With its thousands of years of history and culture, its impressive and varied nature and its ultra-modern, glittering metropolises, China is always worth a trip. However, the shortest distance between Germany and the Middle Kingdom is 7,323.94 km, which makes traveling by land or ship not impossible, but not very practical. The best basis for a trip to China is a flight. See visa for China on topschoolsoflaw.
Which airports and airlines fly to China?
Most non-stop flights depart from Frankfurt am Main. Munich and Berlin are in second and third place. The main airlines for non-stop flights from Frankfurt to China include:
Lufthansa ( to Beijing, Shanghai , Nanjing, Qingdao, Hong Kong ),
Air China ( to Beijing, Shanghai , Nanjing, Qingda etc.),
China Eastern Airlines ( to Shanghai ),
China Southern Airlines ( to Changsha ) and
Cathay Pacific Airways Limited ( to Hong Kong )./li>
Start from Munich:
Lufthansa ( to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong ) and
Air China ( to Beijing, Shanghai i).
The only non-stop flight from Berlin is currently offered by Hainan Airlines and goes to Beijing.
The following airlines offer direct flights to China:
Lufthansa (from Frankfurt),
Air China (from Frankfurt),
China Eastern Airlines (from Frankfurt),
KLM (from Munich),
SWISS (from Munich) and
Air France (from Munich).
The airlines grouped under Gulf airlines and based in countries on the Persian Gulf are also a good choice for direct flights. These take you to China via Arab states.
If you don’t mind stops and changes, you can also fly from other German cities, for example from Hamburg, Cologne or Düsseldorf to Shanghai.
Which are the most popular destination airports in China?
With an area of almost 9.6 million square kilometers, the People’s Republic of China is a huge country. It is around 5,000 kilometers from the northernmost point on the border with Russia to the southernmost tip of Hainan Island, and around 5,200 kilometers from east to west. Not least because of its size, China has many international airports. Which of these is recommended for your trip depends primarily on the desired departure airport in Germany and your actual destination in the Kingdom of Dawn.
Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK, ZBAA)
Beijing Capital International Airport is located approximately 25 kilometers northeast of the Chinese capital. It is the country’s largest airport and is the starting point for most international routes, especially to Europe and North America. It also serves as the main hub for domestic flights and offers direct connections to all major cities in China. This makes it the undisputed number one airport for people traveling to, from or in China by plane.
Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX)
The second gateway to China’s capital is Beijing Daxing Airport, located 46 kilometers south of Beijing. Only opened in 2019 after just four years of construction, it features the latest technologies and modern facilities. High-speed and express trains run directly below the terminal, connecting the airport with the city center. You can also quickly reach the city center via the motorway.
Pudong Shanghai International Airport (PVG, ZSPD)
The second largest airport in the People’s Republic is located about 30 kilometers east of Shanghai in the Pudong district. It offers numerous flights to and from Europe and North America and is an important transport hub for domestic flights to almost all major cities in China. The airport can be easily reached by taxi or subway. From the city center it is also served by the Maglev Railway, the world’s first commercially operated high-speed train on magnetic rails. With a speed of 431 kilometers per hour, this is faster than the French TGV.
Hong Kong International Airport (HKG, VHHH)
Hong Kong Airport, located on Lantau Island, is one of the most important hubs for most of the region. It offers flight connections to many cities across China. From there you can easily reach Guangzhou or Guilin by high-speed train. A special feature of this airport is the check-in counters at the airport express train station. You will receive your boarding pass at Central Station or Kowloon Station and drop off your luggage there. This means you can check in hours before departure and then leisurely shop, stroll or eat before heading to the airport.
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN, ZGGG)
About 30 kilometers south of Guangzhou is Guangzhou-Baiyun Airport, one of the three most important international airports in mainland China. Compared to Beijing and Shanghai airports, it offers fewer flights to and from Europe and North America, but more flights to and from New Zealand and Australia. You can also easily fly to numerous other Chinese cities from here.
Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG, ZPPP)
Kunming Changshui International Airport is located in southwest China and offers flights to numerous countries in Southeast and South Asia. This makes it particularly suitable for travelers who have planned further travel destinations in this region after their stay in China. The airport can be reached using the Kunming Metro, by car via the S101 highway or via a 13-kilometer-long toll highway.
Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG, ZSNJ)
This airport is located in Jiangsu Province in eastern China, about 45 kilometers south of the provincial capital Nanjing. In terms of passenger traffic, it is the fourteenth largest airport in the People’s Republic. You can easily get to Nanjing by taxi or subway. The latter takes you to the city’s South Railway Station, from where you can continue your journey by high-speed train to Shanghai, Wuhan and Beijing.
Qingdao Liuting International Airport (TAO, ZSQD)
Located 30 kilometers north of Qingdao in Shandong Province , this airport is primarily used for national connections. But there are also some international flights, for example from Germany, Great Britain, Canada, the USA and Australia. There are regular scheduled flight connections to all major cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Xian and Wuhan. The airport can be reached via bus or taxi.
