Airlines The main CAAC office is at 242 Heping Lu (Mon-Sat 8.30am-6pm; tel 27234353). The airport bus service runs from outside here. There's an Air China office (Mon-Sat 8am-8pm) just west of the Friendship Hotel on Nanjing Lu. Domestic tickets are sold downstairs (tel 23301543), international upstairs (tel 23393497).

Banks and exchange The main office of the Bank of China is in a grand colonial edifice at 80 Jiefang Bei Lu (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 1.30-5pm).

Bike rental Bikes can be rented from a huge bike park (daily 8am-8pm) outside the main train station. It can be hard to find as it's hidden underground; a ramp on the west side of the station concourse leads up and then down into the park. Bikes are ¥10 a day with a ¥100 deposit.

Bookshops The Foreign Language Bookstore is at 130 Chifeng Dao.

Internet A branch of Sparkice, the popular Beijing Internet café, is located in the Sheraton Hotel (10am-10pm; ¥30 per hour)

Post office In a building on the east side of the train station (Mon-Fri 8am-7pm).

PSB For police and visa extensions, go to 30 Tangshan Dao.

Shopping As well as for the clothes and antique markets in the centre of the city, Tianjin is renowned for its handmade rugs and carpets. While they're not cheap, they are of good quality, featuring bright, complex, abstract patterns, and are best bought directly from the factories in the suburbs of the city; try Factory Number Two on Heiniucheng Lu, in Hexi District (ring for current transport arrangements: tel 28331920). Tianjin is also noted for its kites and New Year posters - bright woodblock prints of domestic subjects, pasted up for good luck at Chinese New Year - made and sold at the Yangliuqing Picture Studio on Sanhe Dao. There's also an outlet on Ancient Culture Street. The Tianjin Cultural Relics Company, fairly central at 161 Liaoning Lu (tel 27110434), has a wide selection of antique jade, embroidery, calligraphy and carvings.

Telephones The 24-hour telecommunications office is in the same building as the post office. The telephone code for Tianjin is 022.

Trains The majority of trains leave from the main station. A few trains to the northeast leave only from the North station, and some trains to southern destinations, such as Shanghai, that don't originate in Tianjin, call only at the West station. To avoid the queues when buying train tickets from the main station, try the soft-sleeper ticket office; go up the escalator, turn left towards the soft-sleeper waiting room, and the discreet office is on your left. Alternatively, buy your tickets from the ticket office (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1.30pm-5pm) at 244 Heping Lu.

Travel agents CITS is at 22 Youyi Lu (tel 8358501), opposite the Friendship Store. They won't part with much information, but they will book train and boat tickets for onward travel (tel 28358479).