Getting in and around
Getting around
It's important to remember that many people in China do not speak English at all. Also, you should not count on your ability to correctly pronounce Chinese place names based on their English transliteration if you have no former experience with Mandarin. For this reason, it's highly recommended to print out your destination names (in Chinese characters) to show to taxi drivers and other transport operators.
Subway: The subway is one of the easiest ways to get around Beijing. The main things to watch out for are that it can be extremely busy during rush hour and that it closes between approximately midnight and 05:00. Subway station entrances are marked by a large blue letter G wrapped around a smaller letter B.
There are many resources for Beijing subway maps online.
Bicycle: It's the most efficient but also the most dangerous way to get around Beijing. Also, drivers of motorized vehicles often disregard the safety of cyclists, so you'll have to exercise extreme care to avoid injury or death.
Bus: Buses in Beijing are convenient, but probably too difficult for non-Chinese speakers to use. However, for the brave or reckless, fares are cheap and a prepaid ticket available from metro stations offers a considerable discount on fares.
Taxi: For non-Mandarin speakers, taxis are probably the best option for getting around Beijing. Fares are cheap, but sometimes there can be long waits on account of traffic jams, and the meter is kept running despite one's remaining at a stand-still. Again, a good idea is to get the hotel staff to write the name of your destination on a piece of paper for you to show the taxi driver.
Getting in
There are three airport terminals in Beijing.
- Terminal 1: Hainan Airlines
- Terminal 2: China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Skyteam
- Terminal 3: Air China, Shanghai Airlines, Oneworld, Star Alliance
From the airport, there are a number of ways you can reach your hotel.
Taxis: Because most of the taxi drivers don't speak English, it's a good idea to have the name of the hotel written down in Chinese characters to show the driver.
Airport Express: This is a train that runs among all three terminals then out to Sanyuanqian and Dongzhimen, from which you can easily transfer to the subway (line 10).
Airport Shuttle: There are several bus lines with buses leaving every 10-30 minutes.
For more information on the airport shuttle buses, the Airport Shuttle website has more information.