Arriving & Departing

Arriving

Beijing's Capital Airport (Shoudu Jichang), is one of three airports in the city but the only one to see foreigners. It now handles all international and nearly all domestic flights. It's located 25km (16 miles) northeast of the city center (tel. 010/6457-1666, information in Mandarin only; tel. 010/6601-3336 domestic ticketing; tel. 010/6601-6667 international ticketing). A splashy new airport terminal, designed by architect Lord Norman Foster, will open in 2008

Health declaration and immigration forms are usually supplied in-flight or are available as you approach the immigration counters, which typically take 10 to 15 minutes to clear on arrival. Have the forms completed and your passport ready.

There are no longer Customs declaration forms, and foreigners are rarely stopped. Immediately after Customs, you may be asked to put your larger bags through an X-ray machine, which may or may not be photo-safe.

There are signposted money-changers (branches of various Chinese banks, all of which can help you), several ATMs accepting foreign cards (at arrivals level and departures level), and even automated money-changing machines. Exchange rates are the same here as everywhere else, although this may change eventually. Exchange as much currency as you think you'll need, and try to get at least ¥100 in ¥10 notes.

Trains -- Twice-weekly Trans-Siberian services from Moscow (one via Ulan Bator in Mongolia, and one via Harbin), weekly services from Ulan Bator only, and services from Pyongyang in North Korea (which you'll only take if on a pre-arranged tour) all arrive at Beijing Zhan, Beijing's original main railway station, built with Soviet assistance in the late 1950s to replace one built by the British in 1901. Twice-weekly trains from Hanoi in Vietnam, and trains from Kowloon in Hong Kong which run on alternate days, arrive at the new and far larger but already disintegrating Xi Ke Zhan (also known as Beijing Xi Zhan), the West Station. Neither station has any currency exchange facility or ATM, although there are banks and ATMs accepting foreign cards 5 minutes' walk north of Beijing Zhan, at Citibank next to the Beijing International Hotel, and at the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) on the north side of the COFCO shopping complex.

Domestic train services from Shanghai and most stations to the south, southeast, east, and northeast arrive at Beijing Zhan, which has its own metro station (210) on the circle line, with entrances across the forecourt to the right and left as you leave the railway station. The West Station will gain its own metro connection in a few years' time.

Getting into Town

Taxis -- You will be pestered by taxi touts as soon as you emerge from Customs. Never go with these people. The signposted taxi rank is straight ahead and has a line that mostly works, although a few people will always try to cut in front of you. Line up at the two-lane rank, and a marshal will direct you to the next available vehicle as you reach the front of the line. Rates are clearly posted on the side of each cab. All cabs are ¥2 (25¢/15p) per kilometer. After 15km (9 1/3 miles), rates increase by 50%. If you only want to go to the hotels (such as the Kempinski, Hilton, or Sheraton) in the San Yuan Qiao area, where the Airport Expressway meets the Third Ring Road, your taxi driver may be a bit grumpy, but that's his bad luck.

Expect to pay around ¥80 ($11/£5.35) to reach the eastern part of the city and around ¥100 ($13/£6.65) to reach the central hotels. These estimates include the meter rate and a ¥10 ($1.35/65p) expressway toll, which you'll see the driver pay en route. Fares to the central hotels will increase significantly if you travel during rush hours (8-9am and 3:30-7pm). For most of the day, you can reach hotels on the Third Ring Road within about 30 minutes, and central hotels in about 45 minutes -- the latter trip may rise to more than an hour during rush hours.

Hotel Shuttles -- If you book a hotel room in advance, ask about shuttle services. Some hotels, such as the Kempinski, offer guests free transportation with a regular schedule of departures. The Peninsula Palace Hotel will send a Rolls-Royce for you, but for a fee.

