How to get from Daxing Airport (PKX) to downtown Beijing
You have four ground options. The Daxing Airport Express subway goes to Caoqiao (θζ‘₯), where you can change to Lines 10 and 19. A free airport bus runs on six routes to city points until October 31, 2026, but only for arrivals on international flights or flights from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Taxis wait at the level 1 curb. High-speed trains leave from the station under the terminal.
If you qualify for the free bus and your hotel is near one of its stops, it is the cheapest choice. If not, the subway is the simplest. After the free-bus offer ends on October 31, 2026, the subway, regular buses and taxis are what the pages below describe.
Free airport bus from Daxing Airport (until October 31, 2026)
Beijing Daxing International Airport and the Beijing Civil Airport Bus Co., Ltd. are running a free shuttle campaign until October 31, 2026. According to the Beijing government announcement of June 13, 2026, all arriving passengers on international flights, and on flights from Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and Taiwan region, can ride six routes free of charge.
How to get a free ticket
- After you collect your bags, go to the "Beijing Service" counter outside the international and regional baggage claim hall.
- Show your boarding pass or other proof of flight, register, and collect a ride voucher.
- Go to the bus ticket counter near Gate 20 on the first floor of the terminal. Staff there help you confirm the route and the departure time.
Limits that apply
- The free service runs daily from 02:00 to 23:00.
- The Fangshan, Yizhuang and Tiantongyuan routes are not part of the campaign.
- Each voucher is good for one ride and is voided after use.
- The offer applies only to independent travelers. The announcement does not say what counts as independent, so a group traveler cannot tell from that page whether they qualify.
- Only a limited number of tickets are available each day, first come, first served.
The announcement names international and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan arrivals. It does not mention domestic flights, transit passengers or children, so this page does not extend the offer to them.
The six free routes
| Route | Key stops after the airport |
|---|---|
| Beijing Railway Station (day) | Jixian Qiao, Temple of Heaven, Chongwenmen, Beijing Railway Station |
| Tongzhou (day) | Duzhong Park, Guojiachang Qiao, Asia-Pacific Garden Hotel |
| Beijing Chaoyang Railway Station (day) | Shuangjingqiao North, East Gate of Chaoyang Park, Beijing Chaoyang Railway Station |
| Beijing Capital International Airport (day) | Liujiayao, Fangzhuang, Shuangjing, Liangma Qiao, Beijing Capital International Airport |
| Zhongguancun night route (Night Route 1) | Beijing West Railway Station North Square, Fuxingmen South, Xizhimen South, Beihang University, Zhongguancun |
| Agricultural Exhibition Center night route (Night Route 2) | Temple of Heaven, Chongwenmen, Beijing Railway Station East, Shuangjingqiao North, Agricultural Exhibition Center |
The announcement lists more stops on some routes than the table shows. It does not say how often buses leave, or which hours the night routes run inside the 02:00 to 23:00 window. The counter staff confirm the departure time when you collect your ticket. The free-service window starts at 02:00, four hours before the first train from the airport at 06:00.
Daxing Airport Express subway: hours, fares and stations
The Daxing Airport Express (ε€§ε ΄ζΊεΊηΊΏ) has three stations: Caoqiao, Daxing Xincheng and Daxing Airport. At Caoqiao you can change to Line 10 and Line 19. In the airport, the platform is at terminal level B1.
First and last trains
Two official pages give slightly different hours. For a trip into the city, the direction that matters is Daxing Airport to Caoqiao.
| Page | Caoqiao to Daxing Airport | Daxing Airport to Caoqiao |
|---|---|---|
| Airport website, subway page | 05:30-22:30 | 06:00-23:00 Monday to Saturday; 06:00-23:30 Sunday |
| Beijing Key Station Area Administration, page dated 2025-08-20 | 05:41-22:30 | 06:00-23:00 |
Both pages agree on frequency: no more than 9 minutes 20 seconds between trains from 05:41 to 22:30, and every 15 minutes from 22:30 to 23:00. Ticket sales and the gates close 5 minutes before the last train, and both pages advise you to enter the station 10 minutes before it. If your flight lands late, plan around 23:00 as the last train, and treat the Sunday 23:30 as a bonus that only the airport page lists.
For the National Day holiday, the Beijing government notice of September 30, 2026 says trains leaving Daxing Airport run until midnight on October 6 and October 7.
How much does the airport express cost?
The airport website lists four ticket types: an ordinary single ticket for the ordinary car, a section periodic e-ticket (ordinary car only), a business single ticket for the business car, and an air-rail ticket. It gives one price: the business car is a single fare of 50 yuan for the whole trip. It gives no number for the ordinary car.
