Beijing Capital International Airport
is located about thirty kilometers to the north east of Beijing city centre. The airport is also called Beijing Capital International Airport and it is state controlled, run by the Beijing Capital International Airport Company. It is an incredibly busy airport, ranked as the second busiest airport in the world, with only Atlanta Airport in America having more passengers per year. It is a well-organized airport, so despite the huge volume of tourists and business people going through there, it is relatively easy to get around. Still, we would advise having your onward travel sorted out in advance so that you make your trip and pleasant as possible. They opened a new terminal in 2008 to cater for increased traffic, the terminal is the second biggest airport terminal in the world and it is the fifth biggest building in the world.
More About Beijing Airport
Airport Car Hire
Car Hire is a big business in Beijing airport, and there are a number of western car hire brands that you will be familiar with, and then many more Chinese brands, which are not household names here, but that are very reputable companies in China. Car hire companies operating from Beijing International airport include Avis, TopOne Auto Hire, Anji Auto Hire, Shou Qi Car Hire and China Auto Hire and Hertz. Car Booker compares pricing from Hertz and Avis to find the best deals available for your car hire booking. We look at their latest prices and offers and compare them so you can pick the car size, the fuel policy and any extras such as GPS that you may need, and get the best deal for your trip. All prices shown are fully inclusive and you have no credit card fees, so the price you see is the price you pay.
Getting there & Away
If you are not renting a car in Beijing airport, then you can take the airport Express which is a subway line that goes from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 and then takes passengers to Dongzhimen via Sanyuanqiao and it will have you in the city centre in about 20 minutes. There are shuttle buses operating over nine routes which bring you to various downtown locations such as Xidan, Railway Station, West Railway Station, Nanyuan Airport and others. If your destination is not Beijing, then there are Intercity buses which can bring you to other close by cities. If you are taking a taxi or driving or in a hire car, getting to and from Beijing airport is straight forward. There are four expressways leading to the airport; two running directly from north eastern Beijing to the airport and two others connecting with nearby highways.
Nearby Attractions
In and around Beijing there are too many attractions to mention all of them, but a few things not to be missed are the Forbidden city, the Shichahai Lakes, the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Tiananem Square, Lama Temple, Ming Tombs and Beijing Zoo. Outside of Beijing there is a whole world to explore, worth checking out are Datong, which has the UNESCO Yungang caves a short distance away. Also a good day trip from Beijing is the Hanging Monastery about 60kms south from Datong, and if you have time, find the world´s oldest Pagoda in Muta in Yingxian. But remember if your plan is to see further afield in China, it will probably require a combination of internal flights and a hire car to ensure that you can experience what you want from China.