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Getting to Beijing: By plane
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Scams at the airport Arrival: Take your taxis from the stand outside, not the touts or desks inside, and insist on the meter. If you are in a group of three or more or have a lot of luggage, touts will claim you need a minibus, and then lead you towards a people carrier in a car park, but then it will turn out they are actually leading you to a shabby taxi parked behind it, which will charge far more than the regulated fare. Be aware of another scam where impostors who pretend to work for the taxi company pose at the official-looking stands outside offering rides to the city (especially in the non-regular hours where there are not many people about). You will be led into a "taxi" with a fake meter (which could be hidden) which runs very quickly (¥200-300 to the city, and even up to ¥400 to the Birds' Nest Stadium). Read the section on taxis for details on how to distinguish between fake and legitimate taxis. Departure: Ignore any people walking around offering to sell you an exit fee ticket/receipt. There used to be an airport construction (or exit) fee of ¥90, but now it is included in the plane ticket. |
Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都国际机场 Běijīng Shǒudū Guójì Jīchǎng, IATA: PEK) en.bcia.com.cn is located to the northeast of the central districts, 26 km from the city centre. The airport, which was expanded at a furious pace to be ready in time for the 2008 Olympics, now has three terminals, broadly speaking divided as follows:
- Terminal 1: Hainan Airlines.
- Terminal 2: China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Skyteam.
- Terminal 3: Air China, Shanghai Airlines, Oneworld, Star Alliance.
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Travel between Terminals 1 and 2 is via a long corridor with travelators. A fit person can make the route in about 10 minutes. A free shuttle bus runs between Terminal 2 and the new Terminal 3. It departs every ten minutes or so and the journey time is about 10 minutes. Terminal 3 is huge: it alone is bigger than all five of Heathrow (London)'s terminals. Additional time should be allocated when flying from here. Terminal 3 check-in closes 45 minutes before flights depart.
Facilities on arrival include ATMs and money changers. Be aware that upon departure, porters may want ¥10 to wheel your bags 50 m to check-in and that most eating options are rather outrageously priced. Before you cross through security, if you want a bite to eat in the Terminal 1, there is a KFC which has lowered its prices a little, and in Terminal 2, there are 2 KFCs, and the restaurants in the basement have relatively low prices compared to what's above. A meal at any of these places should be around ¥20.
Many people use taxicabs to reach town from the airport. Try to get the Chinese name in characters of your hotel so that you can let your taxi driver read where you want to go. It is important to do this as most drivers cannot read English and many are recent arrivals from the countryside who might not know the city well. A taxi from the airport should cost ¥70-120. You will have to pay the fee shown on the meter (make sure the driver uses it) plus ¥10 toll for the airport expressway. Traffic jams are common.
The Airport Express train to the airport opened in July 2008. The train runs in a one-way loop from T3 to T2/T1 then Sanyuanqiao (transfer to subway line 10) and Dongzhimen (lines 2, 13). A one-way fare is ¥25, and the trip takes about 20 minutes from Dongzhimen to T3, 30 min to T2. Don't take the train just to get from T3 and T2, as this will cost you the full ¥25; use the free shuttle bus instead.
A slightly cheaper way to get to the city centre is to take the airport shuttle (机场巴士 Jīchǎng Bāshì), ☎ +86 10 64594375/64594376, en.bcia.com.cn/traffic-manual/airport-bus.shtml. Buses for each route leave every 10-30 minutes. There are several lines running to different locations throughout Beijing. The shuttle bus website also has a map available. ¥16 for a one-way trip.
- Line 1 (to Fangzhuang): 1. Liangma Bridge (亮马桥 Liàngmǎqiáo); 2. Baijiazhuang (白家庄 Báijiāzhuāng); 3. World Trade Centre (国贸 Guómào) & Dabeiyao (大北窑 Dàběiyáo); 4. Panjiayuan (潘家园 Pānjiāyuán); 5. KingWing Hot Spring International Hotel (京瑞大厦 Jīngruì Dàshà) & Shilihe (十里河 Shílǐhé); 6. Guiyou Shopping Mall (贵友大厦 Guìyǒu Dàshà) & Fangzhuang (方庄 Fāngzhuāng). Runs 7:30AM-10:30PM. Return stops are 6, 3, and the airport. Convenient for getting to the south east of the city.
