Arriving by Air - Airline, Airport - Getting Here

Arriving by Air

Beijing Capital International Airport is undoubtedly China's top air hub, opened October 1, 1999 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party. The airport serves international and domestic airlines.

Arriving
On your flight you will receive three forms, a Health and Quarantine form (leave this before passport control), an Entry Card (leave at passport control), which will state the duration of your stay in China and a Customs Declaration Form (leave at custom), where you list valuables. All foreigners need a visa to enter.

A giant Great Wall painting welcomes you in the arrival hall (Picture shows part of the painting)

At the airport
This is a state-of-the-art airport with bilingual information screens. After lining up in the giant Immigration Hall in front of the Foreigner sign and passed the passport control you get information on a screen which baggage claim you can pick up your belongings. There are free trolleys or porters for hire. You should have received an Entry Card and Health and Quarantine Declaration Form on your flight but if not, you can still get them in the airport after you landed. Money can be changed in an ATM machine at the baggage claim or once you come out in the arrival hall.

Going to the centre
The Capital Airport is 26 km from the city centre. Take a metered taxi, there are plenty of cabs round the clock. Ignore all offers from private taxis. The cost to the centre of Beijing should be about RMB/Yuan 90-135 including the Yuan 15 for the road toll. When you enter the taxi and start your trip, check that the driver switches the meter on. Most drivers still don´t speak English so try to have your hotel name written down in Chinese. The drive takes 30-40 minutes. There are also shuttle buses (the fee is RMB 16) and many of the leading hotels offer limousine or minibus services.

Going to the airport
If you are leaving for teh airport during rush hour, add up to an extra hour to the journey time. You must also fill in the Customs Declaration Form for valuables before you leave.