From Wikitravel

Tianjin (天津) is a municipality in China.

[edit] Understand

The first evidence of settlements in the Tianjin area were during the Warring Kingdoms (475-221 B.C.). Currently the city is China's third largest urban area. However, despite its size and importance as a port, the city lacks the vitality of other large Chinese coastal cities, and has been unable to attract the same degree of investment as places such as Guangzhou and Shanghai. However, new development is increasing rapidly and Tianjin is now catching up to nearby cities such as Beijing.

[edit] Get in

Take a bus from the Beijing airport, on the 2nd floor of the parking garage out of Terminal 2. The expressways to Beijing are sometimes closed due to dense fog in the Autumn and Spring so allow extra time if catching an early flight or stay overnight near the airport.

[edit] By plane

Tianjin Binhai International Airport (ZBTJ) is about 15 kilometers to the east of the urban area. Most flights are domestic, although there is nonstop service to Hong Kong, Seoul, and Nagoya.

[edit] By train

Tianjin Railway Station is the largest station in the city. It was first built in 1888 and then rebuilt in 1988. There are also several other railway stations in the urban area, Tianjin West and Tianjin North. Tanggu station serves the seaside district of Tanggu District, while Taida station is a small station located in in TEDA, 5 kilometers east to Tanggu station.

[edit] By car

Taxis from Beijing and Tianjin cost about 50 yuan or 60 yuan per seat (4 seats in total) (but these may be illegal taxis).

When you arrive at the new Tianjin train station, take a Number 8 City Bus to the Polytechnic University stop (second stop from the station). You can then find a good, safe, legal taxi for the metered fare. The bus costs 1 Yuan, and the announcements are in Chinese and in English. Taxis at the train station are a total scam.

[edit] By bus

Tianjin is well connected with other cities. The price from Beijing is about 30 yuan.

There is also two school bus lines linking Nankai and Tianjin Universities and Tsinghua University. They depart daily at 3:45PM and 4:45PM from Tsinghua North-West Gate.

[edit] By boat

Tianjin is connected to Dalian as well Incheon, South Korea, by passenger boat.

[edit] Get around

Founded in 1904, the Tianjin bus system was the first in China, and today the city is well served by its public transportation. Within the city, traveling on a bus line less than 12 kilometers will cost 1.5 yuan, while 1 yuan will cover a journey on a line over 12 kilometers - even if you travel less than 12 kms but on a line that is over this distance, the cost is still 1 yuan. It's well worth your time to look up popular bus routes. And the buses are all comfortable and clean.

The old Tianjin metro was suspended in 2001, but after refurbishing was re-opened on 28 May 2006. In addition, a light railway line runs between the urban area of Zhongshanmen to the seaside area Donghailu in TEDA.

Taxis are abundant, and the price is not high. The flag fall for 3 kilometers is 8 yuan, and then a further 1.5 yuan is added for every kilometer after that. Taxis also charge for the time while the vehicle is stationary at 1.5 yuan for every five minutes (cost is exempt for less than five minutes. However, it is strongly recommended that you do not take a taxi from near the railway station. See note under By Car section about how to avoid train station taxis. The same advice applies at tourist stops -- it is best to walk a few blocks to a regular street to catch a metered taxi. Do not support non-metered taxi drivers! There are plenty, plenty of legal taxis.

You can rent a taxi for the day or even for a few hours. When we went to Tangdu, we paid the driver to wait for the 2 hours it took us to tour the harbor area. She was happy to wait, and the cost was less than 100 Yuan ($10-15 USD).

Another caution about taxis is that there are toll roads in some parts of China. In a taxi, you will be expected to pay the base fare plus the toll fee. The driver pays the toll and receives a receipt at the toll booth. At your destination, you ask for the receipt(s) and pay that amount plus the base fare. If you are going a long way, you may also be asked to pay for the return toll fee. That is a legitimate request, although you could argue that the driver will pick up another fare to pay for the toll anyway. You may or may not succeed with the driver.

Lastly, tipping taxi drivers is a Western trait. Most local Chinese do not tip except for exceptional service. You will not be treated poorly if you cannot afford to tip or to tip much. We tipped when drivers did not use their horns and followed the rules of the road, which is a novelty. We also tipped when we had baggage that the driver loaded or unloaded for us. We also tipped more at the beginning of our trip before we learned the local way.

