Visas

Travelers from 54 countries can enjoy a visa-free stay of up to 240 hours (10 days) when transiting through Beijing to a third country. This policy allows visa-free movement within designated areas across 24 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. For example, you could fly from Japan to Beijing, visit Xi’an, Guilin, and Shanghai, and then continue to Hong Kong. To qualify, you must have an onward ticket to a different country from the one you arrive from and the necessary entry documents for your destination. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are considered separate countries with regard to this scheme.

By plane

Beijing (BJS IATA for all airports) is served by two major international airports; Beijing Capital International Airport is older and larger of the two, while Beijing Daxing International Airport is a newer airport opened in September 2019. Eventually, the plan is for Star Alliance carriers to serve Capital, and for Skyteam and OneWorld carriers to serve Daxing. Nanyuan Airport, which used to serve China United Airlines, has been closed and all its flights have been transferred to Daxing.

1 Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都国际机场 Běijīng Shǒudū Guójì Jīchǎng PEK IATA), ☏ +86 010-96158. Open 24 hours all day. Beijing's main airport is located 26 km northeast of the city center. It serves numerous domestic and international destinations and is the primary hub for Air China. The most convenient way to reach downtown is by taking the Capital Airport Express subway line with a fare of ¥25. Trains operate every 10-15 minutes between 06:30 and 23:00, departing from Terminal 2 and stopping at Sanyuanqiao on Subway Line 10 , Dongzhimen on Line 2 , and Beixinqiao on Line 5 (the Beixinqiao section opened on 31 Dec 2021, and some maps may not yet reflect this). The journey to the city takes 25 minutes, after which you'll need to purchase a separate ticket for the Subway. Outbound trains reach Terminal 3 in 25 minutes, and Terminal 2 ten minutes after that. From Terminal 1, it's an 8-minute walk to Terminal 2. (updated Feb 2022)

2 Beijing Daxing International Airport (北京大兴国际机场 Běijīng Dàxīng Guójì Jīchǎng, PKX IATA), ☏ +86-010-96158. Shaped like a phoenix—or perhaps a starfish—this airport aims to handle 100 million passengers annually as a major international hub. Designed for efficiency, it features automated check-in with facial recognition, and travelers can walk from security to the farthest gates within eight minutes. The airport is accessible via the Daxing Airport Express, which connects to the Beijing Subway's outer loop line 10 at Caoqiao. Tickets cost ¥35, and machines require ID (non-Chinese passports are not accepted), so purchasing a ticket from a human cashier is the easiest option for new arrivals. The Beijing–Xiong'an high-speed intercity railway links Daxing Airport to Beijing West Railway Station, which offers additional subway connections and serves as a gateway to the high-speed rail network. By the end of 2024, the Huairou–Daxing Airport intercity railway will open, providing another high-speed rail connection, eventually extending to Capital Airport. (updated Sep 2023)

By train

The following are the principal stations of Beijing:

3 Beijing Railway Station (北京站 Běijīng Zhàn). In the heart of the city, served by Subway Line 2 . Destinations include Changchun, Chengde, Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Harbin, Hefei, Jilin, Nanjing, Qiqihar, Shanghai, Shenyang, Suzhou, Tianjin, and Yangzhou. High speed trains to the Northeast leave from this station, plus conventional trains to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, to Russia and to North Korea.

Public transport at this station:

Subway line 2 . The subway entrance can be seen as soon as you get out of the mainline station.

Taxis may be expensive and slow.

Buses: many run to or alongside the station. The bus stops are Beijing Railway Station East (北京站东 Beijingzhandong) and Beijing Railway Station (北京站 Beijingzhan). Don't get off at Beijing Railway Station Crossing West or East (北京站口东/西), which are some distance from the station.

4 Beijing West Railway Station (北京西站 Běijīng Xīzhàn). This is nowadays the main station for high speed trains across China, and also has conventional trains. Destinations include Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Datong, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Guilin, Guiyang, Hefei, Hohhot, Hong Kong (West Kowloon station), Kunming, Lanzhou, Lhasa, Nanning, Ningbo, Qinhuangdao, Sanya, Shenzhen, Taiyuan, Urumqi, Wuhan, Xi'an, and Xiamen. The twice-weekly through-carriage from Hanoi in Vietnam arrives here, though it's quicker to change in Nanning; high speed trains don't yet cross any international borders. (updated Dec 2019)

Public transport at West station:

Subway lines 7 and 9 .

Taxis: there is an underground taxi rank, which usually has at least a ten minute queue. Taxis may be expensive, especially if you have that tourist stench about you. Inevitably a tout will offer to take you out of the queue for an agreed price, but this will result in a significantly higher fare.

Buses: There is an immense amount of packed public buses that reach most destinations around downtown Beijing - however this can be difficult to navigate. These leave from several locations including the south square of the train station, west of the train station (there is a largish bus station here) and north of the station on Lianhuachi E. Road. If you are desperate to get on the public bus, there is a large sign indicating the routes close to the bus stops on the south side (the side closer to the station) of Lianhuachi E. Road.

