Daxing

Introduction

Daxing District spreads across Beijing's southern suburbs, forming one of the city's outlying districts rather than its historic centre. It sits at the capital's southern edge, bordering the Hebei province to the south and several other Beijing districts: Tongzhou to the east and northeast, Chaoyang to the northeast, Fengtai to the northwest, and Fangshan to the west.

That position makes Daxing a place you pass through or base yourself in while exploring the wider southern side of Beijing, with easy connections to neighbouring districts and onward routes into Hebei. The source material for this guide is limited, so treat what follows as a starting point rather than a complete picture of the district.

Getting around

Daxing is a large, spread-out suburban district on Beijing's southern edge, and it is not walkable in the way central Beijing is. Its points of interest and transport hubs are spread out, so you will almost always rely on rail, metro, bus or road transport to move between them. The airport anchors a well-connected network of metro, intercity rail, buses and taxis, and all of these link onward into the rest of Beijing. Within the terminal, everything you need — metro, intercity rail, buses, taxis and ride-hailing pick-up — is reachable on foot indoors, which makes connections between modes relatively painless.

The most straightforward way into the city from the airport is the Airport Express metro line, which has just three stations: Daxing Airport, Daxing Xincheng and Caoqiao. The platform is on Level B1 of the terminal, so you can reach it without leaving the building, and at Caoqiao you can transfer to Metro Line 10 and Line 19. Trains run from the airport to Caoqiao from early morning until late at night, so check the time if you land on a very late flight. There are two classes of seat, with the ordinary seat cheaper than the business seat, and you can pay with a BEIJING PASS transport card, an Alipay or WeChat boarding QR code, a ticket vending machine, or a staffed ticket window. If you are heading beyond Beijing, the terminal itself has an intercity rail station on the B1 floor, in the same rail transit hall as the metro: the Beijing–Xiong'an Intercity Railway connects to Beijing West Railway Station and Xiong'an Station, and the Jinxing Intercity Railway connects to Tianjin Railway Station and Tangshan Station.

• City shuttle buses link the terminal to major transport hubs, large residential areas and landmarks including Beijing Railway Station, Tongzhou, Zhongguancun, the Capital Airport, Temple of Heaven Park and Chaoyang Park. Pick-up is at Gate 20 on the east side of the terminal's first floor, in the city bus waiting area. Buses generally operate from around morning to evening, though individual routes vary, and journeys typically take one to two hours depending on traffic. The Beijing Railway Station line runs around the clock, with departures timed to match peaks in arriving passengers and running as often as every 15 minutes at busy times. Late-night coverage is provided by the Beijing Railway Station line plus dedicated night lines to Zhongguancun and the Agricultural Exhibition Center. A direct service to Universal Studios runs via the East 6th Ring Road with no transfers, which is convenient if you have large luggage or are travelling with children. Check the airport's own website before you travel, as routes and timings are periodically adjusted.
• Taxis are metered and pick up on the ground floor of the terminal, next to the lane. The pick-up area is split: the west and east areas serve passengers heading into Beijing, while the central area serves passengers heading into Hebei. Expect the journey into the city to take one to two hours depending on your destination and traffic conditions.
• Ride-hailing apps such as Didi Chuxing and Shouqi also operate from the airport. The designated pick-up point is the "Online car-hailing pick-up area" on the 1M mezzanine of the P1 Parking Building. Fares are usually close to, or slightly above, taxi fares, and vary with distance, vehicle type and real-time traffic.

Three days in Daxing

Day one: Arrive at Daxing Airport and use the Airport Express to reach Caoqiao, where you can connect to the wider Metro Line network. Load a BEIJING PASS or set up Alipay or WeChat for QR payments before you travel. Daxing Xincheng is a useful base for your first night, and from there you can begin to understand how the district sits within Beijing, bordering Hebei and the districts of Tongzhou, Chaoyang, Fengtai and Fangshan.

• Airport Express to Caoqiao
• Metro Line connections across Beijing
• BEIJING PASS, Alipay or WeChat for QR payments

Day two: Use the rail links that serve the district. The Jinxing Intercity Railway connects Daxing with Beijing West Railway Station, and the Intercity Railway continues toward Xiong'an. Trains also run to Tianjin Railway Station and Tangshan Station, while Beijing Railway Station serves the wider city. If you prefer to stay closer to the centre, Zhongguancun and the Capital Airport are both reachable by Metro Line, and Temple of Heaven Park makes a good half-day outing in Beijing.

• Jinxing Intercity Railway to Beijing West Railway Station
• Intercity Railway toward Xiong'an
• Trains to Tianjin Railway Station and Tangshan Station
• Temple of Heaven Park

Day three: Spend your last day moving between the district and the city. Daxing District is well connected by Metro Line, so you can reach Chaoyang, Fengtai, Fangshan and Tongzhou without changing your base. Keep your BEIJING PASS or QR payment ready for the Airport Express back to Daxing Airport. If your train leaves from Beijing West Railway Station or Beijing Railway Station, allow time for the Intercity Railway connections.

• Metro Line to Chaoyang, Fengtai, Fangshan and Tongzhou
• Airport Express to Daxing Airport
• Intercity Railway to Beijing West Railway Station