Those with sight, hearing or mobility disabilities must be extremely cautious of the traffic, which almost never yields to pedestrians.
Download Lonely Planet's free Accessible Travel guide from http://lptravel.to/AccessibleTravel.
8Getting There & Away
Rail and air connections link the city to virtually every point in China, and fleets of buses head to abundant destinations from Běijīng. Most travellers coming from overseas fly into the city, arriving at Běijīng Capital International Airport. Using the nation's capital as a starting point to explore the rest of the country makes perfect sense.
Air
Běijīng Capital International Airport
Currently the world’s second-busiest airport, Běijīng Capital International Airport has three terminals. Terminal 3 (三号航站楼; sān hào hángzhànlóu) deals with most long-haul flights, although international flights also use Terminal 2 (二号航站楼; èr hào hángzhànlóu). Both are connected to the slick Airport Express, which links to Běijīng’s subway system. The smaller Terminal 1 (一号航站楼; yī hào hángzhànlóu) is a 10-minute walk from Terminal 2. Free 24-hour shuttle buses connect all three terminals.
Nányuàn Airport
The very small Nányuàn Airport (南苑机场; Nányuàn Jīchǎng, NAY %010 6797 8899; Jingbeixi Lu, Nányuàn Zhèn, Fēngtái District; 丰台区南苑镇警备西路, 警备东路口 ) feels more like a provincial bus station than an airport, but it does service quite a few domestic routes. Airport facilities are limited to a few shops and snack stalls, and don't expect to hear much English.
Boat
The nearest major port is Tiānjīn International Cruise Home Port (天津国际游轮母港, Tiānjīn Guójì Yóulún Mǔgǎng). Express trains leave from Běijīng south train station to Tiānjīn every half-hour (¥54 to ¥93, 30 minutes). From there, take subway Line 9 to Citizen Plaza station (市民广场; Shìmín Guǎngchǎng; ¥12, one hour), then take bus 513 to the last stop (东疆游轮母港; Dōngjiāng Yóulún Mǔgǎng; ¥2, 40 minutes, 7am to 5pm).
At the time of writing, ferry services to Dàlián (大连; ¥260 to ¥880, 12 hours, 8pm) in Liáoníng province were running only between June and October, but check as the service is frequently suspended. It leaves on even-numbered days (the return comes back on odd numbers). Boarding starts at 6pm and tickets can be bought on the day of travel. You can also catch a ferry from here to Incheon (¥888 to ¥1590, 24 hours) in South Korea. Ferries leave twice a week, on Sundays and Thursdays; departure times vary. Check www.jinchon.cn for more details.
Car & Motorcycle
It is possible to drive to Běijīng from other countries, either by car or motorbike, but it requires permits that take a couple of months to arrange and travel by car or motorbike comes with many conditions.
Bus
There are numerous long-distance bus stations, but no international bus routes to Běijīng.
