Airlines The main CAAC office is at 348 Jing Er Wei Lu (tel 7933191); Shandong Airlines is at the bottom of Thousand Buddha Mountain on Wenhua Xi Lu (tel 6936777) and China Eastern Airlines at 408 Jing Shi Lu (tel 7964445). They all sell the same tickets, which can also be purchased from the larger hotels.

Bookshops The Foreign Language Bookstore is on Quancheng Lu, opposite the Baihua building, but the second-floor bookshop at 269 Daguanyuan has a slightly better selection.

Buses Ji'nan's main long-distance bus station has services to Beijing and Qingdao. To reach to Tai'an or Qufu, both within easy travelling distance, go to the Tianqiao bus station by the train station. Minibuses to these destinations also leave from in front of the train station. You can buy tickets from the office or on the bus.

Banks and exchange The Bank of China is at 10 Shangye Jie (Mon-Fri 8.30am-noon & 2-4.30pm) on the eastern side of town.

Post and telecommunications Ji'nan's main post office is on Wei Er Lu at the intersection with Jing Er Lu (Mon-Sat 8am-6pm), and there's a 24-hour telecom office inside.

Shopping The most impressive department store is the Ji'nan People's Market, an enormous shopping mall on Baotuquan Lu. There's also an arts and crafts store on 88 Jing Shi Lu.

Travel agents CITS is at 88 Jing Shi Lu (tel 2965858), in a building behind the Qilu Hotel, and mainly deals with tour groups. JITS at 117 Jin Qi Wei Lu (tel 6912804), a rival outfit, is smaller and more useful to individual travellers. Both offices will book train tickets if given a day's warning.