Airport Buses -- Air-conditioned services, run by two different companies, leave from in front of the domestic arrivals area. The Airport Shuttle Bus runs five routes; the most useful, Line 2 to Xidan, runs every 10 minutes from 7am to last arrival. The fare is ¥16 ($2.15/£1.05). Destinations include San Yuan Qiao (near the Hilton and Sheraton hotels), the Dong Zhi Men and Dong Si Shi Tiao metro stations and the CAAC ticket office in Xidan. Lines 1 through 5 all pass through San Yuan Qiao, but only Line 2 lets off passengers at a location convenient for picking up taxis to continue to other destinations. Most hotels in the center of the city can be reached by taxi for under ¥20 ($2.65/£1.35) from there. If you're staying in the university district, save yourself a bundle and take Line 5 to Zhongguancun Bridge. From there it is a ¥10 to ¥20 ($1.35-$2.65/65p-£1.35) taxi ride to most of the major universities. For more detail on the airport buses and where they stop, check out the airport's website (www.bcia.com.cn/en/passengers_Land_airport_page.html).

There is also a Kong Gang Bus for ¥1 to ¥3 (13¢-40¢/6p-20p) available at the exit of both terminal buildings. It stops at destinations very close to the airport (Ying Hua Yuan, Guo Tai Guang Chang, and the Airport Hotel).

Express Train -- The airport train line to Dong Zhi Men has been under construction for years. If everything goes according to plan, a new express train will run from Beijing Capital International Airport to Dong Zhi Men, where passengers can disembark and have direct access to the city's existing metro system. At time of writing, the officials from the Beijing Subway Operation Company confirm the train will be up and running by June 30, 2008 (i.e. just in time for the 2008 Olympics).

Departing Beijing

Check with your airline for the latest advice, but for international flights make sure you are at the airport at least 1 1/2 hours before departure; 1 hour for domestic flights. As you face the terminal, international departures are to the right, and domestic to the left. Departure tax for international and domestic flights is now included in the price of your ticket. Before joining lines for emigration, pick up and complete a departure card. Have your passport, departure card, and boarding card ready.

Traveling Beyond Beijing

By Plane -- There are daily direct flights from Capital Airport to nearly every major Chinese city, including Shanghai for around ¥1,130 ($151/£75), Guangzhou for ¥1,700 ($227/£113), Xi'an for ¥1,050 ($140/£70), Chengdu for ¥1,440 ($192/£96), and Lhasa for ¥2,430 ($324/£162). Prices vary widely, according to season and your bargaining skills, and may be reduced to half the amounts quoted here. Much Chinese domestic flying is done on a walk-up basis, but the best discount is never available at the airport. The aviation authority officially permits the airlines to discount to a maximum of 40% on domestic flights, but discounts of 50%, sometimes even more, are not uncommon at ticket agencies.

Tickets for domestic flights (and international flights) on Chinese airlines are best purchased through a travel agent, such as Airtrans (next to the Jianguo Hotel; tel. 010/6595-2255), or in one of two main ticketing halls: the Aviation Building (Minhang Dalou; tel. 010/6601-7755; fax 010/6601-7585; 24 hr.) at Xi Chang'an Jie 15, just east of the Xidan metro station; or at the Airlines Ticketing Hall (Minhang Yingye Dating; tel. 010/8402-8198; fax 010/6401-5307; 8am-8:30pm), at Dong Si Bei Dajie 394. Both ticketing halls accept credit cards and offer discounts similar to those of an agent.

Ctrip and eLong are two companies that offer excellent prices on domestic and international tickets through their online websites www.english.ctrip.com and www.elong.net. You can book flights online and pay for tickets in cash upon delivery. You can also pay by credit card (expect a 3%-5% surcharge) after faxing through a credit card authorization form. If you hate the internet, both companies have English-speaking agents that can walk you through the booking and payment process.

Booking from overseas via websites offering tickets for Chinese domestic flights, most of which do not appear on international ticketing systems, is always a mistake. You'll nearly always be charged the full price (which is generally only paid by a handful of people traveling at peak times at the last minute), and probably a booking fee, too.

Most hotels can arrange tickets for flights on foreign airlines, but they tend to levy hefty service fees. The airline offices themselves do not usually attempt to match the prices offered by agents, but are merely a source of the price to beat elsewhere. Special offers are often published in the monthly expat magazines that's Beijing and Time Out, but sometimes agents undercut even these, or they bend the rules on advance booking requirements to give an advance-purchase price at the last minute.

