Transportation in Beijing
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Transportation in Beijing
Written by Matteo Updated Nov. 15, 2025
Beijing has two main airports: Beijing Daxing International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport. It also has five important train stations: Beijing South Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing Railway Station, Beijing Fengtai Railway Station, and Beijing Chaoyang Railway Station.
How to Get to Beijing
As the capital city of China, Beijing plays an important role in China's and even East Asia's regional transportation. There are several transportation options from which to choose to get to Beijing: by plane, by train, or by long-distance bus.
By Flights
Located about 20 kilometers northeast of Beijing city center, Beijing Capital International Airport is the main air travel hub of China and one of the largest airports in Asia. It is the largest international airport in China, and it has over 200 flights to major foreign countries and domestic cities.
By Train
There are four railway stations in Beijing: Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station (in the southwest of the city), Beijing South Station, and Beijing North Station.
Built in 1959, Beijing Railway Station is the largest station in China, and it connects with Moscow, Pyongyang, and Ulan Bator, and most cities of China. Beijing Railway Station has nine platforms with trains to major cities of the southwest, northwest, and southern regions of China, such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Chengdu, Chongqing, Taiyuan, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Guilin, Nanning, Xining, Jinan, and Urumqi.
Beijing South Station was finished in 2008. It mainly serves intercity and high-speed trains to Tianjin, Shanghai, and Xi'an. It is linked to the city subway lines 4 and 14.
First built in 1988 and rebuilt in 2009, Beijing North Station offers trains that travel to neighboring provinces, such as Hebei province and Inner Mongolia.
Beijing Station, Beijing West Station, and Beijing North Station offer train ticket services for passengers. You can buy tickets and reserve seats up to one week in advance (about 11 days in advance during national holidays and the Chinese Spring Festival period) at any station and get refunds on tickets (less a 20% cancellation fee). Passports or other similar documents are required when booking or buying the tickets.
By Bus
Beijing is the largest junction of major roads in China. There are more than 20 long-distance bus stations in Beijing, operating thousands of buses to cities nearby and further away.
Dongzhimen Bus Station offers buses to Inner Mongolia, Hebei Province, and some northwest cities.
Zhaosongkou Long Distance Bus Station is the largest one offering buses to Heilongjiang Province, Jiangsu Province, Shandong Province, Shanxi Province, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Jinan, and Qingdao. Lianhuachi Long-Distance Bus Station offers buses to Henan, Shijiangzhuang, and Xingtai in Hebei, Huai'an, and Zhuangjiagang in Jiangsu.
Zhaosongkou Long Distance Bus Station (Zhaogongkou Changtu Qiche Zhan)
Add: 34 Nansanhuan Zhonglu, Yongwai Dajie, Beijing
Bus routes: 17, 25, 43, 300, 368, 927
Dongzhimen Long Distance Bus Station (Dongzhimen Changtu Qiche Zhan)
Add: 45 Dongzhimenwai Xiejie, Beijing
Bus routes: 44, 22, 18, 107, 359, 401, 404, 413, 418, 823
Lianhuachi Long Distance Bus Station (Lianhuachi Changtu Qiche Zhan)
Add: northeast of Liuliqiao, Xisanhuan, Beijing
Bus routes: 6, 50, 300, 309, 323, 324, 340, 901
With more people owning private cars, city traffic is under more pressure from large traffic volume. In rush hours around 8:00 am and 6:00 pm, traffic jams often happen in Beijing.
Beijing Taxi
Out of all the transportation options in Beijing, the over 70,000 taxis are by far the most popular and convenient option for locals and tourists alike. Beijing's taxi services are affordable and make traveling around the huge city a breeze. The only drawback to this transportation method in Beijing is the amount of traffic that the city can be engulfed with, which sometimes results in slower paces and longer stoppage times.
Taxis can be found just about everywhere in the city. They often line tourist areas and commercial centers waiting for fares. With so many options, it is best to know which taxis are legit and which cabs are known to scam customers. The helpful hints and information below will help you arrive by taxi at your Beijing destination with no problem at all.
Taxi Cars
The most common cars used as taxis are the Hyundai Sonata and Elantra, Volkswagen Santana and Jetta (late 1980s models), and Citrons manufactured in China. The cars will always be painted in a dark red, a yellow top with a blue bottom, or have a dark yellow stripe across the side of the car. For the yellow striped taxis, the accompanying colors may be dark maroon, white, dark green, or dark blue.
These taxis are the newest colors to be used by reputable Beijing cab companies. High-end and trustworthy car services also feature black Audis in their fleet. These are often reserved for guests of luxury hotels or visiting dignitaries and celebrities.
Besides the color of the car, legitimate taxis (those owned by reputable companies) will have the letter B at the front of their license plate number. On the dashboard on the passenger side is a placard with the driver's registration number.
Taxi Meters and Fares
Meters are mandatory in all cabs, and make sure that the driver has his or hers on when you start your journey. During daylight hours, the starting fee is CNY10 for the first three kilometers and an additional CNY2/km after that. From 11:00 PM - 5:00 AM, the prices start at CNY11 for the first three kilometers and charge CNY2.4/km.
Because traffic can be bad, stoppages are common, although the meter will always keep running. The standard stoppage rate is 5 minutes of running time per 1 kilometer of meter time. Typically, without too much traffic, a trip through the city will cost around 20-25 yuan, while a cross-town trip will be around CNY50.
