Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GETTING THERE
Beijing is China's main international transport hub, with plenty of direct flights from
European capitals and from American, Australian and other Asian cities. You can also
get here by train from cities all over China, or even from far-away Moscow on the
vaunted Trans-Siberian Express.
Airfares vary by season, with the highest fares from Easter to October and around Christmas,
New Year and just before the Chinese New Year (which falls between late January and mid-
February). Note also that flying at weekends is slightly more expensive; prices quoted here
assume midweek travel.
A BETTER KIND OF TRAVEL
At Rough Guides we are passionately committed to travel. We believe it helps us under-
stand the world we live in and the people we share it with - and of course tourism is vital
to many developing economies. But the scale of modern tourism has also damaged some
places irreparably, and climate change is accelerated by most forms of transport, especially
flying. All Rough Guides' flights are carbon-offset , and every year we donate money to a
variety of environmental charities.
Flights from the UK and Ireland
The only nonstop flights to Beijing from the UK are with Air China and British Airways,
both flying from London Heathrow (10hr); figure on a minimum of £500 return. It's not a
problem to book from other UK airports or fromtheRepublicofIreland , though you'll end
up either catching a connecting flight to London or flying via your airline's hub city.
There are plenty of indirect flights to Beijing from London with airlines such as Emirates,
Qatar Airways, Lufthansa and Aeroflot, stopping off in the airline's hub city. These are a
little cheaper than direct flights, with prices starting from around £400 in low season, rising
to £700 in high season. Prices can be substantially higher from the Republic of Ireland; you
may want to consider taking a cheap flight to London first.
Flights from the US and Canada
There's no shortage of direct flights to Beijing from North America ; carriers include Air
China, Air Canada and United. It takes around 13hr to reach Beijing from the west coast ;
add 7hr or more to this if you start from the east coast (including a stopover on the west
coast en route). Some flights cross the North Pole, shaving a couple of hours off the flight
time.
 
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