Don't be afraid of the train, either. The fast train between Tianjin and Beijing is a bargain and is comfortable with plush seats and bi-lingual announcements. If you take an older train, buy a group of 4 or 6 tickets all seated together. Otherwise, you may find yourself on a bench with 3-5 strangers pressed up against you for the ride. Booths on the train come in sets of 4 or 6 seats. If you're a tourist, no one will blink an eye at your extravagence (though it only amounts to $4-6 USD for the entire ride). Bring your own food and drinks, although all the trains provide hot, safe water for tea and noodle bowls. Only the fast train has a Western style toilet. You don't want to know what the old trains have.

[edit][add listing] See

ANCIENT CULTURAL STREET,

GULOU JIE,

HEPING LU,

XIKAI CATHEDRAL,

MACHANG DAO,

BINJIANG DAO,

BINHAI DISTRICT

• Huangyaguan - worth a visit for its water run-off controls, well-preserved Great Wall of China towers, challenging hiking and striking scenery

[edit][add listing] Do

Not a tourist friendly destination compared to other major cities

We found it tourist-friendly in certain areas, but it's true that Tianjin is not visited by a large number of foreigners. However, if you want to get to know the real China, it's a great place. Everyone is friendly and many people will say "Good Morning" or "Hello" to you in English, even if that's all the English they know.

One of the largest shopping districts is in Tianjin, near the Walmart Supercenter. The Ancient Cultural Street has a lot of souvenirs and trinkets, but you MUST know (or learn) how to bargain. Tourists = suckers. But, I never encountered a mean seller, even if I bargained hard and/or walked away from an offer. But, once you agree to a price, you cannot change your mind -- that's offensive. You can walk away from a bad offer, but not from an agreed price, so decide early what you want and for how much. You may be stopped as you walk away with an "Okay" to your last offered price -- that's still an agreed price, so go back and pay and take your treasure home.

Learn what a local would pay for an item and stick to that price. Do not convert Yuan into your home currency and think it's a bargain. Never, ever shop in any currency besides Yuan. You will get ripped off when they convert it over (because, of course, they cannot take any other currency besides Yuan). A small silk handbag is worth 12-20 Yuan; a set of 4-6 chopstick sets is worth about 50-60 Yuan in Beijing and about 35-45 Yuan in Tianjin; large dolls are worth about 80-120 Yuan depending on how excited you seem to the seller; and bottled water in the street is only worth 1 Yuan (maybe 2). A Yuan is also called a Kwai in slang, so you can seem more knowledgable if you offer in Kwai. There is a unique set of hand gestures for the numbers 1-10 -- find a local to teach you. When you ask for a price, you'll often get a hand gesture. We carried a pen and pad of paper, which helped clarify if a price was 6 or 60 or was another odd number like 73, which can be hard to catch if they move their hands too fast. When you bargain, you should use the appropriate hand gesture for the number, too, or write it down. In real touristy spots, the sellers will know that much English -- in more local areas, they won't have a clue what "fifty" is when you say it aloud.

Carry mostly 20 Yuan bills or smaller. Many merchants don't have change and don't like to accept large bills. Counterfeiting is or has been a huge problem in China. Don't be offended if someone inspects your money closely before accepting it. You should be careful to inspect it before taking any money, too. And never "swap" your old ragged 100 Yuan bill for a nice shiny 100 Yuan bill. Once the money leaves your hand, consider it accepted and gone. Don't take it back or renegotiate.

There are other large shopping districts where only local people shop. You'll be a novelty in those areas, but you don't need to be nervous. We were never treated poorly, and we got some awesome deals because their inflated tourist prices were half what the lowest Beijing price was! Add in some friendly bargaining, and you'll feel like the Champion Shopper of the World!

[edit] Learn

Putonghua

Buy a good translator, preferably after arriving in Tianjin, as the prices are about 1/2 what they are in the U.S. Also, most restaurants have a picture menu where you can point and order.

There are Tianjin tourist maps with destinations written in Chinese characters and English. Pointing at where you want to go will get you a long way with Taxi Drivers. It might be a good idea to take a magnifying glass along -- many of the drivers we encountered had trouble with the small print.

Learn the hand gestures for numbers that sellers and buyers use for negotiating. Always carry a pen and paper, too.

Learn the city bus routes for popular destinations (and especially for leaving the train stations and other tourist areas where taxis might try to rip you off).

[edit] Work

English Language Instructor

[edit][add listing] Buy

Tea

Ceramic Figurines

• Sanfo is the leading outdoor gear stores in China and their store in Tianjin is located at 14-15 Genjiang Dajie, Langfang District.

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Goubuli, Guifaxiang Mahua and Erduoyan Zhagao are the most famous restaurants in Tianjin.
• Western food is also common in Tianjin, and the following restaurants have a good reputation: Qishilin or Kiessling.

