China Guide
Dongbei
Arrival
Harbin airport is 50km southwest of the town, and served by an airport bus (1hr; ¥20), which drops you outside the CAAC office on Zhongshan Lu, from where you can either catch a taxi (¥12) or bus #103 (¥1) further into the centre. A taxi all the way from the airport will cost ¥150.
From the central train station (shown as Harbin Dong – "East" – on tickets), a clutch of cheap hotels is a short walk away, or you could head north to the somewhat less seedy and hectic central streets.
The long-distance bus station is on Songhuajiang Jie, across from the train station.
Summertime ferries from Jiamusi, a town 200km farther east, use the terminal towards the western end of Stalin Park.
Crossing into Siberia
From northern Heilongjiang, there are a number of crossing points into Siberia, of which Heihe, a large border town that sees a lot of traffic with the Russian town of Blagoveščensk, is the best option. From Harbin, take a train to Heihe (12hr), and Russia is a few strides and a mountain of paperwork away. A train connection also exists between Harbin and Suifenhe (11hr), from where it's a four-hour bus ride to Vladivostok. In practice, however, these routes are fraught with difficulties; there is no tourist infrastructure, distances are long and conditions primitive. By far the simplest way to get into Russia from Dongbei is to hop on the Trans-Siberian train to Moscow, which passes through Harbin every Friday morning on its way west to the border at Manzhouli.
The biggest problem with crossing from Dongbei into Siberia is getting a visa, which you will probably have to sort out in Beijing, although you may get one from the Russian Consulate in Shenyang if you're lucky. To get a two-week tourist visa, all your hotel accommodation in Russia must be booked in advance, and prices are steep – expect to pay at least US$50 a night. A few travellers with connections have managed to get hold of business visas, which last a month and give you more flexibility.