Getting There

By Plane
Beijing is the largest communication hub in North China with convenient transportation links to all directions. The modern international airport and radiating road and rail network ensures ease of access whilst on your pleasant Beijing tour.

As one of the major three international airports in China, Beijing Capital International Airport is located in northeast of Beijing, capital of People's Republic of China, and 25km from the Tiananmen Square, very center of Beijing city. It is not only an aviation gateway of Beijing and a window for international communication, but also a radial center for China civil aviation network, featured in a large-scale international airport, with most important location, biggest scale, fullest facilities and busiest transportation in China.

Beijing Capital International Airport officially opened on March 02nd 1958. With the development of civil aviation business and the increasing volume of passenger and cargo transportation, it was expanded in large scale. Due to the excellent geographic location and service facilities at Beijing Capital International Airport, 66 domestic and foreign airline companies are participating in the operational business, including 11 domestic companies and 55 foreign companies. More than 5,000 scheduled flights are available to 88 cities in China and 69 cities abroad.

A convenient, comfortable and regular shuttle service operated by the civil aviation authority runs once every 15 minutes from the airport to downtown Beijing at a cost of 16 Yuan per person. Alternatively, taxis are available for approximately 120-150 Yuan to the city (including the taxi toll of 10 Yuan). Though taxis in Beijing charge according to meters, experienced travelers can usually bargain with the driver for a lower price.

    

Airport Shuttle Bus Routes:
Route 1: Xidan CAAC Building-Dongzhimenqiao-Capital Airport
Route 2: Gongzhufeng-Friendship Hotel-Beitaipingzhuang-Anzhen Building-Capital Airport
Route 3: International Hotel-Jingxin Hotel-Capital Airport
Route 4: Zhongguancun-Capital Airport
Route 5: Fangzhuang-Capital Airport
CAAC Building ticket office: 010-66569988

Terminal Airlines List:

Beijing is the railway hub of the nation, with trains to most provincial capitals and all neighboring cities. There are two railway stations in Beijing, Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station. The former runs mainly long-haul journeys to North-east China and East China such as Beijing to Harbin and Beijing to Shanghai or international trains including the lines directly to Moscow, Pyongyang and Ulan Bator etc. The latter is the largest railway station in Asia. Tourists can get to the capital cities of every province, most major and medium sized cities, autonomous regions (excluding Hainan and Taiwan) in China.

For both tourists and businessmen's convenience, intercity express trains run between Beijing and Tianjin departing Beijing Railway Station 10 times daily. Cost for hard seat is about 35 Yuan and 45 Yuan for soft seat.

Train tickets can be bought at ticket offices in both Beijing and Beijing West Railway Stations. Tourists can buy tickets and reserve seats up to one week in advance (about 11 days prior during national holidays) and refund the ticket (less twenty percent cancellation fee). Passports or other regulated documents are required when buying or booking tickets.

Note: ticket demand always exceeds supply on national holidays, winter vacation and summer vacation and peak tourism season so Umetravel suggests you book tickets upon arrival in Beijing to avoid delaying your later schedule.

Nowadays nearly all standard hotel receptions offer a convenient train ticket booking service.

Beijing Railway Station Ticket Booking: 51016666 (tourists can book tickets for trains departing Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station and Beijing North Railway Station five or ten days ahead of your departure time on this line) 51019999

By Bus
Beijing is without a doubt the largest junction of major roads in China, with twelve national highways radiating to the northeast, southeast, southwest, and south, and eight main expressways surrounding the city, totaling twenty thousand kilometers.

Nineteen bus stations in Beijing operate thousands of buses every day, to neighboring cities such as Datong, Chengde, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang and Zhengzhou, some departing hourly. Umetravel suggests that long-distance travelers should not choose buses, but short bus journeys can be memorable experiences.

Bus tickets can be purchased 3 to 5 days prior to your departure, upon your arrival at the station, or even after you board the bus, if it is out of season.

Liuliqiao Long-Distance Bus Station
Location: Jia 1, Nan Li, Liuliqiao, Fengtai District
Tel: 010-83831717 83831720
Bus route: bus No. 6, 50, 323, 324 and 300 to Liuliqiao Nanli stop
Coaches departing from this station can reach Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Luoyang, Shijiazhuang, Zhangjiakou, Qinhuangdao, Hohehot, Baotou,Tangshan, Shenyang, Dalian, Yinchuan, etc.

