Hankou, Wuhan: neighborhood guide

Hankou is the western half of central Wuhan, on the north bank of the Yangtze where the Han River meets it. It covers the old districts of Jiang'an, Jianghan and Qiaokou, plus Dongxihu further out. This was the city's treaty-port quarter: Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Japan held concessions here in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the British concession is the best preserved of the five.

The result is a district of wide riverfront boulevards, stone bank buildings, church spires and plane-tree streets, mixed with dense modern shopping blocks. Jianghan Road is the pedestrian spine; Yanjiang Avenue runs along the water. It is the most urban, most commercial part of Wuhan, and the easiest place to land as a visitor.

Distances are real: Hankou is a full city district, not a stroll. Plan on the metro between clusters and walk within each one.

Stay in Hankou if you want the largest choice of hotels, the concession streets on foot, the riverfront, and easy arrivals by train or ferry. It also suits anyone passing through on the high-speed rail network, since Hankou Railway Station is here.

Look elsewhere if your priority list is Yellow Crane Tower, East Lake, the Hubei Provincial Museum or Wuhan University. Those are in Wuchang, across the Yangtze; you can reach them by metro or ferry, but you will spend time crossing. Hanyang and Wuchang are the alternatives for that kind of trip.

Within Hankou, the Jianghan Road area puts you among shops, food and the ferry wharf. The streets around Hankou Railway Station are cheaper and better for early trains, but less interesting at night.

Hankou is where Wuhan eats. The local breakfast is hot dry noodles (reganmian), tossed with sesame paste and chilli, usually with a bowl of rice wine or soy milk; it is cheap, fast and served from early morning. Look for busy stalls around Jianghan Road and the older Qiaokou streets.

Wuhan's other signature is duck neck and braised snacks, sold by weight from chain shops and street counters, plus doupi (sticky rice wrapped in bean skin) and fish dishes from the Yangtze and Han rivers. Jiqing Street in Jiang'an is the best-known evening food street; it is touristy but still full of locals eating late.

For a sit-down meal, the malls along Jianghan Road and the streets behind Yanjiang Avenue cover everything from Hubei cooking to Sichuan and Cantonese chains. Prices are moderate by Chinese big-city standards; a bowl of noodles is a few yuan, a restaurant meal for two is a modest sum in CNY.

Hankou Railway Station, at 185 Fazhan Avenue in Jianghan District, is on Metro Line 2 and handles high-speed trains; it is the main arrival point for the district. Metro lines 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 21 all cross Hankou, so most of the area is reachable without a taxi.

The ferry is the pleasant way across to Wuchang: Wuhan Customs House Wharf to Zhonghua Road Wharf runs 06:30–24:00, costs ¥1.5, and rises to ¥10 after 20:10; an express service on the same route runs 08:45–17:25 for ¥5. The wharf is about 900 m southeast of Jianghan Road station, near the old customs house.

Long-distance buses leave from Gutian Bus Station in Qiaokou and Xinrong Bus Station in Jiang'an. Cruise and evening pleasure boats use Wuhan Passenger Port on Yanjiang Avenue, about 1 km east of Jianghan Road station. Fares and timetables change; check before you rely on a specific departure.