[edit] Budget

Street Market: Many locations

Off junction of Nankai University-Tianjin University Border

[edit] Mid-range

THAI

YY Beer House – a great inexpensive Thai restaurant offering a wide selection of beers. A great place to visit during the Thai Water Splashing festival in the spring!

WESTERN:

KFC McDonald's

Amazon Brazilian B.B.Q. Bar – does exactly what it says on the tin… and has an enthusiastic, if slightly kitsch Philippino band providing live music as you munch.

Alli Baba -a funky "international food" restaurant/foreign student hangout close to the Nankai University campus, which has a whole range of dishes--pasta, pizza, salad, etc.

[edit] Splurge

CHINESE:

祈年湾

Sheraton Hotel

WESTERN:

C’est la Vie -- pricey, but fantastic authentic French food for special occasions.

TGI's

Pizza Hut (especially the salad bar)

Sheraton Hotel

INDIAN:

Bawarchi – great Indian food, cooked in a traditional Indian tandoor clay oven by Indian chefs.

JAPANESE:

Sheraton Hotel

KOREAN:

[edit][add listing] Drink

There are a number of expat bars catering to the visiting business community, most of which can be a little expensive (25 RMB upwards for a small bottle of beer) so if you like something a bit more rough and ready, some recommended venues are as follows.

Jim’s Café - Jim’s is a bit like ‘Cheers’, in that everyone knows your name, the food is not the greatest but it is cheap and has a mix of western and Chinese dishes. The beer is also cheap (8 yuan for a large Tsing dao) and the staff are friendly, speak good English and there is free internet access and a pool table… what more could you want?

Alibaba – Comes in a close second to Jim’s. Good western food, cheap beer and table football. There is also a newly constructed ‘Number 10 Downing Street’ themed private dining room for hire at the back. Also provides free internet access.

The Tavern – more up-market and therefore slightly more pricey but a great place to hang out nonetheless. Run by the ever-welcoming British born Aussie, David, they have a good selection of draught beers and live music.

Rainbow Pub - very similar to many pubs you might find in an English suburban town except the clientele are predominately Chinese. There is also a very kitcsh Phillipino band in residence here. Great fun and unpretentious to the end.

As far as clubs go, Tianjin is a big university city both for Chinese and foreign students so there are lots of places for dancing and other shenanigans. The music policy tends to be mostly Western and Chinese dance, pop and hip hop/R’n’B, so if you have more alternative tastes in music, the following are possibly not for you! However, some notables are Scarlet, Seven, New York Bar and the new Sitong bar in the Olympic building.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid-range

ASTOR HOTEL,

TIANJIN CRYSTAL PALACE HOTEL,

DICKSON HOTEL

TIANJIN GENEVA HOTEL

• Tianjin First Hotel, 158 Jie Fang North Rd. (Just across from the Hyatt and newly built Hisense Plaza.), ☎ +8622 330 9988 (fax: +8622 312 3000). Built in 1922, the rooms have high ceilings and a bit of a classic feel. In room internet can be had for ¥10 per day. Staff English ability is a bit low. ¥270 and up.  edit

[edit] Splurge

• Hyatt Regency Tianjin, 219 Jie Fang North Road (city centre), ☎ +86 22 2330 1234 (bzcentre.tianj@hyattintl.com), [1]. 4 star hotel with 353 guest rooms and suites. Located in the city centre, on the banks of the Hai River, close to the Foreign trade bureau, Art museum, banks and government departments edit

SHERATON HOTEL，

TEDA INTERNATIONAL CLUB,

RENAISSANCE TIANJIN

[edit] Contact

CHINA POST: Tianjin Balitai Post Office (天津八里台)

Weijin Road, No. 215 District (Opposite The Gate of Nankai University)

Tel: 23378621

[edit] Stay safe

GENERAL EMERGENCIES: 医科大学第一中心医院，医科大学第三医院， 滨江医院，

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE: 天津中医科院第一医院

OCULAR EMERGENCIES: Tianjin Medical University Eye Centre (TMUEC)天津医科大学眼科中心

[edit] Cope

[edit] Get out

• Shanghai: railway line Z42 (10 hours, 59 minutes) and K34.
• Beijing: D5xx intercity railway lines, from RMB$ 42 to 51, 69 minutes, about 12 trains everyday, starting at 6:35AM. Other lines, the first train (K40) to Beijing departs at 3:49AM, the last train is at about 9:10PM, but they are difficult to get a seat.