In short
Let us settle the question that comes up most often, because most guide pages get it wrong: no tram and no metro serve Sanya Phoenix International Airport. According to the Sanya Transport Bureau, Sanya has a single tram demonstration line running between Sanya Railway Station and Jiangang Road, 8.37 km and 15 stops, with a flat ¥3 fare, operating 06:30 to 22:31 in the railway station direction and never calling at the airport. So the answer to how to catch the tram from the terminal is that you cannot: you ride a train to Sanya station first and change there. What the airport does have is real rail. Fenghuang Airport station sits on the west loop of the Hainan Ring High-speed Railway and on the Sanya–Ledong tourist railway, is joined to the departures drop-off deck and has its main entrance on the west side of Terminal 1; just follow the rail signs, since the airport publishes no official walking time. From there it is one stop to Sanya station, as little as 8 minutes on the fastest service, 11 to 12 minutes on most, at a published second-class fare of ¥8. That is the cheapest and most predictable ride out of this airport, with the caveat that it delivers you to the railway station rather than to a beach. For the bays you need the airport buses, and there are officially only two. Line 1 runs 18 times a day from 09:00 to 02:00, closing with the last flight, and works out from the airport through Sanya Bay, Haiyue Square, the main bus station and Dadonghai to the Yalong Bay hotels. Line 2 runs 13 times a day from 10:00 to 22:00 and goes direct to the CDF Mall at Haitang Bay. Both charge by section, capped at ¥25 per adult on the coach and ¥12.5 for a child, or ¥30 on Line 1 and ¥35 on Line 2 in a seven-seat van, and the airport publishes no total journey time for either. Both board opposite Gate 5 of domestic arrivals, on Level 1 of Block C of the transport complex. Door to door, the choice is a taxi or a ride-hailing car. Sanya cruise taxis run on a government-set tariff, document Sanfu [2015] No. 200: ¥11 for the first 2.5 km in a Class I car or ¥10 in a Class II car, then ¥2.4 or ¥2.20 per km, plus 50% of the per-km rate for every kilometre beyond 10 km, which works out at about ¥3.6 or ¥3.3 per km, and 20% on the whole fare between 23:00 and 06:00.
- Tram to the airport
- No — the only line runs Sanya station to Jiangang Road
- Tram fare and hours
- Flat ¥3; 06:30–22:31 from Sanya station
- The airport’s own station
- Fenghuang Airport station, joined to the T1 drop-off deck
- Fastest ride to Sanya station
- 8 minutes, ¥8 second class
- Most services
- 11 to 12 minutes
- First and last towards Sanya
- From about 07:07; last 22:29, arriving 22:40
- Official airport buses
- Two only: Line 1 to Yalong Bay, Line 2 to Haitang Bay
- Bus fare ceiling
- ¥25 per adult, ¥12.5 children; ¥30 or ¥35 by van
- Bus journey time
- Not published by the airport
- Taxi flag fall
- ¥11 for 2.5 km in Class I, ¥10 in Class II
- Taxi night surcharge
- Plus 20% on the whole fare, 23:00–06:00
How to take each option
Cheapest of all: walk to Fenghuang Airport station and ride one stop
Time From 8 minutes, mostly 11 to 12Fare ¥8 second class, published fare
- After baggage claim follow the railway signs: Fenghuang Airport station is joined to the departures drop-off deck and its main entrance is on the west side of Terminal 1. The airport publishes no walking time, so allow 10 to 15 minutes to be safe.
- Check that day’s departures before you commit. Towards Sanya the first service is around 07:07 and the last leaves at 22:29, arriving 22:40, both subject to timetable changes, so trust the 12306 result for your date.
- Buy at the ticket window or a self-service machine, or ahead of time through 12306 or the search box at the top of this page. It is a small station with two security scanners and the windows and gates on the same level.
- Ride one stop to Sanya station, where the published second-class fare is ¥8. The Sanya–Ledong tourist railway also supports entry and exit by scanning an Alipay mini-program QR code.
- From Sanya station continue however your destination requires: change to the tram towards Jiangang Road for ¥3, take a city bus, or pick up a taxi at the station forecourt.
This is the cheapest ride at the airport, but it ends at Sanya station rather than in the centre or on a beach. If you are staying in Yalong Bay or Haitang Bay it simply points you the right way and the last leg is still yours to arrange.
