Beijing City Transportation

When in Beijing, you have many different choices to get around

To buy a Transportation in Beijing

By Bicycle

China used to be called the sea of bicycles and in Beijing today the bike is still a convenient vehicle for most people. Renting a bike may be a better way for you to see this city at your own pace. You can rent a better bike in your hotel and pay 20-30RMB for a day's rent. A deposit will be required. You can also rent bikes at some bicycle shops for repairing bikes and inflating tires. Their charge for renting bikes there is lower as the bikes are not as new. When needed, you park your bike in a bike park, which can be easily identified by the large amount of bikes on roadsides. The charge is less than 1RMB.

By Pedi-cab

Pedi-cab is a good choice for sightseeing, especially for visiting Hutongs on your own. You will find Pedi-cabs on the street. You should agree on a price with the driver before starting the journey. Payment in RMB or US$ will be acceptable. The legally registered Pedi-cab can be identified by a certificate attached to the cab and the driver has a card hanging around his neck.

By Bus

City public buses run from 5:30 till 23:00 daily. Taking buses in Beijing is quite inexpensive but less comfortable than a taxi or the subway. The flat rate for an electric car and ordinary public car is 1RMB. Buses equipped with air-conditioning or of special line are charged according to the distance. Few foreigners like getting around by bus, because it is always crowded, especially during rush hours (6:30-9:00 and 17:00-19:00). Some conductors give the stop's name in English but they can¡¯t speak any more English. Write down some commonly used sentences in Chinese is quite helpful. Minibuses, serving from 7:00 to 19:00, charge the flat rate of 2RMB guaranteeing a seat. They are faster and more comfortable.

Please Note: when squeezing in a bus or on a bus, take care of your wallet.

By Subway

Most visitors, Chinese or foreigners will find the subway train clean, fast and relatively comfortable, except during weekends or rush hours, when the subway train is very crowded. The subway runs every 4 or 5 minutes daily from 5:00 to 22 or 23:00, according to different first stations and the fare is 3RMB per ride for any distance. There are two subway lines in Beijing: one runs under Chang'an Avenue and its line extends from Sihuidongzan in the east to Pingguoyuan in the west; another one circles under the northern part of the Second Ring Road. You can transfer between these lines at Fuxingmen station and Jianguomen station with no transfer fee.

Subway entrances are show on city maps. Each station usually has four entrances. The entrances can be identified by a large blue sign with letters BD inside a circle. If you still can not find it, you may ask a Chinese "di tie¡±. Walk down stairs to enter a station the tickets are sold above the platform. When going down to the platform, hand your ticket to the checker at the top of the stairs. On tunnel walls of the platform, you can see signs and maps in Chinese and Pinyin indicating the next station and helping you to decide which subway train to take. Over the door inside the train you also can find complete system maps in Chinese and Pinyin, and an announcement tells you the name of the next station both in Chinese and English. If you find you are on the wrong train, you can just get off at the next station, (It usually takes about 4 or 5 minutes to travel between stations.), and get on the train running to the opposite direction. No transfer fee will be charged.

By Taxi

It's very easy to hail a taxi anywhere in Beijing. Taxi is the preferred transportation choice for most foreigners, because they are inexpensive and plentiful. The taxi charges 10RMB for the first tour within 4 or 5 kilometers and 1.2, 1.6 or 2RMB thereafter per kilo. The bridge and road tolls will be paid by passengers. For a journey that takes longer than 10 kilo or running after 23:00, the fares will be charged at 50% more. Ensure that the driver starts the meter. You can ask for a receipt which will have the number of the taxi printed on it. This handy in case of complaint. Most drivers can¡¯t understand English, so write down your destination in Chinese beforehand. For taxi complaints, ring 68351150.

By Waterway

Today you can travel around certain places by water in Beijing. So far two courses have been offered: Changhe course and Kunyuhe course. In addition, there are some tourist boats available, like in Shichahai.

Changhe Course

The course is 9 kilometers long, running from the lakeKunmen Hu to the lakeBeizhanhou Hu. The boat will pass Yiheyuan dock, Changhewan dock, Wanshou Temple, Ziyuwan dock, Zizhuyuan Park, Beijing Library, Beijing Zoo, Beijing Aquarium, Beijing Exhibition Hall, a bridge: Maizhong Qiao, Guangyuanzha, Five Pagoda Temple (Wuta Si), Gaoliang Qiao, etc. This course used to be the channel by which the Imperial Family went to westwards to summer. The boat leaves from Beizhanhou Hu at 9:30, 13:00, and 15:30 and at 10:45 and 14:15 from Yuheyuan daily.

Kunyu Course

The course runs 10 kilometers from Kunmen Hu to Yuyuan Tan, passing Yuheyuan dock, Changhewan dock, Linglong Park, Enji Park, Benjiaoyuan dock, CCTV tower dock, Yuyuan Tan (Bayi Hu dock), Aquatic Fairyland, Song Qingling Children's Park, etc. Later the course will be extended to Gaobeidian Hu, Visitors will be able to enjoy more scenic spots on boats, like White Cloud Taoist Temple (Baiyun Guan), Tianning Temple, Grand View Garden, Temple of Heaven, Longtan Hu Park, etc. The boat leaves Bayi Hu at 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 16:30 and leaves Yiheyuan at 9:05, 10:05, 11:05, 14:05 and 16:05.

Shichahai

In Shichahai, as well as the Hutong Tour, you can also travel by a southern style boat with a long scull, fully enjoy the old life style.

Course one: back gate of Beihai-Drum Tower-Yinding Bridge-Hutong Tour-back gate of Beihai.

Course two: back gate of Baihai-Shichahai Front Water-Yinding Bridge-Shichahai Back Water-Hutong Tour-Gongwangfu Garden.

 By Sight Seeing Bus

Many of Beijing scenic attractions are serviced by bus.

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