2024 Beijing Transportation Guide | How to get to & around Beijing

Get to/away from Beijing

By Air

Flights to Beijing

As the capital of China, Beijing is the busiest city serving international flights to major cities in almost all continents (except sub-Saharan Africa and sub-USA American), and domestic flights to every provincial capital and major cities in China. Beijing Capital Airport and Beijing Daxing Airport have served over 160 domestic and international/regional routes which connected 136 cities>> Learn More about Flights to Beijing

✈ International Flights to Beijing

Passengers can fly to Beijing normally within 1 day by nonstop/connecting flights, departing from international/regional cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Washington, Vancouver, London, Manchester, Sydney, Melbourne, Moscow, Amsterdam, Auckland, Paris, Rome, Milan, Madrid, Frankfurt, Prague, Zurich, Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Jeju, Bangkok, Bali, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Cairo, New Delhi, Doha, Hong Kong, Macao, Taipei, etc. Beijing Capital International Airport has set up 144-Hour Visa-free counters in Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, where the international or regional flights will land. >> Learn More about International Flights to Beijing

✈ Domestic Flights to Beijing

Besides the international flights from all over the world, there are also multiple domestic flights in Beijing opening to the visitors who come from/head to the other mainland cities in China including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Guilin, Guiyang, Zhangjiajie, Huangshan, Lhasa, etc. Most of the direct flights take about 2 to 4 hours, and the flight route covers all the provincial cities in China.

Visa-free Transit at Beijing Capital International Airport

Our Customers Visiting Beijing (July, 2019)

Beijing Airports

Currently There are 2 major airports in Beijing serving passengers, namely Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport, which was put into use by the end of September, 2019. Please note Beijing Capital International Airport is much closer to the downtown area, and we suggest book a flight to Beijing Capital Airport if possible.

✈ Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都国际机场 IATA: PEK)

• Address: Jichang West Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing 北京朝阳区机场西路

Located in the northeast of Beijing, Beijing Capital Airport is about 25 km away from Tiananmen Square, the center of Beijing, and it takes at least 100 CNY to the downtown by taxi. As one of the largest and busiest international airport in the world, it serves numerous international/regional flights which connect China with almost every continent of the world. There are also lots of domestic flights from/to every provincial capital city and other major cities in China. There are three Terminals, namely the Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3. Terminal 1 is for domestic flights of China Southern Airlines Company only; Terminal 2 serves for China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Hainan Airlines (international flights) foreign airlines of SkyTeam, etc; and Terminal 3 is usually for China Air, Sichuan Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, and foreign airlines of Star Alliance and One World Alliance…

☛ Beijing Capital Airport Layover and Transit Visa Guide

☛ How to Transfer from Beijing Airports to Beijing Downtown

☛ Beijing Capital International Airport Express (Subway)

☛ Beijing Capital International Airport Shuttle Bus Lines & Timetables

✈ Beijing Daxing International Airport (北京大兴国际机场 IATA: PKX)

• Address: Daxing District, Beijing & Guangyang District, Langfang City, Hebei北京市大兴区礼贤镇、榆垡镇及廊坊 市广阳区交汇处

Beijing Daxing International Airport is Beijing’s second international airport. It’s much big in scale and highly advanced in techniques. It is linked with northern China’s other modes of transportation, such as high speed rail, highway, subway, etc. Beijing Daxing International Airport has only 1 terminal – Terminal 1 which has 4 floors. The first floor serves for international arrival; the second floor serves for domestic arrival; the third floor is for domestic departure; the fourth floor serves for international departures. There are 82 boarding gates, but it takes less than 8 minutes for passengers to get to each boarding gate by walking from the departure hall. It also receives many international/regional flights which connect China with almost every continent of the world, as well as domestic flights from many capital cities and some other big cities, including, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Chongqing, etc.

>>Learn More about Beijing Daxing International Airport

Beijing Daxing International Airport

Forbidden City (2018)

Beijing Daxing International Airport

Beijing Daxing International Airport Location Map (Click to Enlarge)

Beijing Capital International Airport

Mutianyu Great Wall (2019)

By Train

Trains to Beijing

In Beijing City, there are four railway stations offering thousands of rail lines connecting to other cities in China, and they are Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station and Beijing North Railway Station. You can take the high-speed train traveling to other popular China destinations, like Xian, Shanghai, Harbin, Guangzhou and even Tibet from Beijing by train.

