HUNCHUN - HOW TO TRAVEL TO CHINA FOR 25,000?
25,000 rubles—that's exactly how much my four-day trip to China cost. This includes:
· roundtrip transfer
· hotel accommodation with breakfast for 3 nights
· meals in cafes and restaurants
· 2 full excursions (one even went to another city)
· souvenirs!
In this post, I'll share my impressions of my spring trip to a place where the cultures of three countries collide: China, North Korea, and Russia. But first, let's get to know each other a little!
My name is Maria, I'm a second-year management student, and as is typical for students, I don't have much money. However, I really didn't want to celebrate my 20th birthday in my hometown of St. Petersburg! So, taking my best friend Alisa (with whom we're only 17 days apart) and 50,000 rubles, I set off on a long trip:
St. Petersburg - Vladivostok - Hunchun - Yanji - Hunchun - Vladivostok - St. Petersburg
(I'll tell you about how we got to Vladivostok for 7,500 rubles and lost our passports there in the next post.)
TRANSFER
While still in St. Petersburg, we bought a bus tour from Vladivostok to Hunchun for 5,200 rubles. This included:
· round-trip tickets
· customs assistance
· immigration card processing by the tour operator
· hotel transfer
· Russian-speaking guide who was available for any questions
· hotel reservations
Of course, if you do it all yourself, you can save a couple thousand rubles. But this was our first time in China, so it was easier to use a tour operator.
We left Vladivostok's central square at around 2:00 AM and checked into our hotel by 12:00 PM. The journey took about 6-7 hours, including customs clearance. As we were told, it's always a case-by-case basis—sometimes you get through quickly, while other times you have to wait at the border for several hours because of the heavy traffic.
HOTEL
We booked the Wanjia Hotel. It seemed like the best value for money. A double room for 3 nights cost 410 yuan (~4,700 rubles) per person. Overall, we had no complaints about the accommodations. It's a brand new, clean hotel with huge rooms. The buffet breakfast was delicious. Nothing spicy, and the food was tailored to Russian tourists. The Chinese receptionists had a super translator, so communication was seamless.
The only downside I noticed was that the hotel was a bit far from the city center. Although it was only a 12-15 minute walk to the start of the main shopping street, it still felt like it was easier to take a taxi to the main tourist spots.
EXCURSIONS
"Hunchun by Night"
We took two excursions on this trip. On the evening of the first day, we immediately went on the "Hunchun by Night" city tour. It cost only 50 yuan (~580 rubles). For several hours, they drove us around the most beautiful places in the city and told us its history. We visited the Eight Horses Statue; the Illuminated Bridge; the Korean Village; the square where Chinese people dance with fans in the evenings (we joined them, of course); and finished the tour at the night food market. They also fed us candy and dried blueberries the entire way. We truly appreciated the local flavor. This tour was definitely worth the money!
"Hot Springs + Dinner + Evening Tour of Yanzi"
On the second day, we took a long bus tour to the nearby city of Yanzi. It's significantly larger than Hunchun and has more attractions. Tourists with different tour packages rode on the same bus. As usual, we took the mid-price option: hot springs + restaurant + evening tour of Yanzi for 420 yuan (~4800). There was also a 510 yuan package, which also included a visit to the glass bridge. But after some deliberation, we decided it would be better to spend more time at the hot springs and get a good rest after the long drive from St. Petersburg.
The drive from Hunchun to Yanzi takes about 1.5 hours. But allow another 40 minutes for tourists to be picked up from all the hotels. Along the way, the guide explains the city and the route you're taking. And it runs right along the border with North Korea! So you can take a quick peek at how things are going there.
First, you arrive at the hot springs. We had about 3.5 hours there (I don't remember exactly). That was enough time to soak to our heart's content and take photos. And photos are a must, because the complex is absolutely beautiful! Numerous plants, statuary, decorative elements, and over 50 springs, both indoors and outdoors. The water temperature varied from about 25 to 40 degrees Celsius. We were there in April, so not all the outdoor springs were open due to the low temperature (13-15°C), but a few were. There's also a section of the complex with Korean baths, but to be honest, we didn't understand them. The temperature there is about 25°C and you have to sit on the floor, so we went back to bathe.
The next stop on the route was a restaurant in the city center. And here we were simply blown away! It turned out to be an incredible buffet with everything you could imagine. There were live crabs, sushi, oysters, hotpots, and fruit for every taste. Unlimited wine and beer, tons of lemonade and bubble tea. We felt like we ate more in two hours than the entire tour cost.
After the meal, we took a short tour of the city, visiting just a couple of places. The Rainbow Bridge and another square. But we weren't too disappointed; we had more than enough impressions for the day. What was most exciting about the city was that we arrived during cherry blossom season, and all the streets were decorated with avenues of blossoming trees!
SHOPPING AND WALKING
It's a rather grandiose name, because cherry blossom season wasn't the main purpose of the trip. But many people come to Hunchun precisely for that! It's full of brand-name stores and markets with goods two to three times cheaper than in Russia.
