Transportation
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Public Transport

The public transport system in Beijing is excellent, though foreigners often avoid the bus system until their understanding of Mandarin Chinese has improved past the basics. Travel by subway or taxi are the easiest and most common options.

City buses run 0530-2300 and are very crowded, particularly in the rush hours (0630-0830 and 1700-1900). There is also a limited night service between 2300 and 0530 hours. Fares are paid to the conductor. It is important to have the destination written in Chinese as the conductor almost certainly will not speak English.

Clean, fast and efficient, the subway (0530-2300) is an appealing alternative, although the trains can be packed during rush hours. The subway consists of two main lines: the East-West Line runs from Pingguoyuan to Sihui Dong, and the Ring Line follows a circular route, mirroring the Second Ring Road. The ‘13 line’ operates in the north of the city, connecting Dongzhimen and Xizhimen Ring Line stations, and the ‘Ba Tong’ Line 1 extension threads further east as far as Tuqiao – though neither is of much use to tourists. Four new Beijing subway lines, including an airport link, are due for completion by 2008 (a total of 16 lines are planned by 2020). Entrances are marked by a logo of a square inside a ‘C’ shape and there is a flat rate depending on the length of the journey. Tickets can be purchased from the ticket offices above the platforms and, as tickets are undated and valid for all journeys. Signs and announcements are in Chinese and English.
Click here for a Beijing Subway Map.

Taxis

Taxis are plentiful (42,000 apparently ply the capital’s streets daily), cheap and metered. They wait around major department stores, hotels and railway stations and can be hailed on the street. Taxis in Beijing are mostly small, red hatchbacks or saloons (known as xiali) and, generally, the smaller and older the car, the cheaper the fare. All taxis have a sticker in the back window that indicates the rate per kilometre, but the usual rate is RMB 10 for the first three kilometres and RMB 2 per kilometre thereafter. There is a 20% surcharge after 2300. It is important to write the destination in Chinese as most drivers are unlikely to speak English. Taxis can be pre-booked through Beijing Taxi Co. (tel: (10) 6837 3399).

Limousines

CITS, CITS Building, 1 Dongdan Beidajie, Dongcheng District (tel: (10) 6522 2991 or 8522 7930; website: www.cits.net) can arrange limousines for US$90 per day within the city limits. Beijing Limo (tel: (10) 6204 5156; website www.beijinglimo.com) provides a range of limousines and people carriers for airport pick-ups and city tours.

Driving in the City

Few short-term visitors to Beijing attempt to drive there, as hiring a car is a lengthy process, parking is difficult and car hire is restricted to the city limits. Visitors would also need to be in possession of a Chinese driving licence, which can only be obtained by those holding a Resident’s Permit. Although road regulations do exist, they are regularly ignored and it is not uncommon to see aggressive lane-swapping by buses and taxis or even traffic going the wrong way on roads or roundabouts. Theoretically, traffic drives on the right but on smaller roads this is not always adhered to. It is important to remember that in the case of an accident it will always be assumed that the foreigner is at fault. For more information see driving in China.

Car Hire

Hire car options are beginning to open up in Beijing, though the car usually comes with a driver. Hertz China (tel: (10) 6463 4830/77 or 4787; website: www.hertz.net.cn) has an office at the Jianguo Hotel, 5 Jianguomenwei Dajie, rents cars (with driver) from around US$50 per day.

Bicycle Hire

As China has the highest number of bicycles anywhere in the world, it also has an enormous supply of bicycle shops that both rent and sell. Although Chinese roads are unpredictable and at times fairly lawless and dangerous, hiring or buying a bike can be preferable to relying on public transport. There are bike lanes on all main roads in Beijing, although these are filled with several thousand cyclists during rush hours.

Bicycles can be rented from hotels, including the Peace Hotel, 3 Jingyu Hutong (tel: (10) 6512 8833) and the Palace Hotel, Jingyu Hutong (tel: (10) 6512 8899). Shops tend to be cheaper but rates can vary greatly. A deposit is always required. When parking, bicycles must be left in the special bike parking areas, which are guarded and are very cheap. If you decide to purchase a bicycle, we advise you to buy an inexpensive model, otherwise you are risking a high probability of theft.

Trains

China has one of the biggest and busiest rail networks in the world. The best Chinese trains are very safe, modern and comfortable. Beijing has five railway stations but Beijing's West Railway Station at Lianhuachi is the newest and largest. Each station has lines running to almost all provincial capitals, and to all China's major cities. There are four kinds of seats available: soft berths, hard berths, soft seats, and hard seats. Most overnight trains have dining cars.

Purchasing Train Tickets

You can book your train ticket by yourself but the process can be rather confusing and time-consuming. You can contact China Study Abroad for assistance with your travel plans. Or, if you prefer to go it alone you can conveniently book your train tickets using a travel agency such as Chinese Business World's travel center or www.chinatravelcenter.com. They can help you to make train reservations if you send them an e-mail request.

Because from June to August it is the tourist period, send them an e-mail request as soon as possible you know when you are leaving or at least 2 weeks before that they can reserve the train tickets at your convenient dates and requirement.

You can book a ticket by phone :+86 (0)10-8463 4451 or +86 (0)10-8463 4452 or write them an email at china@cbw.com. Then they will do the rest and after receiving your payement, they will send the ticket reservation to your hotel some days before your departure date.

Reservations for the best Z-category express trains open 20 days in advance, but for most other trains bookings only open between 4 and 10 days before departure. The rules appear to vary..! However, you can't buy a ticket before bookings open. You can generally only book a train journey at the station where your journey starts, so (for example) the reservations office at Shanghai can sell you a Shanghai-Beijing ticket but not a Beijing-Xian ticket. Berths are best booked at least 2-3 days in advance, apart from peak periods (the Spring Festival, May Day 1st May, National Day 1st October) when they should be booked as soon as reservations open.

If you opt to book your ticket by yourself, the process can be rather Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway station do however have special counters, which sell tickets to foreigners and overseas Chinese for up to five days in advance. When purchasing your own, remember to bring your passport or ID.