Yongding is a county is southwestern Fujian Province and is 307 kilometers (191 miles) from Xiamen City. Hence, the most convenient way to get to Yongding is taking a bus from Xiamen to the county, after your traveling in Xiamen. The voyage takes about 4 hours, and you are advised to prepare for possible carsickness. Of course, you can take a train (K299) from Xiamen to Yongding, but the train departs at 17:07 from Xiamen, and arrives at Yongding at 23:12. Travel China does not recommend this choice.
The magnificent Hakka Earthen Buildings are the highlights in Yongding, and they are really dispersive. Hence, independent travel is not recommended, because of the inconvenient transportation. Joining in a tour group may give you a better enjoyment in Yongding. If you are interested in it, you can contact us to have us tailor-make a tour for you.
Coach/Bus: the Most Popular and Convenient Choice
Yongding Bus Station is about 2-hour drive from the nearest attraction of Hakka earthen buildings: Hongkeng Earthen Building Complex (洪坑土楼群).
Xiamen–The Earthen Buildings
If you intend to visit the earthen buildings at the same day you arriving at Yongding, the best choice is to catch the bus from Xiamen to Yongding Earthen Building (not Yongding County) and the approximate ticket fare is 60 yuan for a voyage. The bus would dock at Zhangzhou City, Nanjing County, Shuyang Town, Hukeng Town (where is the Hongkeng Earthen Building Complex placed) and Xiayang Town (where is the Chuxi Earthen Building Complex placed). You can get off anywhere you want to, but the bus would not wait for you. You also can get off at Tulou Bus Station in Hukeng Town, and the station is right near the entrance to the Hongkeng Earthen Building Complex.
- From Xiamen to the Earthen Buildings: the earliest one departs at 06:00 and the latest one departs at 12：30, daily
- From the Earthen Buildings to Xiamen: departing at 07:30, 12:30 and 14:45
Notice: If your schedule is conflicted to above bus schedule, you can choose the following itinerary: Xiamen–Yongding–the Earthen Building, because there are more buses running between Xiamen and Yongand, and Yongding and the Earthen Buildings.
Xiamen–Yongding–The Earthen Buildings
The buses departing from Xiamen to Yongding are available in Hubin Long-Distance Bus Station (湖滨长途汽车站), which is located in 59 Hubin South Road (湖滨南路59号). After arriving at Yongding Bus Station, you can catch a bus to Hongkeng Earthen Building Complex. What's more, you also can transfer to buses to other Yongding's attractions in the station. In addition, the largest earthen building, Chengqi Building (承启楼) is only 15-minute drive from Hongkeng Earthen Building Complex.
- Xiamen–Yongding: available in Xiamen Hubin Long-Distance Bus Station, departing at: 07:50, 08:50, 10:30, 11:50, 13:00, 13:50, 16:00 and 16:30 daily, 4-hour drive, and the approximate ticket fare is 75 yuan
- Yongding–Hukeng: the bus departs every 40 minutes, and the approximate ticket fare is 15 yuan
- Distance between Yongding attractions: Hongkeng Earthen Building Complex is 4 kilometers a(2.5 miles) or from Gaobei Earthen Building Complex (includes Chengqi Building), 5 kilometers (2.7 miles) from Nanxi Earthen Building Complex, and about 40 kilometers (22 miles) from Chuxi Earthen Building Complex.