Airport Bus Line 1: to Yalong Bay, calling at Sanya Bay and Dadonghai
Fare By section, capped at ¥25First 09:00Last 02:00
- Wait at the coach point opposite Gate 5 of domestic arrivals, on Level 1 of Block C of the transport complex, which the Sanya Transport Bureau describes as Level 1 of the car park opposite Gate 5 of the international arrivals hall.
- There are 18 departures a day between 09:00 and 02:00, closing with the last flight, roughly hourly through the day; the stops and times shown on the Haiqi Travel ticket page take precedence.
- Tell the conductor which hotel or district you want, because the route calls in order at Haihong Road, Haiyue Square on Sanya Bay Road, Xinfeng Road, the main bus station on Jiefang Road, then Yuya Road for the municipal offices, Dadonghai, Hongsha and Jiyang before the Yalong Bay turn-off and the hotels.
- Pay the sectional fare, capped at ¥25 on the coach and ¥12.5 for a child, or ¥30 in a seven-seat van.
This is the only airport coach that crosses the city, dropping at Haiyue Square, the main bus station and Dadonghai, so it also suits anyone staying in Sanya Bay or Dadonghai — you need not ride through to the Yalong Bay terminus.
Airport Bus Line 2: straight to the Haitang Bay duty-free mall
Fare By section, capped at ¥25First 10:00Last 22:00
- Wait at the same boarding point, opposite Gate 5 of domestic arrivals on Level 1 of Block C.
- There are 13 departures a day between 10:00 and 22:00, running via Shuijiao Road to the Phoenix Airport expressway interchange and then along the Hainan Ring Expressway to the Haitang Bay, or Linwang, interchange.
- It calls at Haitang Bay 301 Hospital, the Haitang Bay hotels and the Haitang tourist centre at Haichang Sleepless City, finishing at the CDF Mall at Haitang Bay.
- The same sectional fare applies, capped at ¥25 on the coach and ¥12.5 for a child, or ¥35 in a seven-seat van.
This line does not enter the city at all. If you simply want to shop at the duty-free mall and come back, you ride it both ways and should not expect a downtown stop on the way.
Taxi or ride-hailing: door to door
Time 20–45 min (third-party)Fare Metered
- Follow the taxi signs to the official queue: opposite Gates 4 to 5 of the Level 1 arrivals hall at T1 and T2, or outside Gate 01 of the Level 1 arrivals hall at T3.
- Show the driver your hotel name and address in Chinese, ask for the meter, and take the receipt and note the plate when you get out. Complaints go to 12345, 12328 or 0898-88667813.
- For ride-hailing use its own area: opposite Gates 2 to 3 of the Level 1 arrivals hall at T1 and T2, entering through the east or west ride-hailing entrance and following the zebra crossing, or at T3 taking the shuttle from outside Gate 2 on the east side of Level 1 to the temporary car park.
- Pay what the meter shows. Sanya cruise taxis run on a government-set tariff, document Sanfu [2015] No. 200: ¥11 for the first 2.5 km in a Class I car or ¥10 in a Class II car, 50% of the per-km rate added for every kilometre past 10 km, and 20% on the whole fare from 23:00 to 06:00.
No official airport-to-centre fare exists. Third-party travel sites quote reference ranges of about ¥25–50 and 20 minutes for Sanya Bay and the city centre, ¥40–70 and 35 minutes for Dadonghai, and ¥80–120 and 45 minutes for Yalong Bay, none of which is an official price.
If what you really want is the tram
- Take the train first: one stop from Fenghuang Airport station to Sanya station, from 8 minutes at ¥8.
- Leave Sanya station following the tram signs to the platform at Sanya Railway Station, where the flat fare is ¥3.
- The tram runs between Sanya Railway Station and Jiangang Road, 8.37 km and 15 stops via Yuxiu Road, Fenghuang Road, Jiefang Road and Yingbin Road, with departures from Sanya Railway Station between 06:30 and 22:31.
The tram exists for moving around the city, not for airport access, so do not think of it as a cheap airport link: riding it costs you an extra ¥8 and 8 minutes just to reach Sanya station.