Bāwángfén Long-Distance Bus Station
ABāwángfén long-distance bus station (八王坟长途客运站, Bāwángfén Chángtú Kèyùnzhàn; 17 Xidawang Lu) is in the east of town, 500m south of Dawanglu subway station. Destinations include the following:
ABāotóu 包头; ¥181, 12 hours, 6pm
AChángchūn 长春; ¥288 to ¥362, 12 hours, 6pm and 9pm
ADàlián 大连; ¥326, 8½ hours, 10am, noon and 10pm
AHarbin 哈尔滨; ¥375, 14 hours, 5.30pm
AShěnyáng 沈阳; ¥165 to ¥227, nine hours, regular (8am to 10.30pm)
ATiānjīn 天津; ¥35, two hours, regular (7.30am and 6.30pm)
Sìhuì Long-Distance Bus Station
ASìhuì long-distance bus station (四惠长途汽车站, Sìhuì Chángtú Qìchēzhàn; Jianguo Lu) is in the east of town, 200m east of Sihui subway station. Destinations include the following:
ABāotóu 包头; ¥180, 12 hours, 10.30am
AChéngdé 承德; ¥85, four hours, regular (6am to 5.50pm)
ADāndōng 丹东; ¥270, 12 hours, 4pm and 5.40pm
AJìxiàn 蓟县; ¥30, two hours, regular (5.10am to 7.30pm)
Liùlǐqiáo Long-Distance Bus Station
ALiùlǐqiáo long-distance bus station (六里桥长途站, Liùlǐqiáo Chángtúzhàn) is in the southwest of town, adjacent to Liuliqiao subway station. Destinations include the following:
ADàtóng 大同; ¥133 to ¥150, 4½ hours, regular (7.10am to 6pm)
AHéféi 合肥; ¥380, 13 hours, 1.45pm
ALuòyáng 洛阳; ¥148, 10 hours, 5pm and 7.30pm
AShíjiāzhuāng 石家庄; ¥83, 3½ hours, regular (6.30am to 6.30pm)
AXiàmén 厦门; ¥580, 30 hours, 11am
AXī’ān 西安; ¥278, 12 hours, 5.45pm
AZhèngzhōu 郑州; ¥130 to ¥158, 8½ hours, regular (8.30am to 9pm)
Liánhuāchí Long-Distance Bus Station
ALiánhuāchí long-distance bus station (莲花池长途汽车站, Liánhuāchí Chángtú Qìchēzhàn) is a short walk north of Liùlǐqiáo long-distance bus station and close to Liuliqiao subway station. Destinations include the following:
AĀnyáng 安阳; ¥100, 6½ hours, six daily (8am to 5.30pm)
ALuòyáng 洛阳; ¥150, 11 hours, 5pm and 6.30pm
AYán’ān 延安; ¥256, 14 hours, 2.30pm
Zhàogōngkǒu Long-Distance Bus Station
AZhàogōngkǒu long-distance bus station (赵公口汽车站, Zhàogōngkǒu Qìchēzhàn) is in the south, 10 minutes' walk west of Liujiayao subway station. Destinations include the following:
AShànghǎi 上海; ¥340, 16 hours, 4.30pm
AJǐnán 济南; ¥129, 5½ hours, regular (6am to 7.30pm)
Train
Běijīng has three major train stations for long-distance travel (Běijīng station, Běijīng west station and Běijīng south station). Běijīng north station is used much less.
There are international train routes to and from Mongolia, North Korea, Russia and Vietnam, as well as trains to and from Hong Kong and Lhasa in Tibet.
Běijīng Train Station
The most central of Běijīng’s four main train stations, Běijīng Railway Station (北京火车站; Běijīng Huǒchēzhàn %010 5101 9999; bBeijing train station), which has its own subway stop, is mainly for T-class trains (tèkuài), slow trains and trains bound for the northeast; most fast trains heading south now depart from Běijīng south train station and Běijīng west train station. Slower trains to Shànghǎi also go from here.
Approximate travel times and typical train fares are as follows:
ADàlián 大连; Z-series, soft sleeper ¥372, 10½ hours (8.27pm)
ADàlián 大连; K-series, hard sleeper ¥239 to ¥244, 12 hours (4.46am and 8.06pm)
ADàtóng 大同; K-series, hard seat ¥99, six hours (2.49am, 10.57am and 3.45pm)
AHarbin 哈尔滨; D-series, soft seat ¥306 to ¥313, 10 hours (6.58am, 10.02am, 1.51pm and 3.15pm)
AHarbin 哈尔滨; T-series, hard sleeper, ¥261 to ¥268, 12 hours (5.10am, noon, 6.57pm and 9.24pm)
AJílín 吉林; Z-series, hard sleeper ¥244, 12 hours (4.55pm)
AShànghǎi 上海; T-series, soft sleeper ¥476 to ¥879, 14 hours (7.33pm)
Běijīng West Train Station
The gargantuan Běijīng West Station (北京西站; Běijīng Xī Zhàn GOOGLE MAP ; %010 5182 6253; bBeijing West Railway Station) accommodates fast Z-series trains, such as the following (fares are soft sleeper unless indicated).
