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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 (3.1 mi) taxi ride3.1 mi (5 km) 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 (19 mi) northwest of the centre; metro and airport buses run to the city (check current lines and times).About 19 mi (30 km) 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)
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
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.