A hugely sprawling grid of right-angled streets, Beihai is so positioned on a broad peninsula that the main seafront, unexpectedly enough given its location on China's southern coast, is to the north of town. The centre is marked by a roundabout at the intersection of north-south orientated Sichuan Lu, and Beibuwan Lu, which crosses it at right angles. Arrival points are widely spread across the city from here: the train station is 4km south at the end of Sichuan Lu; the ferry port and ticket office is 2km west along the seafront on Haijiao Lu, connected to the roundabout by a #2 bus; while the long-distance bus station is 1.5km east of the roundabout on Beibuwan Lu (bus #7). Taxis cost ¥10 to hire; expect twice this to get between the train and ferry terminal.

For accommodation , try the good-value Taoyuan Dajiudian (¥75-100), set down a lane opposite the bus station on Beibuwan Lu; or the rather more atmospheric colonial-style Beihai Binguan (tel 0779/2020131; ¥150-700), a short walk west of the bus station on Beibu Lu. There are places to eat either at the hotels or nearby, and some cheap, hole-in-the-wall seafood restaurants beside the ferry terminal. Leaving , there are afternoon ferries to Haikou (seats ¥48 through to private cabins at ¥138 per person), daily trains to Nanning, and buses to Wuzhou, Liuzhou, Nanning and Guangzhou.