Zhaogongkou Long-Distance Bus Station
Location: 34, Nan Sanhuan Zhong Lu, Yongwai
Tel: 010-67229494 67237328
Bus route: tourists can take bus Nos. 2, 17, 25, 43, 300, 368 and 927 to the station
Tourists can take busses departing this station to Zhengzhou, Anyang, Zhoukou, Shijiazhuang, Jinan, Weihai, Dongying, Hangzhou, Harbin, Shanhaiguan, Wuhan etc.

Dongzhimen Long-Distance Bus Station
Location: 45, Dongzhimenwai Xie Jie
Tel: 010-64671346 67237328
Bus route: take bus Nos. 18, 22, 44, 117, 359, 401, 404, 413, 418, 915, 916, 24, 106, 107 etc. to Dongmen stop
There are busses to Chengde, Huairou and Miyun etc. at this station.

Muxiyuan Long-Distance Bus Station
Location: 199, Haihutun, Fengtai District
Bus route: bus Nos. 2, 17, 324, 341, 366, 377,926 etc. to MuxiYuan stop
Tel: 010-67267149
Tourists can take busses departing this station to Jinzhou, Huairou, Shijiazhuang, Nanjing, Jinan, Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Zibo, Dezhou and Weifang etc.

Lizeqiao Long-Distance Bus Station
Location: lizeqiao east, 3rd Ring Road, Fengtai District
Bus route: bus Nos. 811, 901, 541, 50, 300, 323, 324 etc. to Lizeqiao or Dongguantou stop
Tel: 010-63403408, 63475092
Tourists can take busses departing this station to Tianjin, Langfang, Dezhou, Taiyuan, Zhengzhou, Jinan, Tai'an, Nanjing, Xi'an and Hohhot etc.

Lianhuachi Long-Distance Bus Station
Location: liuliqiao, Fengtai District
Bus route: bus Nos. 6, 50, 309, 340 etc. to MuxiYuan stop
Tel: 010-63464027
Tourists can take busses departing this station to Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Zhangjiaguang, Dezhou, Weifang, Zhengzhou, Tai'an, Hefei and Xuzhou etc.

Getting Around

Taxi
It's easy to catch a taxi in Beijing for newcomers, and the taxis offer you the most convenience. There are over 6,000 taxis at the airport, railway and bus stations. Most of the drivers can not speak English or other foreign languages, so ask your local guide or the bell boy at hotel to write down the place you want to go in both English and Chinese, and then you can show the note to the driver.

The flag-down-rate of the taxis in Beijing is 10 Yuan. The charge for the following journey depends on the distance you will take. The taxi will charge 2 Yuan per extra kilometer.

Due to the traffic situation in Beijing, taxis charge not only according to their meters, but also for waiting time in traffic, driving at night and mileage for driving without passenger. For every accumulated five minutes of waiting time you will be charged an additional one-kilometer fee. Though taxis are somewhat expensive for many travelers, they are convenient in the middle of the night or early morning. After 11 p.m., taxis charge a 20 percent late-night surcharge, no extra for luggage. We recommend tourists ask for receipt when alighting from a taxi for the car number, company name, registered driver and complaint telephone etc. are listed in it. The receipt will help you once you lose your luggage on the taxi.

Public Bus
The locals do not take taxi very often, and it is the public buses which play a more important role in the citizen's daily life. Bus numbers beginning with '8' are air-conditioned; other numbers indicate double-decker, special tour lines, night buses, and so on. The ticket price is 1 Yuan for city routes, while ticket prices for bus with air-condition is 2 Yuan to 5 Yuan. If there is no conductor on the bus, passengers should board the bus at the front, drop ticket fee into the box and exit at the rear.
Note: Since some buses are self-service, please prepare small bills or coins before boarding.

Subway
Subway is the fastest transportation and most economic vehicle in Beijing. Currently there are four subway lines in Beijing connecting city center stops such as Tian'anmen Square, Qianmen, and the railway station with outskirt and till 2008, there will be nine routes totally in Beijing.
The operating hours of the subway are from 5:00 a.m. to 23:00 p.m., Line 13 is from 06:00 a.m. to 09:00 p.m. and the price ranges from 2 to 6 Yuan, commuter tickets are accepted. Passengers can inquire of the subway staff if you have queries in order to avoid taking the wrong direction and wasting time. Subways in Beijing are not as good as those in Shanghai and Guangzhou, but it's still one of the convenient transport systems.

Bicycle
Many hotels in Beijing offer bicycle rental services, the cost of which is 20 to 30 Yuan per day. If you are of a vigorous disposition, riding a bicycle through the Hutongs in Beijing is a wise choice for exploring the city thoroughly.