Day Time (5:00 AM - 11:00 PM)
CNY10 for 0-3km
3-15km for CNY2/km
over 15km for CNY3/km
Night (11:00 PM - 5:00 AM)
CNY11 for 0-3km
3-15km for CNY2.4 /km
over 15km for CNY3.6/km
Waiting and Jam Time: Speed less than 12km/hr, 5 minutes for CNY2
How to Identify a Black Taxi
Unofficial taxis, also known as Black Cabs, will not feature a B at the beginning of their plates as mentioned above. While these shady cabs are difficult to flag down on a street, they often congregate in tourist areas (like the Great Wall, Summer Palace, subway stops, etc.), hoping to find an unsuspecting foreigner they can take for a ride.
Black Cabs are known to charge higher fees, drop passengers off at the wrong destination, and, in extreme cases, rob their fares. Because of this, we highly advise you to always be aware of what kind of taxi you are getting into.
If you have gotten in a taxi and believe that the driver may be trying to scam you by taking you to a remote part of the city, asking where you are is usually enough to send even the most dishonest drivers back on track. It is always a good idea to know the general direction, cost, and distance to your destination.
That way, if anything seems a little off, you can think on your feet and hopefully avoid being a victim of a scam. And, as mentioned above, always try to retain a receipt or even just the license plate number of a taxi you believe to be a Black Cab.
Although they are not the typical cab, there are many makeshift taxis, made out of an electric scooter and a fixed back seat (think rickshaw style), that try to scam tourists as well. If you negotiate the price before jumping on the back of one of these things, they can be a quick and affordable way to arrive at your destination.
If you do not ask the price before departing, drivers are known to grossly overcharge customers and be very demanding of the money until the passengers pay up. Avoid these scooter taxis, if possible.
Tips on Taking a Taxi In Beijing
1. Make sure to bring along the Chinese name of your destination, which can be written down by the concierge at your hotel, or at least be able to point it out on a map. Hotels often offer maps of their hotel and the surrounding vicinity.
It is best to always have one of these on hand in case you find yourself lost in the city and need to get back to your accommodations by taxi. Although some might speak a little English, don't rely on your driver to understand most, if anything, that you say.
2. Always ask for a receipt for your journey, whether you felt the fare was reasonable or not. You can gesture this by making a writing motion, like when asking for a bill at a restaurant. If you feel you were cheated and need to make a complaint, a receipt is necessary to obtain.
You will need this to identify the cab number and for reimbursement purposes. Plus, if you happen to forget anything in the taxi, you have the taxi's identification number and the company's telephone number, which will make tracking your stuff down possible.
3. If you are planning to stay in Beijing for a few days and are considering hiring a car service, ask your hotel if they will hire a private taxi for you. This way, you can enjoy all the sights and sounds of the capital city without ever worrying about catching your next ride. This will run you about 400-600 yuan a day, and the taxi will take you wherever you need to go and wait for you at each destination.
4. Taxis might be less available in remote areas of the city than in busier sections of Beijing. If you find yourself in one of these areas, unmarked taxis will often approach you if it looks like you are searching for a cab.
While not highly recommended in busier parts of the city, they might be your only option in rural areas. Always make sure to negotiate the price before beginning your journey to ensure that no scams or false charges are made.
Beijing Airport
Beijing Capital International Airport terminal officially opened on October 1, 1999, marking the 50th anniversary of Chinese Communist rule. This new, bright and airy terminal, built for $1.1 billion, is a welcome replacement for the former facility, which started operating in the 1950s, and has become increasingly cramped and dingy with the rise in the number of passengers visiting China.
The new four-storey terminal covers an area of 336,000 square meters, three times the size of the former terminal, and puts much more emphasis on passenger comfort. The complex also includes a large-scale public parking building and a cargo station.
Beijing is served by international carriers such as Northwest, United, Canadian Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, Dragon Air, Japan Airlines, ANA, British Airways, Malaysian Air, Austrian Airlines, Air France, Alitalia, Korean Air, Pakistan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai International, Air China, China Southern, and China Northern.
Airport Expressway
The original Beijing Capital International Airport Expressway from the third ring road was completed and put into use in 1990. The Airport Expressway was extended to Beijing's second ring road highway in the Dongzhimen District in recent years.
Now there are three lengths of expressway linking the airport with Beijing and other major roads:
Airport Express: Connecting the airport with the Jingping (Beijing-Pinggu) Expressway (S32) and Beijing's 2nd Ring Road.
North Airport Express (S28): From Daguang (Beijing-Chengde) Expressway (G45) to the north of Beijing Capital International Airport.
The second airport expressway (Airport Freeway): Connecting Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 with Jingping (Beijing-Pinggu) Expressway (S32) and the 5th Ring Road at Pingfang Bridge.
Airport Monorail
There is also a metro line (the Airport Express Line) between Beijing Capital International Airport and Dongzhimen. It was completed in 2008. The subway line has four stations: Dongzhimen Station (change for subway lines 2 and 13), Sanyuan Station (change for Line 10), Terminal 2, and Terminal 3.
Operating times: Terminal 2: 6:35-23:10, Terminal 3: 6:20-22:50, Dongzhimen: 06:00-22:30.
Departure intervals: at peak times (09:30-12:30 and 16:00-18:40), trains depart every 10 minutes; otherwise, every 12 minutes.
Ticket: one-way CNY25/person
Taxis
Taxi parking is on the bottom floor outside the Arrival Hall. A line of taxis queues there waiting for customers.
Generally, taxi drivers speak little English, so it is wise to take the name card of your hotel or Chinese destination address, and show it to the driver.