Late-night and early-morning arrivals
Night options split into three by the clock. Rail: the last departure from Fenghuang Airport station towards Sanya leaves at 22:29 and arrives at 22:40, after which there is no high-speed train at all, and the tram, whose last run leaves Sanya Railway Station at 22:31, does not come here anyway. Bus: Line 1 runs until 02:00, closing with the last flight, which makes it the only public transport with any hope in the small hours, while Line 2 finishes at 22:00. Taxi: 20% is added to the whole fare between 23:00 and 06:00, but the Sanya Transport Bureau stations staff at Phoenix Airport and organises metered taxis and ride-hailing cars in shifts until the last arriving flight of the day is cleared, having in past peak periods extended 43 buses on routes 108 and 136 to the last inbound flight and put 50 ride-hailing cars into a dedicated loop at the airport. Enquiries on 0898-88217397 between 08:00 and 18:00 and 0898-88595928 from 18:00 to 08:00, and phone dispatch on 95128 followed by pressing 2.
Questions travellers ask
Is there a metro or tram at Sanya airport?
Neither, and that is the official position. Per the Sanya Transport Bureau the city has one tram demonstration line, Sanya Railway Station to Jiangang Road, 8.37 km and 15 stops at a flat ¥3, running 06:30 to 22:31 from the railway station and never calling at the airport. The airport’s own rail link is Fenghuang Airport station on the Hainan Ring High-speed Railway and the Sanya–Ledong line.
What is the fastest way from Sanya airport into town?
It depends which part of town you mean. For Sanya station the train wins at 8 minutes and ¥8. For Sanya Bay or Dadonghai you need a taxi, which third-party sites put at roughly 20 to 35 minutes, or Bus Line 1, which calls at Haiyue Square, the main bus station and Dadonghai, though the airport publishes no journey time.
What is the cheapest way into Sanya?
The train from Fenghuang Airport station to Sanya station, at a published second-class fare of ¥8 and as little as 8 minutes. Next comes the airport bus, charged by section and capped at ¥25. Taxis are the most expensive, and no official airport-to-city fare is published at all.
How far is Fenghuang Airport station from the terminal?
Not far: it is joined to the departures drop-off deck, with its main entrance on the west side of Terminal 1, so just follow the railway signs. The airport publishes no walking time and does not say whether there is an enclosed walkway, so allow 10 to 15 minutes to be safe.
Do the airport buses go to Sanya railway station?
They do not. Only two coach lines run officially: Line 1 to Yalong Bay, calling at Haiyue Square, the main bus station and Dadonghai, and Line 2 to the Haitang Bay duty-free mall. Neither finishes at Sanya station, so take the ¥8 train or a cab.
How much is the airport bus and how long does it take?
Both charge by section, capped at ¥25 per adult and ¥12.5 for a child on the coach, or ¥30 on Line 1 and ¥35 on Line 2 in a seven-seat van. The airport publishes no journey time; third-party travel sites claim about 60 and 70 minutes respectively, which is unconfirmed and not repeated here.
How much is a taxi from Sanya airport to the city centre?
No such official figure exists. What you can check is the government-set tariff, document Sanfu [2015] No. 200: ¥11 for the first 2.5 km in a Class I car then ¥2.4 per km, ¥10 and ¥2.20 in a Class II car, plus 50% of the per-km rate for every kilometre beyond 10 km. Third-party travel sites quote about ¥25–50 and 20 minutes for the city area, which is a reference range rather than an official price.
Is there public transport if I land late at night?
Bus Line 1 runs until 02:00 with the last flight and is the only public transport with any hope late at night; Line 2 finishes at 22:00 and the last train towards Sanya leaves Fenghuang Airport station at 22:29, arriving 22:40. After that it is taxis and ride-hailing only, with 20% added to the whole fare from 23:00 to 06:00.
Can I pay for a taxi with a foreign bank card?
Two official statements apply. Around 12,700 merchant terminals in Sanya displaying the foreign-card acceptance mark take international cards directly, according to the Sanya Asian Beach Games Financial Payment Service Handbook reported by Hainan Daily and People’s Daily Online. Separately, the Hainan Fangxin Fu app is being piloted in the taxi fleets of Haikou and Sanya, letting a driver use an NFC phone as a terminal so you simply tap a foreign card against it. Whether every cab is covered is unconfirmed, so carry cash or link an international card to Alipay or WeChat Pay as well.
Does it change much if I am going to Yalong Bay, Haitang Bay or the city?
Quite a lot. For Yalong Bay take Line 1, running 09:00 to 02:00 with 18 departures a day and capped at ¥25. For Haitang Bay or the duty-free mall take Line 2, 10:00 to 22:00, 13 departures a day. For Sanya Bay or Dadonghai ride Line 1 and get off part way. For Sanya station the train is cheapest at 8 minutes and ¥8. For anything else a cab is simplest.