Banks and exchange The Bank of China is at 136 Xinhua Dong Lu (Mon-Fri 8.30am-noon & 2-4.30pm).

Bike rental Bikes can be rented from a stall on the east side of the train-station concourse, opposite the Hualian Commercial Building, at the back of a large bike park (daily 8am-8pm; A?5 a day, deposit A?50).

Bookshops The Xinhua Bookstore at 13 Jiefang Lu sells English-language classic novels on the second floor.

Post office On Gongli Jie, opposite the west side of the train station (daily 7am-9pm). There's a 24-hour telephone office in the same building.

Trains The advance booking office for train tickets is at 47 Zhongshan Lu (daily 8am-noon & 2-5pm), though buying tickets from the large station itself should not be too stressful. The soft-seat waiting room, behind the station - come out of the entrance, turn right, then right again - with fishponds and an aviary, is glorious. Several hotels in town will also book train tickets for you.

Travel agents The unusually helpful CITS office, 22 Yucai Jie (tel 0311/5815102), is on the seventh floor of the building opposite the Hebei Hotel. Staff speak English and can provide information about the whole province.