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.
If traveling internationally, it will be easiest for you to fly into the Beijing International Airport. To get to Tianjin from the airport, take a bus found on the 2nd floor of the parking garage out of Terminal 2.
Tianjin does have its own airport, the '''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, Nagoya and Kuala Lumpur.
Before the reopening of the new station, Tianjin railway station is served by a temporary station that 4 km east. When you arrive at the 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 \1.50 or \2.00, and the announcements are in Chinese and in English. Taxis at the train station are a total scam.
Tianjin railway station is now open for the Bullet train to Beijing South train station. Ticket from Tianjin to Beijing south cost RMB58 per trip. The bullet train number start with a 'C' and take about 30 minute to reach Beijing south, travelling up to speed of 331km/h.
There are shutter bus between Tianjin railway station and Tianjin airport. The shutter bus ticket cost RMB10 per trip. The shutter bus stop about 200m from the train station. When one get down from the shutter bus, just walk along the pavement and you will reach the train station.
Should you choose to take taxi, please use the official taxi stand (just follow the signage ). The fare from Tianjin railway station to Tianjin airport is about RMB50. It is not advisable to use any of the touts that offer taxi services. The official taxi stand has plenty of taxi.
The expressways to Beijing are sometimes closed due to dense fog in the Autumn and Spring so allow extra time if planning on using them during this period.
Taxis from Beijing and Tianjin cost about \50-60 per seat (4 seats in total), but these may be illegal taxis.
You can RENT a CAR managed by an international and safe company calling to +86 1310 210 7700 or visiting the web site www.rentcartianjin.com
Tianjin is well connected with other cities via bus. The price from Beijing is about \30.
There are 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.
You can book or RENT a BUS managed by an international and safe management company calling to +86 1310 210 7700 or visiting the web site www.chinabustravel.com
Tianjin is connected to Dalian as well Incheon, South Korea, by passenger boat.
Kobe, Japan - is served by a weekly China Express Line[http://www.celkobe.co.jp/] ferry, departing Kobe at 11am on Fridays and arriving in Tianjin at 2pm on Sundays. It takes 51 hours to do the nearly 2000 kilometer crossing between the two cities. Tianjin Office Tel.:''+86'' 22-2420-5777
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 that is less than 12 kilometers will cost \1.5, while \1 will cover a journey on any line over 12 kilometers, even if you travel less than 12 kilometers but on a line that is over this distance, the cost is still \1. 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.
You can book a personalize tour around Tianjin calling to +86 1310 210 7700 or visiting the web site www.thestarstravel.com. They can offer from Air Tickets, book hotels, private tours by car or bus, etc...
'''Taxis''' are abundant, and the price is not high. The minimum cost for 3 kilometers is \8, and then a further \1.7 is added for every kilometer after that. Taxis also charge for the time while the vehicle is stationary at \1.7 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 in the Get in-By train section above 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 of legal taxis.
You can rent a taxi for the day or even for a few hours. For example you could have a taxi wait for a few hours while you visit a tourist attraction such as the harbor area. The drivers are happy to wait, and the cost for two hours would be less than \100 (US$10-15).
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. It would be generous of you to tip in certain situations, perhaps when the driver gets out to handle your baggage.
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 extravagance (though it only amounts to US$4-6 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.
One of the largest shopping districts is in Tianjin, near the Wal-Mart Supercenter. The Ancient Cultural Street has a lot of souvenirs and trinkets, but you ''must'' know (or learn) how to bargain. If you are not willing to haggle you might pay far to much for an item you want. You are very unlikely to encounter a mean seller, even when bargaining hard or walking away from an offer. But, once you agree to a price, you cannot change your mind as that would be considered 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; a set of 4-6 chopstick sets is worth about \50-60 in Beijing and about \35-45 in Tianjin; large dolls are worth about \80-120 depending on how excited you seem to the seller; and bottled water in the street is only worth \1 (maybe 2). A Yuan is also called a Kwai in slang, so you can seem more knowledgeable 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. Carry a pen and pad of paper, which can help clarify if a price is \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 some English, but in more local areas, they won't have a clue what "fifty" is when you say it aloud.
Carry mostly \20 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 bill for a nice shiny \100 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. You will probably get some great deals because even the inflated tourist prices in Tianjin are half what what they are in Beijing! Add in some friendly bargaining, and you'll feel like the Champion Shopper of the World!
Optionally, 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 as many of the drivers have trouble with the small print.
You could also learn the hand gestures for numbers that sellers and buyers occasionally use for negotiating. Always carry a pen and paper too.
Learning a few of the city bus routes for popular destinations may be useful (and especially for leaving the train stations and other tourist areas where taxis might try to rip you off).
Tianjin has both modern shopping malls and distinctive traditional stores, for shopping delight. Binjiang Dao Business Street and Heping Lu Business Street are the busiest and most prosperous shopping centers in Tianjin. Most of the top shopping malls or department stores can be found on these two streets, like Quanye Chang, Isten Department Store, Jinhui Shopping Square, and so on, of which Quanye Chang is the most famous.
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. The music policy tends to be mostly Western and Chinese dance, pop and hip hop/R&B, so if you have more alternative tastes in music, the clubs are possibly not for you! However, some notables are '''Scarlet''', '''Seven''', '''New York Bar''' and the new '''Sitong Bar''' in the Olympic building.
Traditional Medicine: _V_________@_______@.
Ocular Emergencies: Tianjin Medical University Eye Centre (TMUEC) _V_________w_______S.