Getting to Chaoshan and where to stay: airport, rail and three districts
Three cities share one airport and one high-speed station; the directions split only after you land. Three things are settled first — how to get here, how to get into town, and which district to stay in — and a last section on where to start and finish, which depends on where you come in.
Where you come from: one rail line, one airport
The three cities are served by one coastal high-speed line (Hangzhou to Shenzhen) and one airport. The table gives the fastest direct services; they change with the timetable, so check 12306 before buying. Most other cities connect at Shenzhen North or Guangzhou South.
| From | To Chaoshan station | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Xiamen North | about 1 h 20 m | Southbound on the coastal line, frequent; Zhao an, Yunxiao and Zhangzhou all join it |
| Shenzhen North | about 1 h 40 m | via Shanwei and Houmen; some trains also stop at Chaoyang and Puning |
| Guangzhou South | about 2 h 25 m to 2 h 35 m | Via Humen and Shenzhen North; the early train arrives before noon |
Three cities share one airport and one high-speed hub; the directions only split after you land.
- Airport: Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport (IATA: SWA), at Denggang, Rongcheng, Jieyang. The airport’s own site gives two versions — the company profile says about twenty kilometres from each of Jieyang, Shantou and Chaozhou, while the location page gives 22 km to Jieyang, 24 to Chaozhou and 28.5 to Shantou. On the finer figures Shantou is furthest. Any of the three cities is half an hour to an hour from the terminal, traffic depending.
- High-speed station: Chaoshan station stands at Shaxi, Chao’an, Chaozhou, between the three cities: a major stop on the Xiamen–Shenzhen line and the junction with the Meizhou–Shantou line. It is nearest Chaozhou; Jieyang and Shantou are each about twenty-five to thirty kilometres off — sources differ, so read these as approximations.
- Shantou station: in the city itself. Since the Shantou link of the Xiamen–Shenzhen line opened on 31 December 2018, trains run straight into the centre. With Xiaogongyuan as your base, Shantou station is nearer than Chaoshan station.
- Chaozhou station: on Xinfeng Road, Fengxi, Chao’an, on the Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou line; it handles ordinary trains and far fewer services than Chaoshan station.
Getting into town once you land
Chaoshan station stands at Shaxi in Chaozhou, between the three cities, and a row of expresses waits outside the exit, each running its own way:
- Chaozhou: old city tourist express, run as a limited-stop service to Paifang Street (Nanqiao market): 15 yuan, pay on boarding, about every half hour from 8:00 to 18:00. There is also K1 towards the Hanshan teachers terminus (8 yuan) and K2 towards the ceramics college (2 to 10 yuan).
- Shantou: bus 181 towards the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University, 5 to 10 yuan; a taxi takes about forty minutes.
- Jieyang: the Jieyang Chaoshan high-speed express towards the Jinxian Gate terminus, 2 to 20 yuan; a taxi takes about half an hour.
Fares and routes come from the bus companies and published timetables; holidays bring extra runs and occasional diversions, so read the stop board before you board.
Rail transit: not yet
The East Guangdong intercity railway — one ring and one spur — is under construction: 140 km with 30 new stations, linking Shantou, Chaoshan, Jieyang and the airport in commuter style. Full opening was planned for December 2026; the October 2026 rolling-stock tender shows the first two sets due before October 2027, so the opening date is open. So no rail link between the three cities is assumed yet; when one opens, this section is rewritten.
Three districts, chosen by walking radius
Three districts, chosen by walking radius rather than by hotel grade: the Chaozhou old city (within a kilometre of Paifang Street to Kaiyuan Temple), Xiaogongyuan in Shantou (inside the arcade blocks), and Rongcheng in Jieyang (the triangle of Confucian temple, City God temple and Jinxian Gate). There is no rail link between the three cities: you go by intercity bus, ride-hailing or your own car. How long a crossing takes depends on the mode — by car or ride-hailing it is 45 to 60 minutes centre to centre, plus 20 to 30 minutes for the bridge at rush hour and on holidays;
the intercity bus covers a similar distance but adds waiting and walking at both ends, so count 1.5 hours; from Chaoshan station or the airport, add another 30 to 40 minutes of transfer on top. Budget 1.5 hours when planning rather than 1 hour.
Money goes in three places: where you sleep, getting between cities, and tickets. Most protected sites are free or nearly so; Guangji Bridge is the exception at 20 yuan. Lodging is the big item, doubling inside the old city on holidays; a cross-city taxi runs one to two hundred yuan, while buses and expresses cost almost nothing. So staying near the sights usually pays better than staying cheap.
Which city first and last: set by your station
The six tiers default to Chaozhou, Shantou, Jieyang, for three reasons: the Chaozhou old city is the densest, best done on day one while legs are fresh; Shantou sits central and south with the widest choice of food and beds, so a night there saves most; Jieyang lies west and is painless last. The three form a triangle, so one return leg costs about two hours and the order is roughly a loop. But it is a default answer, not the only one — which city takes the first or the last stop depends on where you come in:
- In and out by Chaoshan station (most people): Chaoshan station is at Shaxi in Chaozhou, nearest Chaozhou, so making Chaozhou first or last saves a transfer.
- In and out by Jieyang airport: the airport is at Denggang, Rongcheng, 22 km from Jieyang; putting Jieyang first or last crosses the city once less.
- In and out by Shantou station: Shantou station is in the city, so start or finish there; coming from southern Fujian, Chaozhou (Raoping) is the near side, and the whole order reverses just as well.
- Driving from the Pearl River Delta: motorways mostly enter on the Shantou side — Shantou, then Chaozhou, then Jieyang, and the same in reverse.
Reversing works fine, so long as you do not double back. What to avoid is Chaozhou, Jieyang, Shantou, Chaozhou: a return leg. Once the days are set, go back to the overview and pick a tier — each tier gives its start, its finish and how to walk it.
Sources
Drive and rail times from Xiamen North, Shenzhen North and Guangzhou South to Chaoshan station follow the direct services listed on 12306 in September and October 2026 (G1623, G3809, G1625 and others); they change with each timetable.
Connections: routes and fares for K1, K2, 181 and the Jieyang express come from the bus companies and published timetables; the Chaozhou old-city express at 15 yuan, 8:00 to 18:00, follows the Chaozhou Yueyun bus guide.
Airport distance: the site’s company profile says about twenty kilometres from each city; its location page says 22 km to Jieyang, 24 to Chaozhou and 28.5 to Shantou. The two disagree; the latter is taken, and said so. The Shantou link’s opening date is reported by Nanfang; Chaoshan station’s position and distances follow public reference sources, which do not agree, so they are given as approximations.
East Guangdong intercity: full opening was planned for December 2026, per reports in Nanfang Daily and Yangcheng Evening News; the October 2026 tender for rolling stock, first two sets before October 2027, is public.
Fares, departures and routes above were checked on 19 October 2026; re-check with 12306 and the operators the day before you leave.
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