How to Get from Beijing Airport to Railway Station?

As the capital city and an international metropolises with profound history, Beijing ranks as one of the leading tourist destinations among tourists travelling to China. To enjoy a smooth and pleasant trip to this famous city, many tourists will seek for travel ideas and guides regarding to different aspects of Beijing.

One of the frequently asked questions about travelling in Beijing is how to get to the railway station from the airport. This is not a question that can be answered in two words or three, for Beijing has several train stations and ways to different station may vary from each other. Therefore, to help you figure out the answer, here we introduce the detailed guideline about transfers between Beijing airport and railway stations for your reference.

What are the Airports in Beijing?

Beijing Capital International Airport is the main airport that serves the city of Beijing. It is located in Shunyi District, about 20 kilometers northeast of the city center. The airport has become the world’s second busiest airport by passenger numbers, only second to Atlanta International Airport, according to the data statistics in 2016. Currently, almost all foreign tourists who fly to Beijing from abroad will land at the Capital International Airport.

Beijing Capital International Airport is the world’s second busiest airport by passenger numbers.

In addition, there are other five airports in Beijing: Beijing Nanyuan Airport, Beijing Liangxiang Airport, Beijing Xijiao Airport, Beijing Shahe Airport and Beijing Badaling Airport. Except for the Nanyuan Airport which is used by both military and civil air operations, the rest are all military airfields.

What are the Railway Stations in Beijing?

Beijing has always been the center of the railway network in China, and is currently provided with five major railway stations: Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station, Beijing North Railway Station, Beijing Railway Station and Beijing East Railway Station. And there are some other small railway stations serving the suburban areas of Beijing city.

For tourists who want to enjoy a train journey from Beijing, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing Railway Station and Beijing South Railway Station are the main choices to take the train. Because the three stations offer both regular trains and high speed trains to a great number of popular destinations in China, like Xi’an, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Guilin, etc. What’s more, there is one Tibet train available running from Beijing West Railway Station to Lhasa, the high-elevation city on the roof of the world.

How to Get from Beijing Airport to Railway Station ?

Generally, tourists can get to the railway stations from the airport by bus, subway or taxi. Different way of transportations has its own pros and cons. Here we will respectively introduce the way from Capital International Airport to the three major popular railway stations in Beijing. Read on to check the following details.

Beijing Airport to Beijing West Railway Station

Beijing West Railway Station is one of the three major railway stations in Beijing, located at Lianhuachi East Road of Fengtai District, Near the West 3rd Ring Road. The station mainly offers trains that travel to south central, southwest, northwest and south China, in regular type or bullet type. More remarkable, for tourists planning to enjoy a Beijing Tibet tour by train, the station is the only option to board the Beijing to Lhasa train, along the Qinghai-Tibet railway.

The simplest way to get to Beijing West Railway Station from the airport is to take the airport shuttle bus. The No.7 Airport Express which departs from Terminal 1 Station will take you to the train station. It takes about one hour and costs 30 RMB per person for one-way ride. The shuttle bus runs every 30 minutes from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. of the next day during peak season and from 7:00 am to 24:00 in low season.

No.7 Airport Express runs every 30 minutes from Terminal 1 to Beijing West Railway Station.

Besides, taxis are always available from Beijing airport to the train station. Without the need to search for the boarding station, taking a taxi is the most convenient option, especially for first-time visitors to Beijing. But the price will be quite expensive and there are seldom lucky times for a smooth transfer considering the congested traffic in Beijing.

Beijing Airport to Beijing Railway Station

Built in 1959, Beijing Railway Station is the third largest railway station in Beijing and an important hub for national railway passenger transport. Currently, trains running to Harbin, Shengyang, Dalian and other more cities in northeast or east China are mainly boarded here. The station also provides international trains to Moscow, Ulaanbaatar and Pyongyang.

Being 28 kilometers from Capital International Airport, Beijing Railway Station is located in No.13 Hutongjia, Maojiawan, Dongcheng District, southeast of the city center inside the Second Ring Road. To get to the station from the airport, one can take the Airport Shuttle Bus (No.3) as the first choice. The bus leaves from Terminal 3 Station of Capital International Airport and will run for about 1 hour and 30 minutes on the way. The scheduled running time of Airport Express No.3 is from 7:00 am to 24:00 pm, and the ticket price is 30 RMB per person.

As a time-saving choice, tourists can choose to take Metro Line 2 to the train station. By this way, it only takes nearly 1 hour for the transfer. But you need to first take the shuttle express as well and then transfer to Metro Line 2 (Inner Loop) at Dongzhimen station. The total cost for the combined transportation is 28 RMB per person.

One can get to Beijing Railway Station by taking the shuttle express and then transfering to Metro Line 2.

Beijing Airport to Beijing South Railway Station

Beijing South Railway Station (also called Beijing South) is the main bullet train station in Beijing. Located in No.12 Station Road of Fengtai District, the station is in the south of central Beijing, between the Second Ring Road and Third Ring Road. The Beijing South Train Stations mainly operates inter-city trains to Tianjin, and high speed trains to Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou etc.

Covering a distance of 35 kilometers, it is convenient to transfer from the airport to Beijing South Train Station. Tourists can walk 30 meters to Terminal 1 Station of Capital International Airport to take the Airport Express No.2. It will take around 1 hour to get to the railway station.

Airport Express No.2 takes around 1 hour to Beijing South Train Station from Terminal 1.

If you prefer the subway, you can first take the shuttle bus at Terminal 3 and transfer to Metro Line 2 at Dongzhimen station, and then transfer to Metro Line 4 (Daxing direction) after 8 stops. You will finally get to Beijing South in about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

The transportation costs for both ways are 30 RMB per person one way. Compared to shuttle bus, the metro line will help to avoid the crowded vehicles above the ground. But it needs several changes on the way. It is recommended to decide the appropriate way based on your own situation.