☛ Read More About Trains to / from Beijing

Beijing High Speed Bullet Train

The capital Beijing has been connected to numerous cities in many areas in China, including a lot of popular tourist destinations - Xian, Shanghai, Luoyang, Qingdao, Harbin, etc. You can conveniently take the fast and comfortable high speed trains to these cities, or get to Beijing from these cities. >> More details about High Speed Trains to/from Beijing.

Recommended Beijing High Speed Bullet Train Tour

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High-Speed Trains from Beijing

High-Speed Train in China (2018)

Beijing Railway Stations

Beijing, the great capital of China, mainly has five railway stations running for the passengers, Beijing South Railway Station (the largest and uppermost high speed train station operating 383 G & C trains), Beijing West Railway Station (the second high speed train station running 191 G & D trains ), Beijing Railway Station (handling 48 D trains), Changping North Railway Station (departing 10 normal trains) and Beijing East Railway Station (freight train station with few subsidiary normal trains) are included. Currently, the former three in downtown Beijing are frequently used for high speed train travels while the latter two are slow trains and specialized short-distance tourist trains.>> More details about Beijing Railway Stations.

Beijing South Railway Station (北京南站 Pinyin: běi jīng nán zhàn)

• Location: No.12, Yongwai Avenue, Fengtai District, South Beijing 北京市丰台区永外大街12号

Beijing West Railway Station (北京西站 Pinyin: běi jīng xī zhàn)

• Location: No.118, East Lianhuachi Road, Fengtai District, Western Beijing 北京市丰台区莲花池东路118号

Beijing Railway Station (北京站 Pinyin: běi jīng zhàn)

• Location: No.13, Maojiawan Hutong Jia, Dongcheng District, Southeast Beijing 北京市东城区毛家湾胡同甲13号

Beijing East Railway Station (北京东站 Pinyin: běi jīng dōng zhàn)

• Location: No. 27, Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 北京市朝阳区百子湾路7号

Changping North Railway Station (昌平北站 Pinyin: chāng píng běi zhàn)

• Location: North Ring Road, Changping District, North Suburb of Beijing 北京市昌平区北环路

Beijing Railway Stations on Beijing Map

Beijing Railway Stations on Beijing Map (Click to Enlarge)

High Speed Bullet Train Schedules

Popular Domestic/Regional Cities to Beijing

Get Around Beijing

Transportation at Beijing City

By Subway

Beijing has the largest network of subway which consists of 17 lines and an airport express. You can get to most famous attractions (Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace...), shopping malls, and train stations conveniently by subway. Taking subway is very recommended for catching trains to other destinations to avoid traffic jam - Beijing Railway Station(Line 2), Beijing South Railway Station(Line 4), Beijing West Railway Station(Line 9), Beijing North Railway Station(Line 2,4 and 13)

By Bus

By the end of 2016, there are over 29515 operating vehicles and 1020 bus lines in Beijing, and the bus network covers most of the scenic spots in both urban and outskirt areas. Beijing buses mainly consist of BRT buses, suburban buses, tourist buses, long distance buses, and sightseeing buses. In addition to daytime buses, there are more than 38 nighttime buses running from 23:00pm to 4:30am in Beijing City area. The price of most regular buses is CNY 2 in 10 kilometers and another CNY 1 is charged for every another 5 kilometers for the riding distance over 10 kilometers.

By Taxi

Taking a taxi is always the most convenient way to get around for a Beijing tour. In Beijing, CNY 13 is charged for the first 3 kilometers for traveling within 15 km from 05:00 to 22:59, and CNY 2.3 for each subsequent kilometer. If the distance is over 15 km, CNY 3.45 is charged for each additional kilometer.

Beijing Subway Map

Beijing Subway Map (Click to Enlarge)

How to Get to Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square

Forbidden City is rightly located at the center of Beijing City, very close to Tiananmen Square. You could easily find it and get there by taxi, subway, bus, bicycle, etc. If you go there by subway, you could take the metro line 1 to get off at Tiananmen East Stop (天安门东), walking about 900m, and then enter Forbidden City form the Meridian Gate. You can also get to Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square from the airports directly.

How to Get to Temple of Heaven

The visit of Temple of Heaven takes about 1~2 hours, so it is usually recommended to tour with other sites in Beijing city, such as the Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City. Subway and public buses are also available for independent travelers. You can take subway Line 5, and exist at Tiantan Dongmen Station which is only several minutes’ walking away from the East Gate of Temple of Heaven. Many buses pass by the park, including 120, 17, 2, 35, 36, 504, 53, etc.

