Basics - The Rough Guide to Beijing - page 37

By train
Beijing has three giant train terminals: main, West and South. The latter two host most high-
speedservices , for which new lines are being added all the time; finding the right service can
save you hours, though of course tickets will cost more.
Beijing station ( 北京站 , běijīng zhàn) is the most central station, though it has few high-
speed services. Most arrivals will depart by taxi (follow signs to the rank), or subway (it's on
line 2). Beijing West ( 北京西站 , běijīng xī zhàn) is Asia's largest rail terminal, and serves
destinations south and west of the capital, including Hong Kong on the high-speed line. Get-
ting away is easy by taxi, since there's an official rank; the station is also on subway lines 7
& 9.
By far the most modern and attractive of Beijing's stations, Beijing South ( 北京南站 ,
běijīng nán zhàn) is where most high-speed trains arrive. It's easy to leave by taxi from the
official rank, while it's also on subway line 4 (and, by the end of 2014, line 14 too).
Lastly, Beijing North ( 北京北站 , běijīng běi zhàn) is a shabby affair to the north of town,
near Xizhimen station on subway lines 2 and 13. It has little to offer travellers, though can be
used to access Chengde, and parts of the Great Wall.
All stations have left-luggage offices.
Tickets
There are a number of ways in which to buy tickets .However you obtain them, it will be
necessary to bring your passport, which you'll also need to board the trains. The first, and
most obvious, is to head to the stations themselves; this is often troublesome, however, since
queues can be maddening and incredibly long, and signage is poor - there's little more dis-
piriting than spending half an hour waiting in line, only to discover that you're actually in the
ticket cancellation queue.
It's far, far easier to have tickets purchased foryou - almost all hotels provide this service
for a fee of around ￥ 30 per ticket. If you're feeling adventurous, and can speak a few words
of Chinese, it's cheaper ( ￥ 5 fee) to book at the officialticketbookingoffices strewn across
town - ask staff at your accommodation to point you to the nearest one.
Tickets for busy routes should be booked at least a day in advance, and can be booked up to
ten days ahead.
By bus
You're unlikely to encounter Beijing's fearsomely busy bus stations unless you're going to or
from Chengde , or as part of an independent trip to the Great Wall .
Dongzhimen ( 东直门公共汽车站 , dōngzhímén gōnggòng qìchēzhàn; subway lines 1, 2 &
13), on the northeast corner of the Second Ring Road, is the largest bus station; it handles