Sanya: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Sanya is a city of 1 million people in China (Hainan), 1 m (3 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Sanya Phoenix International Airport (SYX), 12 km (7 mi) from the centre. It has 5 railway stations on record, including Sanya railway station. It is a port city: Yulin Port. Our booking partner lists 240 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Sanya runs from about 11 h 4 min a day in late December to 13 h 16 min in late June (computed for 18.25° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Sanya is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Sanya Phoenix International Airport (SYX), 12 km (7 mi) from the centre, whose 11,155-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft.
Flights to Sanya: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Sanya railway station, Phoenix Airport railway station, Yalongwan railway station, Yazhou railway station, Nanshanbei Railway Station. Trains to Sanya
Buses to Sanya · Driving and car hire · Ferries
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 240 places to stay in Sanya. Of the 235 with a star rating, the largest group is 5-star (96), and 96 are five-star. Across 56 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 9 out of 10. Guests have left 11,559 reviews in total.
Hotels in Sanya: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Haikou, 217 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Zhanjiang, 344 km — trains · buses · car rental
- Huế, 285 km (Vietnam)
- Lianjiang, 386 km — trains
- Da Nang, 279 km (Vietnam)
- Wuchuan, 380 km — trains · buses · car rental
- Wenchang, 198 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Wanning, 110 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Qionghai, 149 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Beihai, 361 km — trains · buses · car rental
Twin towns and sister cities: Khabarovsk, Cannes, Cancun, Benito Juárez Municipality.
Common questions
Which airport serves Sanya?
Sanya Phoenix International Airport (SYX), 12 km (7 mi) from the centre.
How big is Sanya?
About 1 million people live in Sanya, across 1,920 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Sanya in?
Asia/Shanghai, currently UTC+8.
What currency is used in Sanya?
The Yuan Renminbi (CNY). Traffic drives on the right.
How many hotels are there in Sanya?
Our booking partner lists 240 places to stay in Sanya, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Sanya?
Haikou (217 km), Zhanjiang (344 km), Huế (285 km), Lianjiang (386 km), Da Nang (279 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.