5 Beijing Fengtai Railway Station (北京丰台站 Běijīng Fēngtái Zhàn). One of the new generation stations built in the 2020s, Fengtai Railway Station served by Subway Line 10 and 16 . It is constructed to redirect conventional rail traffic from Beijing and Beijing West Railway Stations, though the station also serves several high-speed services.

6 Beijing South Railway Station (北京南站 Běijīng Nánzhàn). This station is used only by high-speed trains. It offers 70 high-speed services every day to Tianjin, Tanggu, Jinan, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Fuzhou. There are also a few services from Beijing South to northeastern China as well as Xiamen. Served by subway Lines 4 and 14 and public buses. (updated Mar 2018)

7 Beijing Chaoyang Railway Station (北京朝阳站 Běijīng Cháoyáng Zhàn). One of the new generation stations built in the 2020s, Chaoyang Railway Station was built to serve high-speed railway services to Northeastern China. The station is served by neighbouring Chaoyang Subway Station of Line

Subway line .

Buses: Nearby bus routes include No. 413, which connects to 14 Dongfeng Beiqiao and 10 Liangma Qiao, as well as No. 911, which connects to 6 Qingnian Lu.

8 Beijing North Railway Station (北京北站 Běijīng Běizhàn). Located in Haidian District, the station serves the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway, with routes to Inner Mongolian and Shanxi cities like Hohhot, Baotou, and Datong. The station is also the starting point for the BCR Huaimi Line and is conveniently located adjacent to Xizhimen subway station.

Beijing has several lesser-known high-speed rail stations that are less crowded and are connected to limited destinations.

North of Beijing North Railway Station, 9 Qinghe Railway Station (清河站) handles some high-speed trains to Chongli and Hohhot. It also stops at the Badaling section of the Great Wall. The station connects to subway lines 13 and Changping , as well as the BCR Huaimi Line. The west square of the station is accessible via several bus routes, including No. 521, No. 623, and No. 专139.

In Chaoyang District, 10 Beijing East Railway Station (北京东站) primarily serves Chengde, Handan, and Ji County. The BCR Sub-Central line provides connecting services to Beijing and Beijing West Railway Station, as well as suburban areas like Tongzhou and Fangshan.

Located within the 6th Ring Road in Tongzhou District, 11 Beijing Tongzhou Railway Station (北京通州站) serves intercity railway services to Tangshan. Subway line 6 serves the station.

In the northern suburb of Shunyi, 12 Shunyi West Railway Station (顺义西站) is a small, less crowded station on the Beijing-Shenyang high-speed route, primarily accessible by taxi due to its distance from the city center.

By car

Foreigners are allowed to rent vehicles while in China, although they need a Chinese driving license.

Also, you will need special permission (进京证) for driving a non-Beijing license vehicle into Beijing (anywhere within 6th Ring Road), which is valid for at most 7 days, and can be applied for at most 12 times. You can apply for the permit electronically, or at the checkpoints. It will be checked in security checkpoints along the city border, and you should place the permit at the lower-left corner of the front windshield of your vehicle. Expect some queues and jams at these checkpoints.

Non-Beijing licensed motorcycles are forbidden from entering any roads within the 6th Ring Road.

By bus

As a tourist, you're unlikely to use inter-province buses since China's extensive and affordable high-speed rail system covers most destinations. Cost differences won't matter even to backpackers on a budget. However, there are still some places where a long-distance bus is necessary to travel between Beijing and other regions. For instance, the Eastern Qing Tombs near the small city of Zunhua lack a high-speed rail station, and the grasslands in far northern Hebei have no train stations, making buses the only option.

There are nine inter-province bus stations listed by Beijing Tourism. Two of these are located at the airports. Daxing Airport Station (大兴机场长途汽车站) primarily serves routes to Tianjin, Baoding, Tangshan, and Langfang. Similarly, Capital Airport Station (首都机场长途汽车站) offers routes to Tianjin, Tanggu, Qinhuangdao, Baoding, Tangshan, Langfang, and Cangzhou.

Other bus stations are spread across different parts of the city. The Liuliqiao Passenger Transport Hub (六里桥长途客运站) is a major transportation center in Beijing, facilitating bus services to various provinces and serving as the main hub for long-distance buses, including those to the grasslands of Hebei. Bawangfen Long-distance Passenger Terminal (八王坟长途客运站) is another key hub, with buses traveling to destinations such as Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, and Inner Mongolia. Lianhuachi Station (莲花池长途客运站) connects travelers to several provinces, including Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Hubei, offering a wide range of long-distance bus services. Sihui Station (四惠长途汽车站) primarily offers bus services to Northeast China, Hebei, Tianjin, and parts of southern China, including the Eastern Qing Tombs. Xinfadi Station (新发地长途客运站) provides connections to Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, and Inner Mongolia. Yongdingmen Station (永定门长途汽车站) covers a wide range of destinations, including Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Shaanxi. Finally, the Zhaogongkou Passenger Terminal (赵公口长途客运站) offers routes to Tianjin, Shanghai, Shandong, and Shanxi.

By bicycle

Long-distance cyclist-tourists will find National Road 109 is a pleasant way to enter or leave Beijing, though lots of work. It immediately enters steep hills on the edge of the city, but sees little traffic, is well maintained and passes though lovely landscape of farmland and forests. It's remarkable how close to Beijing you are, and how far it feels.