Home|About us|Contact Us|Testimonials

Local Beijing Tours

Tour Tips

Quick Enquiry

Follow Us on:

Home >> Attractions >> Beijing >> Bejing Transportation

Beijing Transportation

Beijing City Planning

The city limits of Beijing stretches some 80km (50 miles), including the urban and suburban areas --in other words, it's huge! Though visitors may at first feel confused, Beijing is actually designed very orderly. Long, straight boulevards and avenues are crisscrossed by a network of lanes. Most of the major attractions are located on the broad avenues and very easy to locate; some, however, are buried deep in the hutong alleyways are are almost impossible to find without a guide.

When viewed from above, The Forbidden City is like a bull's-eye, surrounded by a network of roads, including five ring roads which cup the city centre in concentric circles. The First Ring Rd is a mapmaker's fiction and just part of the grid around the Forbidden City. However, the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth are multi-lane freeways. Roughly within the Second Ring Rd are the four central districts: Xicheng, Dongcheng, Chongwen and Xuanwu. Outside the Second Ring Rd are the so-called 'suburban' (now urbanized) districts of Chaoyang (east), Fengtai (southwest) and Haidian (northwest). Then there are the "villages". Beijing was once surrounded by many tiny villages, though over time these have in fact become neighborhoods within the metrapolis.

Beijing Urban Transportations

Overview

By Subway

By Taxi

By Bike

Overview

Beijing as of 2011 has an estimated 5 million registered cars on its roads, so traffic congestion is widespread. Traffic in the city centre is often gridlocked and is only predicted to get worse as the number of vehicles on Beijing's roads increase. It is predicted by 2012 Beijing will have over 6 million cars on its roads. To combat congestion the local government has rapidly been building the subway system adding more lines and working towards doubling the length of the subway system by 2015.

By Subway

By the year of 2010, there are totally 8 subway lines in Beijing, namely Line 1, Line Batong (above-ground light-rail line), Line 2, Line 13 (above-ground light-rail line), Line 4, Line 5, Line 10 and Line 13, up to 300 kilometres. The four central subway lines - Line 1, Line 2, Line 4 and Line 5, cover almost all the major attractions in Beijing. You can click the following subway map for detailed information of each line, which must be quite helpful for your trip.

Click the map for more details, kindly note that: the shining stars marked on the big map stand for major destinations of our following subway tours.

By Taxi

There are approx. 70,000 taxis going around in Beijing. The present taxi number is barely enough for the increasing public needs. At peak hours, people find it a bit hard to hail a taxi on the streets. Most of the taxi drivers can speak little English, you are advised to keep the name of your hotel written in Chinese or you may ask your hotel staff to write it down for you. So you are able to show it to a driver. All legitimate taxis in Beijing use meters, so just get in the taxi and pay the fare when you get out. To advoid possible dispute, you are advised to take fapiao (receipts) which willl be printed automatically for you.

By Bike

Riding a bike through the streets of Beijing is a good way to see the city. You can leisurely cycle from sight to sight, stop for a local lunch, explore old alleys (hutongs) and become one with the Chinese in the bike lane. People chat as they biking, carry oversize loads and you'll even see arm-powered cycle wheelchairs. Traffic jams will have little effect on you. Biking is not just a way to get from one place to another but also an eye into the minds of local people. Cycling in Beijing you sense the mood of those with who you share the road. At times cycling is relaxing and you feel Zen, other times you might feel like you are playing a video game. In general its entertaining, humorous and a great way to explore the nooks and crannies of Beijing and possibly meet some local people.

Beijing Local Tours