International Ferries to and from China
China can be reached by ferry from South Korea and Japan. The ferries from South Korea are quite frequent and take anywhere from 15 hours to 25 hours and go to multiple destinations in China from Shandong Province in the south to Liaoning Province in the north. There are also less frequent ferries from Osaka and Kobe in Japan to Shanghai and from Kobe to Tianjin.
Tickets can be bought directly at the ports, through travel agencies in the respective countries or through the companies that run the ships. It is recommended that passengers should arrive at the port at least 2 hours before departure to allow time to complete passport control and customs formalities.
Ferries between South Korea and China
There are a whole host of boats departing from the port of Incheon in South Korea to various ports in China. The ferries to Tianjin (only one hour by train from Beijing) and Qingdao, Weihai or Yantai (popular seaside cities in Shandong Province) would probably be the most popular choices. Ferries to Dalian and Dandong in Liaoning Province are also possible.
A schedule of departures is listed below, but times should be double-checked before planning a journey.
South Korea to Tianjin
Incheon-Tianjin: Departs 13:00 Tuesday and 19:00 Friday. Travel Time: 25 hours.
Tianjin-Incheon: Departs 11:00 Thursdays and Sundays. Travel Time: 25 hours.
These services are operated by Jinchon Ferry Company: www.jinchon.cn
South Korea to Shandong Province
Incheon-Qingdao: Departs 17:00 Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Travel Time: 17 hours.
Qingdao-Incheon: Departs 16:00 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Travel Time: 17 hours.
Incheon-Weihai: Departs 19:00 Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Travel Time: 14 hours.
Weihai-Incheon: Departs 18:30 Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Travel Time: 14 hours.
These services are operated by Weidong Ferry Company: www.weidong.com
South Korea to Liaoning Province
Incheon-Dalian: Departs 17:00 Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays. Travel Time: 16 hours.
Dalian-Incheon: Departs 15:30 Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. Travel Time: 16 hours.
This service is operated by Dain Ferry Company: www.dainferry.co.kr
Incheon-Dandong: Departs 17:00 Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. Travel Time: 15 hours.
Dandong-Incheon: Departs 15:00 Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays. Travel Time: 15 hours.
This service is operated by Dandong Ferry Company: www.dandongferry.co.kr
Ferries between Japan and China
There are ferries from Japan from Osaka or Kobe to Shanghai and from Kobe to Tianjin (one hour by train from Beijing). These ferries are offered by a number of different companies. A schedule of departures is listed below, but these should be double-checked before planning a journey.
Shanghai Ferry Company
Osaka-Shanghai: Departs 12:00 on Fridays, Arrives Sundays at 12:00.
Shanghai-Osaka: Departs 11:00 on Tuesdays, Arrives Thursdays at 9:00.
Fares range from 1300-6500 RMB. Tickets can be reserved online at the Shanghai Ferry Company’s website: www.shanghai-ferry.co.jp
Japan-China International Ferry Company
Osaka/Kobe-Shanghai: Departs 11:30 Tuesdays, Arrives 13:00 Thursdays.
Shanghai-Osaka/Kobe: Departs 12:30 Saturdays, Arrives 9:30 Mondays.
Note that this ship alternates each week between Kobe and Osaka as the departure/arrival city. Fares range from 1300-6500 RMB. Bookings can be made through the Japan-China International Ferry Company’s website: www.shinganjin.com
China Express Line (from 11 October 2012)
Kobe-Tianjin: Departs 22:00 Tuesdays, Arrives 07:30 Fridays.
Tianjin-Kobe: Departs 20:00 Fridays, Arrives 08:30 Mondays.
China Express Line’s website has limited information in English about schedules: www.celkobe.co.jp
Dear Madam, Sir,
I would like to know if there is a boat going from Kobe/Osaka to Shanghai on the 15th of May 2011.
Your Sincerely, Dick Dirkse
Hi Dick
There are no boats sailing on the 15th. But the Shanghai Ferry Company has a service leaving Osaka on May 13th and arriving in Shanghai on May 15th. That’s the closest one to the date you want. You could book it through their website (http://www.shanghai-ferry.co.jp). Reservations start two months before the date of travel.
We are told two conflicting schedules. Leaving Tianjin for Incheon in November, one website says the departure is on Friday, and yours says Thursday. Could you please tell which is correct.
Hi Sandy. Thursday is correct. The schedule is on the Jinchon Ferry website. See the dates under the Xingang column. Cheers.
Thanks, we were hoping it would be Friday and not Thursday. Is there a port other than Tianjin which has service to Incheon on either Friday or Saturday which is close to Tianjin?
There’s the one from Qingdao listed above. Qingdao is less than 4.5 hours from Beijing on the high-speed trains. So if you took the 7:45am train from Beijing (train G191) you’d be in Qingdao just after midday for a 5pm departure on the ferry. Or you can take a D train from Tianjin which is also a roughly 4.5 hour trip.
Hi,
I am looking for information about the ferry from Tianjin to Kobe or Osaka at the end of December.
How much are the ferry tickets at that time and where can i buy tickets in Tianjin?
Thanks!
Hi Talia. I’ve answered your question on our forum here: Tianjin to Kobe Ferry.
Hi,
I’m looking for Kobe to Tianjin ferry schedule for March 2013. Is this available somewhere?
Thanks in advance,
Tom
Hello Tom. I can’t find a schedule for March 2013 but, according to their website, departures from Kobe are changing to Tuesdays at 10pm from October 11th until the end of this year. Maybe try emailing them for some information about March.
Hi ChinaTravelSavvy!
Thanks for your fast response! I have already tried to email them but they haven’t replied yet, thanks for the info regarding Tuesdays, I’ll try again and email them!
Thanks again!
Tom
Hi ChinaTravelSavvy
Do you know if the Osaka/Kobe to Tianjin ferry is running anymore?
I heard (though not official) that it has stopped!
Thanks in advance, Tom
Im looking at the ferry from either osaka or kobe to shanghai.. The prices you list her are about 1/10th of what they say on the website. where did you find prices from 1500-6500 yen? as i can only find prices for 22,000 yen.
Thanks
Sorry, prices should have been in RMB. I’ve updated it.
Hi, I’m looking for a ticket from china(anywhere) to pyeongtaek(KOR).
Could you check this for me?
Hello. The ferries listed on this page are the only ones I know of. Best bet would be to take one of them and then travel on to Pyeongtaek.