mountain
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tongling official website: www.tl.gov.cn
- Wikidata – Tongling: www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12345
- Wikivoyage: Tongling, revision 5203808 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5203808
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/tongling). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.