Hefei (合肥;Héféi) is the capital city ofAnhui Province inChina. It is an industrial, administrative and commercial centre bare of any special attractions. It is not often visited by foreign tourists, who mostly use it as a hub for trips into the hinterland of Anhui. It is however, possible to enjoy oneself for a day or two in Hefei before moving on.
Hefei has two major train stations.
Both stations are connected by the Hefei Metro. Go between the two stations by Line 1, costs ¥3 and takes around 30 to 40 minutes.
Legally, every taxi must have the driver's picture and licence number displayed in a plastic plate affixed to the dashboard. If you have any major problems with a taxi driver, discretely write down this number if you need to make a complaint and ask for a fa piao (receipt) at the end of your journey. Avoid getting into arguments with drivers if possible.
Around the city area in Hefei, you can reasonably expect to pay between ¥10-30.
In Hefei, a driver might occasionally try to pick up an extra passenger and carry them with you, i.e. pooling. They sometimes try this on foreigners who don't know how to object. Make it known if you don't want this to happen. Chances are the other person has negotiated to pay a lower fare and is riding on your back.
You can also jump on the back of a motorbike if taxis are scarce. There are plenty of motorbikes and they usually congregate on the corners of busy intersections. They are not legal, but are generally tolerated. They are unmetered and you negotiate a price beforehand.
Public buses are the dominant mode of public transport in Hefei. The central hub is in Municipal Square. A single bus fare to anywhere costs ¥1 for a non-air-conditioned bus or ¥2 for air-conditioned. All bus routes, schedules, and announcements are in Chinese. But don't let this put you off. An excellent way to navigate the Hefei bus system is to use Google Maps app. on your mobile phone. Using the "Get Directions" function, you can search bus routes, find bus numbers/stops in Engilsh and pinyin. The results are very accurate. Beware that in peak hours buses are absolutely crammed to the limit. There is no such thing as a "full" Hefei bus; the driver will always allow more people on.
As of March 2021, there are four subway lines in operation. The Line 1 goes north–south direction, passing the Hefei South Railway Station and Hefei Railway Station. You can change to Line 2 at Dadongmen (大东门) subway station. Line 2 goes east–west direction, passing right through the cite center.
Line 3 runs from the northeast to the southwest, and Line 5 operates in the south of the city. Line 4 is expected to open in 2021.
English service is available when buying tickets.
As with other modern Chinese cities now; all over this city (particularly at major intersections) there are rows of self-service "bike-sharing" bicycles lined up, available for rent (provided by companies such as 'mobike' & 'hellobike'). Most are regular city bikes (no gears), but some newer models are also electric (no pedaling needed, or pedal-assist for charging the battery as you ride). To unlock and activate a bike (as a foreigner), you must have a Chinese bank account, Chinese cell number, passport (for ID), then download Wechat or Alipay apps on your smart phone, link your bank/personal info to the app, and scan the bar code. It's usually very cheap (¥1 or 2 per use), and when finished remember to lock the mechanical latch, on the back tire.
Hefei isn't known as a tourist destination, but if you are using it as a stop-off point there are some pleasant places to see. In particular, Hefei has many fine parks and gardens.
(updated Nov 2015) Local specialties include:
Local food areas include:
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