Where to stay in Yangzhou

Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across the river to the south.

The city has a history of over 2,500 years and developed as a major trading center for salt, rice and silk. Marco Polo served as the city's governor (or possibly a Salt Official for the government, or he just stayed there for that period of time) for three years in the late 13th century. Yangzhou has a population exceeding 1,000,000.

Unlike most Chinese cities, Yangzhou has little lodging available in the train station area, although a Hanting Hotel has opened in the new bus station building (next to the train station). Although some hotels are found in major streets all over the city, they are mostly concentrated in two areas: around downtown, and within a few blocks of the old main bus station (Jiangyang Rd and Hanjiang Rd, a few km to the southwest of downtown). The demolition of the old bus station has not affected the hotels too much, since Jiangyang Rd is still the natural route for entering the city by car. As of 2017, room rates start from around ¥100 in both areas.

Getting around

City buses are reliable and cheap (typically ¥2 per ride), but the service of many routes ends at around 18:00-19:00, with several key routes operating until around 22:00 or the last train arrivals. Bus stops are well marked; bus schedules (in Chinese), with the list of stops along the route, are posted at bus stops. The key east-west routes Z6, K1, and 88, along the city's central axis, Wenchang Rd, connect the two main railway stations in the city. The key "tourism" routes 游1/2/3 run through major tourist spots in town.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.