How do I get from Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) to central Beijing?
The simplest way is the Airport Express train: ¥25 per person one way, about every 10 minutes, 5 stations, and you change to the subway at Sanyuanqiao, Dongzhimen or Beixinqiao. If you have a lot of luggage or a hotel far from those stations, a taxi (on the meter) or an airport bus (¥15 to ¥80 depending on the stop) takes you closer to the door. Ride-hailing apps also work from set pickup points. The table lists where to find each one.
| Option | Where to board | Price on the official page |
|---|---|---|
| Airport Express | T2: basement level 2 of the T2 car park. T3: level 2 of the T3 car park | ¥25 per person, single |
| Taxi | T2: level 1, outside gates 5-9. T3: B1 taxi waiting area | Metered: ¥13 for the first 3 km, then ¥2.3 per km |
| Ride-hailing | T2: level 1, south-east side of the T2 car park. T3: level B2, zone H of the T3 car park | Not given on the airport page |
| Airport bus | Tickets: T2 level 1, outside Gate 11. T3 level 1, inside Gate 1 | ¥15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 50, 55 or 80, by stop |
After you collect your bags you enter the arrival hall. The airport’s arrival page says the hotel counter is at the exit of the baggage hall, there is a bank for changing money, and from the arrival hall you choose the airport bus or a taxi. Before that you clear border control, and the same page says foreign visitors hand in the completed arrival card with their passport. Our China arrival card guide shows how to fill it in online. If you still need cash or want to know what shops take cards, see is cash accepted in China.
Beijing Airport Express: fare, times, stations and where to board
The airport lists a single fare of ¥25 per person. The interval is about 10 minutes, and the page adds that the subway operator’s published timetable prevails.
Stations. The line has 5 stations: Beixinqiao (北新桥), Dongzhimen (东直门), Sanyuanqiao (三元桥), Terminal 3 and Terminal 2. The interchanges are:
- Sanyuanqiao: Lines 10 and 12
- Dongzhimen: Lines 2 and 13
- Beixinqiao: Line 5
The airport’s English page lists only four stops in its Tips section (Beixinqiao is missing there) and gives interchanges only for Sanyuanqiao and Dongzhimen. The Chinese page lists all five, so use that list.
Where to board. The T2 station is on basement level 2 of the T2 car park. The T3 station is on level 2 of the T3 car park. The English page words these as “B2 of T2” and “F2 of Parking Garage No. 3”. In both cases follow the rail signs inside the terminal.
Operating times
The airport gives these as the operator’s times. The T2 and T3 rows have no direction label on the page, so we can’t tell you which way they run. Sanyuanqiao and Dongzhimen are split by direction; Beixinqiao has one time range with no direction label.
| Station | Times on the page |
|---|---|
| Terminal 3 | 6:22-22:52 |
| Terminal 2 | 6:36-23:10 |
| Sanyuanqiao | 6:04-22:34 toward the airport; 6:55-23:28 toward Beixinqiao |
| Dongzhimen | 6:00-22:30 toward the airport; 7:01-23:34 toward Beixinqiao |
| Beixinqiao | 5:56-22:26 (one range, no direction given) |
So the page does not give a clear “last train from the airport” time. If your flight lands late, count immigration and baggage time and keep a bus or taxi as a back-up. The operator’s live notice prevails over this table.
Wangjing South is not open
A Beijing government page dated 19 November 2024 says the Airport Express plans to add Wangjing Nan (South) station (望京南) for transfers to Line 14, with construction expected to finish in December 2027. The airport’s own station list still shows 5 stations. Don’t plan a trip around it.
Can I use a foreign Visa or Mastercard on the Beijing subway and the Airport Express?
According to a Beijing government page dated 14 September 2024, yes. All 27 operating lines, including the two airport express lines (Capital and Daxing), allow contactless card swiping with overseas bank cards at all fare gates, 24 hours a day. Overseas Mastercard and Visa cards launched at 00:00 on 13 September 2024. The page said JCB cards were “set to be included soon” and does not say whether they have been added.
The same page says a foreign passenger can buy tickets for friends with an overseas bank card at the self-service machines. It also says the prepaid BEIJING PASS card works on more than 1,700 bus lines, 28 rail lines and more than 20,000 taxis, and that Beijing has payment-service consulting centres at both Capital and Daxing airports. It is a 2024 page, so if a gate doesn’t accept your card, ask the staff or the consulting centre.
Beijing Capital Airport taxi: stand locations and how the meter works
Where. The airport’s Chinese page puts the T2 stand on level 1, outside gates 5-9, middle lane. For T3 it says the B1 taxi waiting area. The English page gives T2 as “Outside Gate 5 to 9 on F1” but for T3 only says to follow the signs inside the terminal building, so do that. Taxi dispatch phones: T2 010-64596539, T3 010-64558892.
The fare. The airport’s Chinese and English taxi pages and the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport’s fare rules give no fixed airport-to-city fare, so we won’t guess one. The meter decides. The Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport (page dated 10 March 2023) sets these rules:
- ¥13 for the first 3 km, then ¥2.3 per km.