The only ordinary-car figures in the pages used here are in a Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport notice of August 26, 2019, written before the line opened and worded as planned pricing. That fare scheme sets the ordinary single ticket at:
- 10 yuan for up to 20 km
- 25 yuan for 20 to 30 km
- 35 yuan beyond 30 km
The notice works this out as 10 yuan from Caoqiao to Daxing Xincheng and 35 yuan from Caoqiao to Daxing Airport. It also says you may stay up to 4 hours inside the paid area. Treat this as the published fare scheme, not as today's confirmed fare, and go by the price shown on the station ticket machine.
Other fare points on the airport page:
- Air-rail discount: if you fly with China Southern, China Eastern, Air China or Xiamen Airlines to or from Daxing, you may get a discount on the Airport Express ticket when you buy your air ticket. The size varies, so ask the airline for the conditions.
- Children: children 1.3 m or shorter ride free with an adult, and the adult pays. With one child, the child goes through the gate first and the adult behind. With more than one child, ask station staff.
Can I use a foreign Visa or Mastercard on the Beijing subway?
A Beijing government report of September 14, 2024 says contactless card swiping with overseas Mastercard and Visa cards started at 00:00 on September 13, 2024. It covers fare gates on all 27 operating lines, and the report lists the two airport express lines among them. JCB cards were described as coming soon, and the page does not say JCB is live.
The report also says self-service machines can sell tickets paid with an overseas card, and that one traveler can buy tickets for friends this way. It describes what the city launched; it does not promise that every gate at every station works for every card. Keep a second way to pay in case your card is declined. Our cash and payment guide covers the other options.
Daxing Airport taxi: where to board and how the fare works
Taxis board at the terminal level 1 curb. According to the Beijing Key Station Area Administration page dated 2025-08-20, the west and east areas are the waiting areas for Beijing-bound taxis, and the middle area is for Hebei-bound taxis.
The Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport's taxi fare rules give no fixed price for a trip from the airport into the city. What exists is the Beijing taxi fare rule dated 2023-03-10:
- Base fare: 13 yuan within 3 km, then 2.3 yuan/km.
- Fuel surcharge: 1 yuan per trip.
- Slow traffic and waiting: when the driver stops to wait at your request or road conditions keep speed below 12 km/h, every 5 minutes adds 2 km of fare in the morning and evening rush (07:00-09:00 and 17:00-19:00) and 1 km of fare at other times, excluding the long-trip surcharge from this calculation.
- Long one-way trips: the part of a one-way trip beyond 15 km costs an extra 50% of the base unit price.
- Night: between 23:00 and 05:00 the base unit price is 20% higher.
- Tolls and bridge fees: paid by the passenger.
- Outside Beijing: trips that leave the Beijing administrative area, and charters billed by the day, are market-priced.
The page does not say whether airport trips follow any extra rule, so ask the driver to run the meter and pay by the meter.
Regular city buses from Daxing Airport
The free routes above are a campaign. The airport also runs regular buses, split into city buses and intercity buses. City buses leave from the waiting area just inside Gate 20 on the east side of terminal level 1. Intercity buses to nearby cities leave from the waiting area inside Gate 15 on the west side. The airport's bus page gives the passenger service line as 010-81698565 and says exact departure times are posted at the bus ticket office. Its route map is an image, and it lists no fares, so this page gives no regular bus fare. Ask at the ticket office.
High-speed train from Daxing Airport
Daxing Airport Station sits underground at level B1 of the terminal, in the rail transit concourse. The Beijing Key Station Area Administration rail page lists two intercity lines:
- Beijing-Xiong'an Intercity Railway: Beijing West, Beijing Daxing, Daxing Airport, Gu'an East, Bazhou North, Xiong'an.
- Tianjin-Xing (Tianjin-Daxing) Intercity Railway: Daxing Airport, Gu'an East, Yongqing East, Anci, Shengfang, Tianjin West, Tianjin, Tangshan.
So the way to a Beijing rail station is the Beijing-Xiong'an line to Beijing West Station, with Beijing Daxing Station as the stop in between. The Beijing Key Station Area Administration's rail page gives no train times, travel times or prices. Search the route on 12306 for those.
Is the Daxing Airport Express connected to Lize yet?
No. The line now runs between Caoqiao and Daxing Airport. A Beijing government report of February 4, 2026 lists the Daxing Airport Express (Caoqiao-Lize Shangwuqu) among the urban rail projects the city will advance in 2026. A report of February 17, 2025 described the Lize Urban Terminal as under construction. Neither gives an opening date, so plan your trip around Caoqiao.
Before you leave the airport
Arriving on an international flight? You can fill in the China arrival card online before you land. The 240-hour transit page covers where transit visitors can travel. Once you reach the city, the Beijing travel guide has the rest of your trip, and the Forbidden City ticket guide explains how to book that sight. We can help you plan the day and tell you how to book.
Landing at Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) instead? See Capital Airport to the city.
