Basics - The Rough Guide to Beijing - page 36

By plane
Beijing Capital Airport ( 北京首都机场 , běijīng shǒudū jīchǎng; bcia.com.cn ) is 29km
northeast of the centre. It serves both international and domestic flights, and has three termin-
als (T1, T2 and T3) - if you're departing Beijing, be sure to figure out which one you'll be
using before heading to the airport. There are banks and ATMs here, and commission rates
are the same as everywhere else.
Taxis to the centre
You'll be pestered in the arrivals hall itself by charlatan taxi drivers; ignore them and use the
official taxi ranks . A trip to the city centre will cost ￥ 80-150, including the ￥ 10 toll, de-
pending upon where you're headed. It's a good idea to get the name of the hotel you're stay-
ing at printed out in Chinese; alternatively, staff at the airport information desks can scribble
it down for you.
Airport Express to the centre
The Airport Express light rail runs from T3 and stops at T2 (connected by walkway and
free shuttle bus to T1); it then hits Sanyuanqiao (line 10), before terminating at Dongzhimen
(lines 2 & 13). The ride from the airport to Dongzhimen takes about 30min from terminal 3,
and 20min from terminal 2; tickets cost ￥ 25. The trains run every 15min from 6.30am to
10.30pm. If you want to continue your journey from Dongzhimen by cab, note that cabbies at
the Dongzhimen exit commonly gouge new arrivals, so walk a little way and hail a cab from
the street.
Buses to the centre
Airport buses ( ￥ 16) to the city depart from T3, stopping at T2 and T1 on the way; buy tick-
ets from desks inside the terminals. They run regularly along eleven routes; the most useful
are line 1 for Guomao, a station near the Central Business District to the east of the centre;
and line 3 for Dongzhimen and the main train station. The same routes return to the airport
from the city. Journeys take at least 1hr each way.
Tickets
You can buy onward airline tickets from hotels and all travel agencies, which sometimes
charge a small commission ( ￥ 30 or so). The latter include CITS offices, and the Aviation
Office at 15 Xichang'an Jie in Xidan ( 010 66013336 for domestic flights, 010 66016667
international; 24hr). These days, however, it's easy to buy domestic tickets online at
elong.com.cn or ctrip.com.cn ; some international credit cards are accepted, and you'll
need a phone number (your hotel's will do) to confirm your purchase.