Haikou downtown area forms a compact block between waterfront Changti Dadao and the airport , about 2km south off Jichang Lu. The centre is marked by a busy mess of wide one-way traffic flows and pedestrian overpasses surrounding Haikou Park , with the most interesting shopping districts in the northerly old colonial quarter along Jiefang Lu and Boai Bei Lu. The New Port is north off Changti Dadao on Xingang Lu, where most ferries from Hong Kong and the mainland pull in; those from Beihai in Guangxi sometimes use the Xiuying Wharf , 5km farther east along Binhai Dadao. Whichever you end up at, high-speed and regular buses to Sanya will be waiting, thus avoiding the need to stay in Haikou. Arriving by road from elsewhere on the island, the long-distance bus station is centrally positioned south of Haikou Park on Daying Houlu, with short-range minibuses dropping off all over the city's outskirts, principally at east and west depots.

The crowded central roads don't make Haikou's city bus service a very good way of getting around, except for outlying transit points (bus #6 runs from the west bus depot, links the two ports on Changti Dadao, and then turns down Datong Lu; while buses #1 and #11 run from the east bus depot to the centre along Haifu Dadao). Taxis are much faster and so absurdly plentiful that you have only to pause by the kerb for one to pull up instantly. They cost from ¥10 to hire, and a trip right across the city shouldn't be much more than twice this.

There's a total lack of information about the island in Haikou, with hotel tour agents only geared to getting you to Sanya as fast as possible. If you plan to explore Hainan's backwaters, pick up a map of the island from hawkers or kiosks; some include spreads of Haikou, Sanya and Tongshi, along with detailed road maps of the island including even minor sights marked in English.