Changsha Huanghua International Airport (CSX, ZGHA)
You can travel from Frankfurt to Hunan Province, located on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, via Changsha-Huanghua Airport, which ranks 13th in terms of passenger volume . You can take a bus or taxi to central Changsha and the cities of Changde, Xiangtan, Yueyang and Zhuzhou.
How long does a flight to China take?
Depending on the destination airport, the flight duration varies greatly. Non-stop flights from Frankfurt am Main to Beijing take around 9:15 hours. It takes about an hour longer to get to Shanghai. For flights with stopovers, the flight time can sometimes increase significantly, especially if you have to change trains.
How much does a flight to China cost?
Since flight prices depend on a wide variety of factors, no general statement can be made in this regard. The time of booking plays just as important a role as:
demand,
the air Line,
the start and destination airport and
the exact time of the outward and return flight.
The price is set by state-of-the-art computer systems based on algorithms. These have the task of automatically reacting to fluctuations in demand and maximizing profits per flight through clever price adjustments.
Weekday flights tend to cost more because the algorithms assume business trips pay more on average. Air travel between Friday evening and Sunday evening is usually cheaper because the systems take into account family travel reasons or a vacation. Prices increase during the holiday season and around public holidays because demand is greater then. Events such as trade fairs or major sporting events can also cause flight prices to rise significantly.
There are often large price differences between the different airlines. That’s why it’s important to compare prices. However, when looking for a cheap flight, you should also keep an eye on the service offered as well as fees, taxes, excess baggage surcharges and other additional costs.
Basically, you can assume that non-stop flights are the most expensive and connecting flights are the cheapest. You can usually save if you book at least two to three months in advance. However, finding a cheap offer in the short term is rather difficult.
What should you pay attention to when booking a flight?
Before you book your flight to China, you should first find out about the current entry requirements. It is also worth getting information in advance about the time difference, which often causes confusion among travelers.
Requirements for entry or flight to China
You need a visa to travel to the People’s Republic. To apply for this you need:
a passport that must be valid for at least six months from the date of your departure from China and have at least two blank pages,
for organized trips: a travel confirmation and the travel agency’s travel program,
for self-organized trips: flight and hotel reservations plus travel plan.
The four most common visas for China are:
L visa: for tourist trips and family visits,
F visa: for business trips,
X visa: student visa and
Z visa: work visa.
For a tourist visa, you also need proof of travel and medical repatriation insurance valid in China.
You should also currently observe the Covid-19 regulations currently in force in China.
What types of flights are there?
If you are planning a long-haul flight for the first time for your trip to China, you will probably come across terms such as non-stop flight, direct flight, connecting flight or open-jaw flight during your research. Each of these types of flights has advantages and disadvantages, which primarily relate to the duration of the trip and the price of the trip.
Non-stop flight
Non-stop flights are air journeys without a stopover. This is the most comfortable and fastest type of flight as it does not require any time-consuming stops. However, this is noticeable in higher costs compared to the other variants.
Direct flight
Direct flights are air trips between two destinations that include a short stopover with the same flight number. Sometimes the aircraft is refueled or loaded and unloaded during this time. Of course, your luggage stays inside and you can usually remain seated.
Such flights usually cost less than non-stop flights. However, they are more expensive than flights with regular connecting connections. However, they offer the advantage that you cannot miss a connecting flight if there are delays.
Flight with a stopover (connecting flight)
If you book a connecting flight, make at least one stop on your way to China to change to another aircraft. If you book the individual legs separately, it is important that you allow enough time between the arrival of one flight and the departure of the next. If you book the entire package through a tour operator, the flights are usually put together so that the change goes smoothly, even in the event of small delays.
In some cases the stopover lasts several hours. Then you have the opportunity to look around the foreign airport or to fortify yourself in a restaurant or snack bar. For very long layovers, you can even leave the airport and explore the city you are in. However, be sure to check the time feasibility beforehand. Many airports are very far away. The journey to the city center can sometimes take more than an hour.
Open jaw flight
An open-jaw flight is when, for example, your outbound flight begins in Frankfurt, but the return flight ends in Munich. Or you can fly from Berlin to Beijing, but the return flight to the German capital starts in Shanghai. This option is particularly worthwhile if you visit several cities during your trip in China and do not want to return to the starting point.
Everything you need to know about the time difference when flying to China
Despite its gigantic size, China officially only has one time zone, “Beijing Time”. Provinces that are thousands of kilometers west of the capital must also adhere to this. However, some administrative areas in the west of the People’s Republic still use their own time unofficially.
The advantage of the fact that all chronometers in China are based on Beijing is that you do not have to change your watch when traveling within the People’s Republic. If summer time applies in Germany, the Middle Kingdom is six hours ahead of us. In winter there are seven. It doesn’t matter whether you are on the east coast of China or in the far west on the border with Tajikistan.
The big time difference can lead to jet lag, especially on the outward journey. It’s best to plan this right away and don’t plan too much for the first one or two days.
