Harbin airport to the city centre: the ¥20 bus, no metro
Take the airport bus. It costs ¥20 to Central Street, Harbin Railway Station or Harbin West Station, leaves from Gate 7 on the ground floor of Terminal 2, and runs until the last flight of the day has landed. There is no metro: Harbin Metro Line 9, the planned airport link, has not been approved for construction, so bus, taxi and ride-hailing are the only options.
International flights use Terminal 1; all the ground transport is at Terminal 2.
Choose your line by where you are sleeping
| Line | Where it goes | Fare |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton Road, Xinyang Road, Anfa Bridge, Harbin Railway Station, Ganshui Road (old Civil Aviation building) | ¥20 |
| 3 | Chilun Road, Edmonton Road, Xingcheng Hotel, Anhong Street, Central Street, Baqu, Nanjing, Jungong, Taipingqiao, Harbin East Station | ¥20 |
| 2 | Haxi, Harbin West Station, Hexing, Lesong Square, Convention Centre, Minfang Business Hotel | ¥20 (business van ¥40) |
| 4 | Qunli, Highway Bridge, Ice and Snow World, Harbin North Station, Hulan | ¥20 |
| Airport Express | Harbin Railway Station, non-stop | ¥20 |
For Central Street and the old Daoli streets, take line 3. For onward trains, line 1 and the Airport Express go to Harbin Station; line 2 goes to Harbin West.
How to actually get on one
- Follow the signs to Gate 7 on level 1 of Terminal 2.
- Buy a ticket. The WeChat mini-program 哈尔滨机场巴士 sells same-day tickets only; there are also self-service machines and a staffed counter beside Gate 7. Have your stop's Chinese name written down — the driver scans a QR code and does not check passports.
- Queue at the stand for your line number and board. Buses leave when full, and the wait after boarding is capped at 30 minutes.
Lines 1, 2, 3 and the Airport Express start selling at 07:30 and continue until the day's last arrival. Line 4 runs 08:50 to 01:30 roughly every 40 minutes; the Jiangbei Wanda line hourly from 08:30; line 5 until 01:30. Line 6, the one exception on price, goes to Acheng for ¥55.
If a high-speed train is your next leg, Harbin Station (line 1, and the non-stop express) and Harbin West (line 2) are the two hubs.
Book hotels, flights & trains across China — all in one place
Fares and timetables change with the season, so if you want to book the rail leg before you fly, compare all the booking sites and check what each one is actually selling.
When to pay for a car instead
Metered taxis wait at the official rank at Gate 7, also on level 1. The meter starts at ¥8 for the first 3 km, then ¥1.9 per km by day and ¥2.5 at night. China Southern's own airport guide puts a taxi to the city centre at about ¥130 including the expressway toll, and the drive takes 45 minutes to an hour. DiDi works in English and accepts overseas cards, and usually quotes at or below the metered fare.
Ignore anyone approaching you inside the terminal with an offer of a car. In deep winter the calculation changes: standing outside at minus 25°C waiting for a bus that leaves only when full is worth paying to avoid.
Last checked: 2026-10-25
Keep reading
How many days in Hangzhou: two is enough, three is better
Two full days covers West Lake and Lingyin without rushing; a third day buys either the Longjing tea hills or Xixi Wetland. Here is what fits in one, two and three days, plus the reservation Lingyin now requires.
Xi'an Millennium Show: 3,000 Tons of Flood Water On Stage
The Xi'an Millennium Show ends with 3,000 tons of water crashing onto the stage and sand blowing over the front rows — the live version is the point.
How many days do you need in Guilin?
Three days is the minimum, four is comfortable, and five gets you the Longji terraces without a twelve-hour day. What each version actually fits.