Harbin Travel Transportation Guide & Local Specialties

Just now, we mainly talked about some food and attractions on Harbin Central Street. Now, I want to share with you some information about local specialties, transportation and accommodation in Harbin. This will be helpful wherever you go.

Specialties

Harbin red sausage comes in two types: one is called red sausage (also called fatty sausage because there are fat pieces inside, but not many and it’s not greasy), the other is called lean sausage. If you don’t like fat, make sure you buy lean sausage. Some stores also sell children’s sausage, which is a small piece of lean meat. You can also try it. Old Harbin people like to eat red sausage from Qilin Company. The lean sausage from Shangwei and Roulian is more popular. For dry sausage, I personally think the one from Qilin Lidaosi is more flavorful (it’s not Qilin Food, but Qilin Lidaosi). In addition, if you like to eat roast chicken, you can buy it from Yuchang Food. There are many chain stores on the street. Harbin’s powder sausage is also delicious, especially the Struggle powder sausage sold at the Struggle Food Store next to the Qilin Company in Nangang. It’s so popular that people are always in line. I don’t recommend buying red sausage from Nongda. There are too many fake ones and they’re not authentic! If you have time, you can go to the Shangwei General Store on Lao Taiping in Dao Wai District and buy some fried meatballs. Old Harbin people know this place and its fried meatballs are very popular, but you have to go early. If you go too late, it will be sold out! I recommend you to go to Daoli vegetable market and Struggle Food Store. You can buy these brands of food in both stores!

Speaking of Harbin’s specialties, Qilin Lidaosi’s red sausage,
Kvas, Harbin Roulian’s red sausage, Qilin Food’s Big Loaf, and Huamei’s bread are all good. Many people say that Shangwei’s red sausage is so delicious and popular, but actually, Shangwei’s red sausage is not as good as what people say. It’s actually their meatballs that are really delicious, and they sell out super fast, super fast, super fast. It’s important to say this three times. They only sell them in one place, so you know that what’s rare is precious. Actually, the red sausage from Nongda is also good, and now they have many specialty stores, so you don’t have to worry about buying fake ones.

Taxi

There are two types of taxis in Harbin, with a huge price difference. The yellow and green Volkswagen is 1.9 yuan/km; while the black Toyota is 3.9 yuan/km. If you are a first-time visitor and don’t carefully check the price tag on the window, you can easily get the wrong car. In Harbin, it’s very common for regular taxis to “share a ride”. So, you’ll see that even drivers who already have passengers will stop and ask you your destination. This way of sharing a ride is also calculated by kilometer, and if it’s on the way, it’s okay to share a ride.

Transportation within the city

There are many hotels near the Central Street business district, but according to local residents, most hotels are old and have low value for money. In fact, Harbin city is not big. The distance to several must-see attractions is only about 20 yuan by taxi. The starting fee is 8 yuan, and the fuel surcharge is 1 yuan. So you can choose any hotel south of the Songhua River, without having to be limited.

Accommodation

Ibis, on Shangzhi Street, is just one street away from Central Street. It’s right next to Makai Le. There are also many places to stay in Makai Le Apartments, like daily rental apartments. Wanda Holiday Inn is at the intersection of Central Street and Jingwei Street. It’s a bit expensive, but the location is good. Friendship Palace is a four-star hotel on Youyi Road, near the river. It’s an old hotel and the price is 300-400 yuan on weekdays and may increase on holidays. Madie’l is a very characteristic hotel. Many TV series were filmed here. Motel 168 is newly opened on Shi San Dao Street. It’s convenient to get around and easy to find. Hanting Shi San Dao Street store is in the best location. It’s right across from Jinan Europa Shopping Mall, which is Central Street, and if you walk to Shangzhi Street, you’ll find the bus station.