Qingdao, China

Getting around Qingdao

How to travel around Qingdao — 5 options, what they cost, and which booking apps fix the fare before you go.

Last updated 2026-08-09

1. Metro

Lines linking the old town, the beaches and the airport.

Cost: CNY 2–8

2. Coastal buses

Routes along the seafront linking the beaches and Badaguan.

3. Ferries across the bay

Crossings to Huangdao, faster than driving round.

4. High-speed rail

Qingdao North to Beijing in about four hours.

5. Walking Badaguan

The villa district is best covered on foot, and the streets are short.

Booking apps in China

Agreeing the fare in an app before you travel removes the argument at the end of the journey, which is where most transport scams happen. Links go to each app's official page — lookalike apps are themselves a scam.

DiDi

The dominant Chinese ride-hailing platform, with an English interface in the international app.

Coverage: Nationwide.
Why it helps: Removes the unlicensed cars that tout at stations and airports, and records the route.

Alipay

Handles metro and bus fares, taxi payment and most everyday transactions; supports foreign cards.

Coverage: Nationwide.
Why it helps: Paying digitally sidesteps the counterfeit-banknote problem entirely, which is the most common change scam in China.

Trip.com

Books high-speed rail and domestic flights with an English interface and passport support.

Coverage: Nationwide.
Why it helps: Avoids station touts reselling rail tickets at markups.