Downtown Harbin, the most interesting part for visitors, is laid out on the southern bank of the Songhua River, with the liveliest streets between here and the train station. The urban sprawl farther south is best avoided. A good starting point is in Daoli District, where Zhongyang Dajie begins in front of the Holiday Inn. Northwest of the train station, you can reach Daoli by a ¥10 cab ride, or by turning left as you exit the station and heading along Jihong Jie. The curve of the road suggests you're heading south, but stay on it for 20min and you'll reach Xinyang Square, a traffic circle bordered by the Holiday Inn. (They sell good, updated maps of the city in the hotel giftshop.)

Harbin airport is 50km southwest of the town, and served by an airport bus (¥10) which drops you outside the CAAC office. From the central train station , a clutch of cheap hotels is a short walk away, or you could head north to the somewhat less seedy and hectic central streets. The long-distance bus station is on Songhuajiang Jie, near the train station.

The most useful city bus is #103, which runs between Zhongshan Lu and Zhaolin Park. Taxis around the city begin at ¥9 or ¥10 (depending on the size of the vehicle), and charge ¥1.6 or ¥1.9 per kilometre respectively. Harbin has lots of one-way streets, so don't panic if it seems your driver is lapping the block: he is, but for a reason. In summer there are small boats (¥10) across the Songhua, or you can take the ferry (¥2).