AChángshā 长沙; ¥504, 13 hours (regular)
AFúzhōu 福州; ¥673, 20 hours (2.45pm)
AHànkǒu (Wǔhàn) 汉口; ¥409, 10 hours (11.32am, 5.43pm and 6.02pm)
AKowloon (Hong Kong) 九龙; ¥707 to ¥738, 24 hours (train Q97, 1.08pm)
ALánzhōu 兰州; Z- and T-series, hard sleeper ¥322 to ¥363, 17 hours (five daily)
ANánchāng 南昌; Z-, T- and K-series, hard sleeper ¥296 to ¥322, 11½ hours (eight daily)
AWǔchāng (Wǔhàn) 武昌; T- and K-series, hard sleeper ¥261, 10 hours (seven daily)
AXī�
�ān 西安; Z- and T-series, hard sleeper ¥214 to ¥268, 11 to 12 hours (six daily)
Other typical train fares for hard sleeper tickets, and travel times:
AChángshā 长沙; T- and K-series, ¥322, 14 hours (regular)
AChéngdū 成都; Z-, T- and K-series, ¥399 to ¥456, 26 to 31 hours (7.53am, 11.32am, 11.46am, 4.32pm and 10.16pm)
AChóngqìng 重庆; T- and K-series, ¥381 to ¥389, 25 to 30 hours (7.16am, 10.31am, 3.12pm and 9.23pm)
AGuǎngzhōu 广州; T- and K-series, ¥426, 21 hours (5.15am)
AGuìyáng 贵阳; T- and K-series, ¥434 to ¥463, 29 hours (4.10pm, 9.13pm and 9.23pm)
AKūnmíng 昆明; Z-series, ¥536, 38 hours (8.55am and 1.06pm)
AShēnzhèn 深圳; K-series, ¥434, 24 to 29 hours (11.21pm)
AShíjiāzhuāng 石家庄; D-series, 2nd-class seat ¥86, two hours (7.58am, 1.18pm, 3.29pm and 9.16pm)
AÜrümqi 乌鲁木齐; Z-series, ¥536, 34 hours (10am)
AXīníng 西宁; T-series, ¥353, 20 to 24 hours (1.12pm)
AYíchāng 宜昌; G-series, 2nd-class seat ¥605, 21½ hours (8.30am, 9.32am and 12.51pm)
TRAIN TO TIBET
For Lhasa (拉萨; Lāsà) in Tibet (西藏; Xīzàng), the Z21 (hard seat/hard sleeper/soft sleeper ¥360/720/1144, 44 hours) leaves Běijīng west train station at 8.10pm, taking just under two days. In the return direction, the Z22 departs Lhasa at 3.30pm and arrives at Běijīng west train station at 8.20am.
Běijīng South Train Station
The ultramodern Běijīng South Station (北京南站; Běijīng Nánzhàn GOOGLE MAP ; bBeijing South Railway Station), which is linked to the subway system on Line 4, accommodates very high-speed ‘bullet’ trains to destinations such as Tiānjīn, Shànghǎi, Hángzhōu and Qīngdǎo.
AFúzhōu 福州; D-series, ¥765 to ¥2389, 15 hours (regular)
AHángzhōu 杭州; G-series, 2nd-class seat ¥538, six hours (regular)
AJǐ’nán 济南; G-series, 2nd-class seat ¥184, 1½ hours (regular)
ANánjīng 南京; G-series, 2nd-class seat ¥443, four hours (regular)
AQīngdǎo 青岛; G-series, 2nd-class seat ¥249 to ¥314, five hours (regular)
AShànghǎi (Hóngqiáo station) 上海虹桥; G-series, 2nd-class seat ¥553, 5½ hours (regular)
ASūzhōu 苏州; G-series, 2nd-class seat ¥523, five hours (regular)
ATiānjīn 天津; C-series, 1st/2nd-class ¥54/93, 30 minutes (regular)
Běijīng North Train Station
The smaller Běijīng North Station (北京北站; Běijīng Běizhàn GOOGLE MAP ; %010 5186 6223; bLines 2, 4, 13 to Xizhimen, exit A1) can be accessed from Xizhimen subway station.