- Fuel surcharge: ¥1 per trip.
- Slow traffic or waiting at your request, under 12 km/h: for every 5 minutes, the fare for 2 km is added in the morning and evening peaks (07:00-09:00 and 17:00-19:00), and the fare for 1 km at other times, excluding the return-trip surcharge in both cases.
- One-way trips: for the part beyond 15 km, the basic per-km price goes up 50%. This applies to the per-km price of that part only, not to the whole fare.
- Night, 23:00 (inclusive) to 05:00 (exclusive): the basic per-km price goes up 20%.
- Distance is counted in 500 m steps and time in 2.5-minute steps. The total is settled in whole yuan, rounded.
- Tolls are paid by the passenger.
The airport’s English taxi page words the 15 km rule as “additional 50% of the total fee”. The Commission’s text and the airport’s Chinese page add 50% only to the per-km price of the part beyond 15 km. The English page also says that if it differs from the taxi authority’s regulations, the authority’s rules prevail. Booked taxis carry a separate reservation fee (¥6 if booked at least 4 hours ahead, ¥5 within 4 hours), which isn’t part of the queue at the stand. The Commission adds that charter by the day and trips leaving Beijing’s administrative area are priced by the market, not by this table.
Staying safe. The airport says to take a licensed taxi at the taxi stand, ask for a receipt when you get out, and note the plate number if you may need it. Licensed cabs should show the fare rules on both side windows and the driver’s service supervision card. The arrival page warns against accepting service from people without an airport work pass and against unlicensed vehicles that solicit passengers.
Ride-hailing at Beijing Capital Airport: where is the pickup point?
The airport has set pickup points. For T2 it recommends level 1, south-east side of the T2 car park. For T3 it recommends level B2, zone H of the T3 car park. Both are in the car parks, not at the taxi stands.
The airport’s ride-hailing page doesn’t name any app, including Didi, and says nothing about foreign phone numbers, foreign cards or cash. We can’t tell you what your account will accept. Set up payment before you land if you plan to use it, and have the taxi stand as a fallback.
Airport bus from Beijing Capital Airport: tickets, routes and overnight service
Tickets and fares. Buy at the ticket booths: T2 level 1, outside Gate 11; T3 level 1, inside Gate 1. Fares are in eight steps by stop: ¥15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 50, 55 and 80. The Chinese page says the exact fare for each stop is on the airport bus official platform or posted at the booth. The English page says to ask the conductor or check the WeChat public account “BAB Official Platform”, and that the booth’s business hours run from 07:00 until the end of daily domestic flights. It doesn’t say how to buy a ticket outside those hours.
Where it goes. The Chinese page lists city buses to Gongzhufen (公主坟), Beijing West Railway Station, Tongzhou, Beijing South Railway Station, Qinghe Railway Station, Chaoyang Railway Station, Daxing Airport and the Badaling Great Wall. The English page’s destination list differs: it also names Beijing Station, Shijingshan, Yanjiao, Changping and Yizhuang, and marks several others “Out of service”. Treat each page as its own list. Intercity buses to Langfang City Terminal and Tianjin are listed too, with a separate hotline, 010-64558718.
Overnight and late buses. A Beijing government notice dated 27 July 2026 says new timetables and routes were due to take effect on 31 July 2026:
- The Beijing West Railway Station line from Capital Airport runs round the clock, with 90 departures a day.
- The Beijing South Railway Station line and the Fengtai Railway Station line (both from Capital Airport to downtown) have their last departure extended to 2:00.
- Three new drop-off stops open on the downtown-bound Beijing West line: Dongsishitiaoqiao South (东四十条桥南), Yabao Road (雅宝路) and Chongwenmen West (崇文门西).
- The Qinghe Railway Station line gains stops near the Olympic Park.
The airport’s English page also lists a “BCIA Night Airport Bus Line” from the airport. From 00:00 to 02:00 the maximum interval is about 30 minutes. From 02:00 until the end of domestic flights it is about 60 minutes, and buses leave when full. That page shows no date for its timetable, so we don’t copy departure times here. The airport’s timetables are also images, and the airport says changes to routes, stops and times follow what its dispatch station publishes. For a departure time, ask at the booth or call the 24-hour Capital Airport shuttle hotline, +86-10-64378900.
Which one should you pick?
- Hotel near Dongzhimen, Sanyuanqiao or Beixinqiao, or near a subway line they connect to: the Airport Express, if you arrive within its running times.
- Heavy bags, a late arrival or a door-to-door trip: a taxi at the stand, or a ride-hailing pickup if your app works for you. Expect the meter to run higher at night and in slow traffic.
- Beijing West or Beijing South Railway Station, or an overnight arrival: the airport bus lines named above, after checking the departure time at the booth or the hotline.
If you would rather have a driver waiting with a sign, we can book a private car from the airport to your hotel and plan your first day. Send your flight details for a quote. For what to see once you arrive, start with our Beijing travel guide.
Landing at Beijing Daxing Airport (PKX) instead? See Daxing Airport to the city.