By Train -- The main railway stations are Beijing Railway Station (Beijing Zhan; tel. 010/5182-1114) and West Station (Xi Ke Zhan; schedule information tel. 010/5182-6253). Tickets can be purchased at these stations for any train leaving Beijing up to 4 days in advance, and during the busiest seasons up to 10 days in advance. It is possible to buy round-trip tickets (fancheng piao) to major destinations like Shanghai or Xi'an up to 12 days in advance, subject to availability. There are now 19 brand new Z trains directly connecting with other cities, which depart at night and arrive early the following morning. Cities served are: Changchun, Changsha, Harbin, Hangzhou, Hefei, Nanjing, Shanghai (five trains), Suzhou, Wuhan (four trains), Xi'an, and the newly opened railway station in Yangzhou. All compartments are spanking new, and staff is more enthusiastic than on other services. Television screens have been installed in soft-sleeper compartments, which may disturb your night's rest. Tickets for Z trains may be purchased 20 days in advance.

Satellite ticket offices (tielu shoupiao chu) scattered throughout the city charge a negligible ¥5 (65¢/35p) service fee; convenient branches are just inside the main entrance of the Sanhe Baihuo (department store), south of the Xin (Sun) Dong An Plaza on Wangfujing Dajie (9am-9pm); at the Shatan Shoupiao Chu further north at Ping'an Dadao 45, west of Jiaodaokou Nan Dajie (8am-6pm; tel. 010/6403-6803); and at the Gongti Dong Lu Shoupiao Chu (tel. 010/6509-3783) in San Li Tun, opposite and slightly south of the Workers' Stadium east gate. Tickets for all trains from Beijing can also be booked free of charge at Beijing South Station (Beijing Nan Zhan; tel. 010/6303-0031) and at Beijing North Station (Beijing Bei Zhan, tel. 010/6223-1003), which is more conveniently located just north of the Xi Zhi Men metro station. Ordinary travel agents without computers on the railway system will usually also handle rail-ticket bookings. The fee per ticket should be no more than ¥20 ($2.65/£1.35), including delivery to your hotel, although some agencies like to take foreign visitors for a ride in more than one sense. Ticket desks in hotels may charge up to ¥50 ($6.65/£3.35) per ticket. Mandarin speakers can check train times and book tickets using one of several hot lines (tel. 010/9510-5105, 010/5165-3050, or station numbers below).

At Beijing Railway Station (Beijing Zhan; tel. 010/5182-1114), the best place to pick up tickets is the "ticket office for foreigners" inside the soft-berth waiting room on the ground floor of the main hall, in the far left corner (5:30am-11pm). Tickets for both versions of the Trans-Siberian, the Russian K19 via Manchuria (Sat 10:56pm) and the Chinese K3 via Mongolia (Wed 7:40am), must be purchased from the CITS international railway ticket office inside the International Hotel (Mon-Fri 8:30am-noon and 1:30-5pm, weekends 9am-noon and 1:30-4pm; tel. 010/6512-0507) 10 minutes' walk north of the station on Jianguo Men Nei Dajie (metro: Dong Dan). Both trains travel to Moscow for ¥2,512 ($335/£167) soft sleeper, but only the K3 passes through Mongolia and stops in Ulaan Baatar for ¥845 ($113/£56). There is a separate train, the K23, which goes to Ulaan Baatar (Sat 7:40am).

At the West Station (Xi Ke Zhan; schedule information tel. 010/5182-6253), the best ticket outlet is not the main ticket hall but a second office inside the main building, on the second floor to the left of the elevators (signposted in English); this is also where you go to purchase tickets for the T97 express to Kowloon/Jiulong (Departs daily at noon; 25 hr.; ¥962/$128/£64 soft sleeper, ¥619/$83/£41 hard). The West Station is also the starting point for trains to Hanoi, but you have to buy tickets (Departs at 4:15pm Mon and Fri; 34 hr.; ¥1,100/$147/£73 soft sleeper only) at a "travel service" booth (9am-4:30pm; tel. 010/6398-9485) inside the Construction Bank on the east side of the station complex. The nearest airport shuttle stops at the Aviation Building in Xidan , reachable by bus no. 52 from the station's east side. The taxi rank is on the second floor.

Warning: Larger baggage is X-rayed at the entrances to most Chinese railway and bus stations. Keep film in your hand baggage.