Sanya is spread out — the centre, Dadonghai, Sanya Bay, Yalong Bay, and Haitang Bay are all several kilometres from each other, so getting around takes some planning.
Metered taxis are easy to flag down. Drivers almost never speak English; have your destination written in Chinese on your phone or printed on a hotel card. The flagfall is RMB 11 and most cross-town trips run RMB 30-80. Ride-hailing through Didi works well and is often the easier option if you can navigate the app in Chinese.
City buses cover all the main districts for RMB 1-3 per ride. Bus 8, 15 and 24 link the centre with the airport, Dadonghai, and Sanya Bay; bus 25 runs between the city and Yalong Bay; bus 28 reaches Haitang Bay. They are slow but cheap.
Sanya Metro opened a single line in 2022 — useful between the city centre and the airport but not yet a comprehensive system.
Bike rental is RMB 20-30 per hour from stalls along the Coconut Dream Corridor and the Dadonghai promenade. Useful for the seafront stretches; pointless for cross-town travel given the distances and the heat.
Renting a car is technically possible but rarely worth it for foreign visitors — you need a Chinese driver's licence (international permits are not recognised). Hiring a driver for a day, especially for the run out to Nanshan and Tianya Haijiao, is more practical and not expensive (around RMB 500-700 per day).