ABādǎlíng Great Wall 八达岭; hard seat ¥6, 75 minutes, regular (6.12am to 1.35pm)
AHohhot 呼和浩特; K-series, hard sleeper ¥72 to ¥222, nine hours (7.29pm and 11.47pm)
8Getting Around
To/From Capital Airport
The Airport Express (机场快轨; Jīchǎng Kuàiguǐ GOOGLE MAP ; 1 way ¥25; bLines 2, 13 to Dongzhimen, exit B), also written as ABC (Airport Běijīng City), is quick and convenient and links terminals 2 and 3 to Běijīng’s subway system at Sanyuanqiao station (Line 10) and Dōngzhímén station (Lines 2 and 13). Train times are as follows: Terminal 3 (6.21am to 10.51pm); Terminal 2 (6.35am to 11.10pm); Dōngzhímén (6am to 10.30pm).
There are 17 different routes for the airport shuttle bus (机场巴士; Jīchǎng Bāshì one way ¥15.50-30), including those listed here. They all leave from all three terminals and run from around 5am to midnight. Note that you may have to show a valid photo ID when buying your ticket.
ALine 1 To Fāngzhuāng (方庄), via Dàběiyáo (大北窑) for the CBD (国贸; guó mào)
ALine 2 To Xīdàn (西单)
ALine 3 To Běijīng train station (北京站; Běijīng Zhàn), via Dōngzhímén (东直门), Dōngsì Shítiáo (东四十条) and Cháoyángmén (朝阳门)
ALine 7 To Běijīng west train station (西站; xī zhàn)
ALine 10 To Běijīng south train station (南站; nán zhàn)
ACoach service to Tiānjīn (天津; ¥82, 2½ hours, hourly 7.30am to 11pm)
A taxi should cost ¥90 to ¥120 from the airport to the city centre; bank on it taking 40 minutes to one hour to get into town. Ignore unofficial drivers who may approach you as you exit customs and join the line for an official cab. When you get into the taxi, make sure the driver uses the meter (打表; dǎ biǎo). Have the name of your hotel written down in Chinese to show the driver. Very few drivers speak any English.
To/From Nányuàn Airport
The shuttle bus (机场巴士; jīchǎng bāshì) goes to Xīdàn (西单; ¥18, 1½ hours, 9am to last flight arrival) via Qiánmén (前门). You can pick up the subway at either destination.
A taxi costs around ¥60 to ¥70 to the Tiān’ānmén Sq area. Ignore drivers who approach you. Use the taxi queue. Make sure the driver uses the meter (打表; dǎ biǎo).
TRANSPORT IN A NUTSHELL
ASubway Easy to use and the quickest way to get around Běijīng. Trains start running from 5am to 6am and stop at around 11pm.
ABus Very cheap but crowded, slow and difficult for non-Chinese-speakers to use.
ATaxi Cheap by Western standards, but often snarled in heavy traffic.
ACycling Běijīng is flat, making cycling easy, although the roads can be dangerous for cyclists.
ACar and motorcycle Challenging and hazardous for foreigners unused to Chinese road conditions and driving.
ARickshaw Foreigners are routinely overcharged and we do not recommend using them.
Bicycle
Cycling is the most enjoyable way of getting round Běijīng. The city is as flat as a mah-jong table and almost every road has a bike lane, even if cars invade them. The quiet, tree-lined hútòng (alleys) are particularly conducive to cycling.
