Over the past decade, China’s image in Russia has changed dramatically. And now, not only cheap clothes attract Russians to go from Vladivostok to China for the weekend, but also high-quality holidays, a wide variety of services and even medicine, including not only folk.
More and more production facilities and special trading zones are focusing on the Sino-Russian border in order to satisfy the demand of domestic buyers of Chinese goods. To ensure an ever-increasing passenger flow, a new infrastructure is required, which is actively developing on the side of the PRC.
The road from Vladivostok to China
The large passenger flow on both sides of the Russian-Chinese border creates favorable conditions for competition in the transport market, which, in turn, provides reasonable ticket prices.
Tours to China from Vladivostok are very popular due to the agreement between the Russian Federation and the PRC, which sets forth the procedure for visa-free entry to both countries if a person travels as part of a group. Such group trips, however, impose a number of restrictions - entry and exit only as part of a group and the use of the same border crossing.
To visit China as part of a group, you should book a tour at one of the city’s travel agencies . Visas for independent travel to the named country will have to be issued through the PRC consulate with a ready invitation or by contacting one of the specialized agencies of the city that are professionally engaged in paperwork for these trips.
To get from Vladivostok to China can be in several different ways. Firstly, it is worth considering the option of flying on an airplane. This option allows you to get to your destination as soon as possible, but at a price that exceeds the cost of both a bus tour and, in some cases, a train ticket.
One-way flight on the route Vladivostok - Beijing takes 2 hours 40 minutes and usually costs no more than ten thousand rubles. Flight to Shanghai costs one and a half times more expensive, as this is a more popular destination for Russian travelers. With transfers in major cities of China, you can get to almost anywhere in the world.
As for the railway connection, regular trains do not connect Vladivostok and Harbin, however there is a daily train departing from the Grodekovo station near the capital of Primorye. Such a trip will take about eleven hours.
Cities of North China
One of the most popular cities in the northern part of the PRC for Russians is Harbin. Russia has a long history in common with this city, which began during the time the Russian Empire was building a railway in eastern China.
After the Russian revolution, numerous refugees from Russia settled in this city, who escaped repression and persecution in their native country for one reason or another. And a large number of memorable places makes Harbin a popular destination for history buffs.
Once in the city there were two dozen churches and a whole network of Russian schools, but such prosperity for fugitives from Russia lasted only until the end of the thirties, after which all Russians had to leave the country. But many of them in their diaries recalled that it was time, as if stopped in its movement, and the city existed according to the rules of the pre-revolutionary Empire.
Suifenhe: shopping paradise
The city of Suifenhe is popular among residents of the Far East for economic reasons. The Chinese authorities did everything possible to make Russian tourists feel at home there. It is in this city that the easiest way to get from Vladivostok to China is by bus.
And there are many reasons to go there, one of which, of course, is trade. This border city is a free customs zone, which means that most of the enterprises operating in it are exempt from customs taxes and duties, that is, products in them are much cheaper than imported into Russia and sold in Russian stores. It is for cheap goods that people go there.
It is worth noting that a whole sector of the service sector has been formed around trade enterprises, focused exclusively on Russian tourists. You could even say that the only purpose of this city is to serve the Russians who come there to relax, have fun and buy the necessary goods at a low price.
In addition, it is worth saying that Russians do not need a visa to travel to Suifenhe, and you can stay here for up to fifteen days, which seems quite sufficient for this city.
China sea
However, not only Russians go to this country for clothes. Airplanes fly from Vladivostok to China, full of people who want to have a good time at sea resorts, many of which are located on Hainan Island. The popularity of the named island is due to the harmonious combination of a comfortable subequatorial climate and visa-free entry. In addition, here you can find hotels and entertainment for every budget.
Most tourists get there by charter flights on previously purchased trips to China from Vladivostok, but there are also independent travelers who prefer to control their trip by booking hotels and independently booking tickets for flight aircraft, which are not lacking in the Far East.