We spent our last full day in China, exploring the city on our own and buying souvenirs. The weather was unlucky that day—it rained until lunchtime. But that's not going to stop St. Petersburg students, so we bought umbrellas at reception for 50 rubles and headed to Hunchun's main Buddhist temple, Ling Bao. We took a taxi there; it's located on the outskirts of town. The temple, of course, immediately struck us with its multi-level architecture. Each building was taller than the last and adorned with enormous sculptures. Absolutely beautiful!
The entrance wasn't without its adventures. We were met by the owner of a local souvenir shop and immediately dragged inside. She tricked us into performing some kind of good luck ritual and immediately tried to extort 60 yuan for it. We argued, gave 30, and left to explore the temple. And that's when we really got lucky! Because it was raining, we were the only tourists in the entire area. The temple was completely empty. The Chinese always promise everything! There were tons of souvenirs, books, and figurines lying around, and no cameras or vendors—in Russia, they'd have already stolen everything. Well, we're decent tourists, of course, so we didn't take anything. We even left a few yuan for the god of wealth.
After visiting the temple, soaking wet and cold, we couldn't call a taxi and trudged to the nearest shopping mall. From there, we figured out how to do it through the Alipay app and went back to the hotel to dry off.
We spent the afternoon souvenir shopping. We walked the entire shopping street and the center. We didn't have a specific route, just went wherever our hearts took us. We bought tea, alcohol, tea ceremony sets, medicine, sweets, and cigarettes (they're very beautiful in China!). It's better to buy loose tea at the market than at souvenir shops. It's much tastier and more aromatic there.
We wanted to finish our city walk with a visit to a bar, but they were tight. Everything was either closed or looked more like a dive. So, to be on the safe side, we returned to the hotel.
But ending our last day just sitting in our room was too boring. Our souls were craving adventure. So, after browsing through lists of the best places to visit in Hunchun, we went to Bohai Kingdom Park. It's another of the city's calling cards, a celebration of the architecture of Chinese palaces. And... it was closed. Was it a shame? Yes. We were stuck in yet another out-of-the-way place. The drive back was a bit of a bummer, so we decided to walk. We reached the Three Borders Monument and then stopped at a small eatery. And that's where we truly immersed ourselves in China! It was a restaurant catering exclusively to locals, and as soon as we walked in, the bustle began. The entire restaurant staff (seven people) came running to greet us, tried to translate the menu without pictures, and seated us in a separate room. A nice girl even stayed to grill our kebabs (even though guests are expected to cook them themselves). We took photos with everyone, ate, left them a tip, and walked back to the hotel to pack our bags.
On the fourth day, a bus picked us up at noon, and by 9 p.m., we were back in Vladivostok.
FOOD
Upon arrival, we were immediately taken to the Victoria Brewery. It's a classic tourist spot where you can try traditional Chinese dishes. We decided to play it safe on the first day and ordered something simple—salads and kebabs. And, of course, beer! Overall, everything was delicious. The price was 40 yuan (450 rubles) per person.
We were looking for dinner near the hotel. We didn't want to go far, so we stopped at the first eatery we found. It turned out to be a very intimate family restaurant. We ordered beef noodles and soju. We broke another record – we stayed under 170 rubles per person.
On the third day, we decided to go out and stopped at a decent Japanese restaurant. The prices there were higher, but still nothing compared to those in St. Petersburg. We stayed comfortably under 700 rubles per person. It was delicious, and they even gave us tea!
PAYMENT AND COMMUNICATION
Before the trip, after listening to experienced tourists, I got a Union Pay card, but in the end it was completely useless. Cash is accepted everywhere in Hunchun, and the exchange rate is usually better. So, don't bother with Alipay and WeChat if you're traveling to border towns, and just take cash. The only thing we couldn't pay for with paper money during the entire trip was the photo booth in Yanzi.
There are two options for data, depending on whether your phone supports an e-SIM. If so, you can sign up for internet without leaving home directly through the Tripcom app. The connection includes a built-in VPN, so all services will work. If you only have a physical SIM card, like I did, it's best to plan ahead. The tour operator told me I could buy a SIM card at the Vladivostok airport. It doesn't require a phone number, just internet. I got 5 GB for 800 rubles from Travel Mobile, which was enough for four days. Everything worked well, and I had a good signal everywhere.
SUMMARY
To sum it all up, the overall impression is one of total joy. China truly turned out to be a very affordable country to travel to. For such a small amount of money, it turned out to be a truly enriching trip, immersing you in a completely different culture. I've been looking back at these photos with awe for months now, thinking that in 10 years, I'll look at them and remember the eventful years of my youth!
Thank you all for reading. I hope I was able to share something useful and inspire you to embark on a new journey. In the next post, I'll tell you how we spent the second part of our trip in Vladivostok.
#hunchun #Yangzi #budget