How to Get to Summer Palace

Located in the northwest outskirts of Beijing, Summer Palace used to be the royal park where the emperors of China dwelt during Summer. As a famous scenic site, summer palace is surrounded by multiple bus stops around its 4 entrances such as Bus 74, Bus 374, Bus 437, Bus 952, Bus 469, Bus 539, etc. Besides multiple buses, you can also take the metro line 4 and get off at Palace Gate Station (Pinyin: BeigongmenZhan 北宫门站) to the Summer Palace. You can easily get there and transfer to other attractions such as, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven. >> Learn More about Getting to Summer Palace

How to Get to Beijing Hutongs

Many visitors in Beijing will ask: “Where is Beijing Hutong?” Actually, there are hundreds of them interlaced in Beijing. They are alleys lined with traditional Chinese quadrangle courtyards where Beijing people live. Among them, the most famous hutongs are Nanluoguxiang (南锣鼓巷), Yandaixie Street (烟袋斜街) and Bell & Drum Towers Hutongs (钟鼓楼胡同). To get to their surrounding area, you can take subway Line 2 to Guloudajie Station (鼓楼大街站) or Line 6 to Nanluoguxiang Station (南锣鼓巷站).

How to Get to Olympic Park

Though Beijing Olympic Park is a little far from downtown, the complete transportation network of Beijing City still can take you there on a subway or bus. You can take subway Line 8 or Line 15 and get off at Olympic Green Station (奥林匹克公园站) or get to Guojia Tiyuchang Dong Station (国家体育场东站) / Guojia Tiyuguan Station (国家体育馆站)by bus 82, 419, 538, 81, 82, 86, 510, 607 or Special Line 13 or 15, etc.

Recommended Beijing City Tour

☛ 2 Days Beijing Layover Highlights Tour

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Forbidden City

Forbidden City (June, 2018)

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square (2018)

Summer Palace

Summer Palace (2018)

Bird's Nest

Bird's Nest (2019)

How to Get to Great Wall

Top recommended sections of Great Wall in Beijing suburb include Mutianyu Great Wall, Badaling Great Wall, Huanghacheng Great Wall, Jinakou Great Wall, Juyongguan Great Wall, Simatai Great Wall, Jinshanliang Great Wall and Gubeikou Great Wall, etc. It is available to get to these sections of directly from Beijing.

Some travelers will start their journey to Great Wall as soon as they reach Beijing while others prefer a good rest in the hotel in Beijing City and then start a journey to their favorite Great Wall. Those travelers who want to make full use of their tour time will travel to to Great Wall from Beijing airports and railway stations directly. Check the different transfer from Beijing airports, Beijing South Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station to Great Wall.

Besides getting to the great wall from Beijing city or the major transportation hubs, you can always choose to visit them from one section to another one, especially for the walls which are closed to each other. The followings are popular transferring ways between different Great Wall sections.

Recommended Great Wall Tour

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☛ 4 Days Beijing Essence Tour with Simatai Great Wall Night Sightseeing

Great Wall Map

Get from Beijing City to Different Sections of Great Wall (Click to Enlarge)

Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall (2019)

Huanghuacheng Great Wall

Huanghuacheng Great Wall (2018)

Jiankou Great Wall

Jiankou Great Wall (October, 2019)

How to Plan Your Travel in Beijing

To explore the best highlights of Beijing, including Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Hutongs, you only need 2 or 3 full days, which is available for to 144 Hours Visa-free for Transit in Beijing. If you have more days, you can go for an in-depth Great Wall hiking or photography, and explore more hidden attractions in the city.

As the most popular transportation hub in China, you can easily travel from Beijing to any other hot travel destinations in China by flight or train, such as Xian, Shanghai, Yangtze River, Guilin, Chengdu, Tibet and other popular destinations in China by flight or train.. China Discovery has designed many great China tour packages from Beijing for you. Please make your choice from our collections or let us customize one for you.

We have helped many global travelers enjoy their memorable wonderful trips to Beijing for the past few years. Among them, a special team of over 50 VIPKID teachers from North America traveled with us to see their dear studends in China with amazing experience in Beijing and shared us their special travel story! Travel with China Discovery to create your great China trip memories!

Recommended Beijing Tours with Other Top Cities in China:

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Recommended Beijing Tours

Top 3 Beijing tours chosen by most customers to explore Beijing in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us.

Alexia visited Mutianyu Great Wall with China Discovery

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Start planning your tailor-made holiday to China by contacting one of our specialists. Once inquired, you’ll get a response within 0.5~23.5 hours.

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