The following are good options for renting bicycles (租自行车; zū zìxíngchē):
Bike Běijīng
Giant (捷安特; Jié’āntè MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %010 6403 4537; www.giant.com.cn; 4-18 Jiaodaokou Dongdajie; 交道口东大街4-18号 h9am-7pm; bLine 5 to Beixinqiao, exit A)
Natooke (耍 (自行车店), Shuǎ (Zìxíngchē Diàn) MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %010 8402 6925; www.natooke.com; 19-1 Wudaoying Hutong; 五道营胡同19－1号 h11am-7pm; bLines 2, 5 to Yonghegong-Lama Temple, exit D)
Bike stands around the Hòuhái Lakes also rent bikes (per hour ¥10). Hostels typically charge ¥30 to ¥50 per day for a standard town bike.
Bike-Sharing Scheme
Běijīng has a bike-sharing scheme for both locals and foreigners. To use the bikes, you must have an ordinary Běijīng travel card (refundable deposit ¥20) that is activated for bike-rental use.
To do that, head to either exit A2 of Tiāntán Dōngmén subway station or exit A of Dōngzhímén subway station. Both desks are only open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 11.30am and from 2pm to 4pm. You will need your passport and to fill out an English-language application form.
You have to pay a ¥200 deposit to activate the card for bike use, and then ensure it has at least ¥30 on it.
Bike-sharing kiosks are dotted around the city. Swipe your card at one of them to get a bike; then swipe it again when you put it back. Note that when swiping your card, don't remove it until you hear a click. Bike use is free for the first hour, so if you use them cleverly, swapping bikes at another kiosk before your hour is up, it means free bikes. After the first hour, it's ¥1 per hour to begin with, before it starts rising in price to ¥2, ¥3 or ¥4 per hour, depending on how long you keep the bike for.
Bus
Běijīng’s buses (公共汽车; gōnggòng qìchē) have always been numerous and cheap (from ¥2), but they’re now easier to use for non-Chinese speakers, with swipe cards, announcements in English and bus-stop signs written in pinyin as well as Chinese characters. Nevertheless, it’s still a challenge to get from A to B successfully, and the buses are as packed as ever, so you rarely see foreigners climbing aboa
rd.
If you use a travel card, you get 50% discount on all journeys.
Useful Routes
A1 Runs along Chang’an Jie, Jianguomenwai Dajie and Jianguomennei Dajie: Sìhuìzhàn, Bāwángfén, Yǒngānlǐ, Dōngdān, Xīdān, Mùxīdì, Jūnshì Bówùguǎn, Gōngzhǔfén, Mǎquányíng
A4 Runs along Chang’an Jie, Jianguomenwai Dajie and Jianguomennei Dajie: Gōngzhǔfén, Jūnshì Bówùguǎn, Mùxīdì, Xīdān, Tiān’ānmén West, Dōngdān, Yǒngānlǐ, Bāwángfén, Sìhuìzhàn
A5 Déshèngmén, Diànmén, Běihǎi Park, Xīhuámén, Zhōngshān Park, Qiánmén
A15 Běijīng Zoo, Fùxīngmén, Xīdān, Hépíngmén, Liúlíchǎng, Tiānqiáo
A20 Běijīng south train station, Tiānqiáo, Dashilar, Tiān’ānmén Sq, Wángfǔjǐng, Dōngdān, Běijīng train station
A44 Outer ring Xīzhímén, Fùchéngmén, Fùxīngmén, Chángchūnjiē, Xuānwǔmén, Qiánmén, Tàijíchǎng, Chóngwénmén, Dōngbiánmén, Cháoyángmén, Dōngzhímén, Āndìngmén, Déshèngmén, Xīnjiēkǒu
A52 Běijīng west train station, Mùxīdì, Fùxīngmén, Xīdān, Gate of Heavenly Peace, Dōngdān, Běijīng train station, Jiànguómén
A103 Běijīng train station, Dēngshìkǒu, China Art Gallery, Forbidden City (north entrance), Běihǎi Park, Fùchéngmén, Běijīng Zoo
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