- Line 2 (to Xidan): 1. Sanyuan Bridge (三元桥 Sānyuán Qiáo) 2. Dongzhimen (东直门 Dōngzhímén); 3. Dongsishitiao Bridge (东四十条桥 Dōngsìshítiáo Qiáo); 4. Civil Aviation Building (民航营业大厦 Mínháng Yíngyè Dàshà) & Xidan (西单 Xīdān). Return stops are 4, 2, and the airport. Runs 7AM till the last flight. Heads south-west.
- Line 3 (to Beijing Railway Station): 1. Yuyang Hotel (渔阳饭店 Yúyáng fàndiàn); 2. Dongdaqiao (东大桥 Dōngdàqiáo, bypassed after 22:30); 3. Chaoyangmen (朝阳门 Cháoyángmén); 4. Yabaolu (雅宝路 Yǎbǎolù); 5. Beijing Railway Station (北京站 Běijīng zhàn). Runs 7:30AM till the last flight. The Beijing Railway Station stop is actually at the west gate of the International Hotel (国际饭店 Guójì Fàndiàn), across Chang'an Avenue. Return stops are 5, Dongzhimen, the Jingxin Building West Gate (京信大厦西门 Jīngxìn Dàsh Xīmén), and the airport. Convenient for the city center, the southeast of the city, and Chaoyang, Chongwen, and Dongcheng districts.
- Line 4 (to Gongzhufen): 1. China International Exhibition Centre (国际展览中心 Guójì Zhǎnlǎn Zhōngxīn); 2. Xibahe (西坝河 Xībàhé); 3. Anzhen Bridge (安贞桥 Ānzhēn Qiáo); 4. Madian Bridge (马甸桥 Mǎdiàn Qiáo); 5. Beitaipingzhuang (北太平庄 Běitàipíngzhuāng); 6. Jimen Bridge (蓟门桥 Jìmén Qiáo); 7. Friendship Hotel (友谊宾馆 Yǒuyì Bīnguǎn); 8. Beijing TV Station (北京电视台 Běijīng Diànshìtái); 9. Zizhu Bridge (紫竹桥 ǐzhú Qiáo); 10. Hangtian Bridge (航天桥 Hángtiān Qiáo); 11. Gongzhufen (公主坟 Gōngzhǔfén) & Xinxing Hotel (新兴宾馆 Xīnxīng Bīnguǎn). Return stops are 11, 7, 5, 3, and the airport. Runs from 7AM to 11PM. Convenient for the north and north-west of the city, and Haidian district.
- Line 5 (to Zhongguancun): 1. Wangjing (望京 Wàngjīng) & Huajiadi (花家地 Huājiādì); 2. Xiaoying (小营 Xiǎoyíng); 3. Asian Games Village (亚运村 Yàyùncūn) & Anhui Bridge (安慧桥 Ānhuì Qiáo); 4.Xueyuan Bridge (学院桥 Xuéyuàn qiáo); 5. Just west of Bǎofúsì Qiáo (保福寺桥). Return stops are 5, Beijing Aeronautics University North Gate (北航北门 Běiháng Běimén), Huixin West Street (惠新西街 Huìxīn XīJiē)/Anhui Building (安徽大厦 Ānhuī Dàshà), Huixin Dongjie (惠新东街 Huìxīn Dōngjiē) & SINOPEC (中国石化集团 Zhōngguó Shíhu Jítuán), and the airport. From 8:30AM to 9:30PM. Convenient for the north of the city, particularly the university district within Haidian.
The cheapest way would be to take public bus #359, which runs from the airport to Dongzhimen, where you can catch subway 2 or 13, but this is not very fast or convenient.
A number of youth hostels and luxury hotels run their own complimentary shuttle buses services - ask the place where you are staying if they have one.
Nanyuan Airport (南苑机场 Nányuàn Jīchǎng, IATA: NAY) is a former military airfield 17 km to the south of Beijing, currently used only by army-linked low-cost operator China United (中国联合 Zhōngguó Liánhé) www.cu-air.com. China United currently fields daily flights to Harbin, Dalian, Sanya, Chongqing, Chengdu, and Wuxi. Free shuttle buses run from China United's ticket office to and from the Xidan Aviation Building (西单民航大厦 Xīdān Mínháng Dàshà). Times depend on flight schedules.
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