Public transport in Beijing

Overview

The Beijing Subway is the rapid transit system of Beijing Municipality and the oldest metro in China, having opened in 1971. It has grown from just two lines before 2002 into a network of 30 lines — including 25 rapid transit lines, two airport rail links, one maglev line and two light rail tram lines — with 541 stations stretching 909 km across 12 urban and suburban districts of Beijing and into one district of neighbouring Langfang in Hebei province. In December 2023 it became the world's longest metro system by route length, and before the COVID-19 pandemic it was the world's busiest, carrying 3.8484 billion trips in 2018.

For a visitor, the system is straightforward to use end to end. You enter a station, pass your bag through the mandatory X-ray security check, and tap or scan your ticket, card or phone at the gate. Station names and announcements are given in Chinese with English transliteration beneath, and most signage is bilingual. You ride to your destination, tap out or insert your single-ride ticket at the exit gate, and follow the exit signs — checking the exit letter carefully, because a wrong exit can mean a long walk. Trains generally run from roughly 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with headways averaging about five minutes and as little as 1.5 minutes at rush hour.

The network

The subway is the backbone of public transport in Beijing, and its lines generally follow the city's checkerboard layout. Most lines through the urban core — the area roughly outlined by the Line 10 loop — run parallel or perpendicular to each other and intersect at right angles. Lines are identified by number and colour.

• Line 1 runs straight east–west beneath Chang'an Avenue, bisecting the city through Tiananmen Square and linking Xidan, Wangfujing, Dongdan and the CBD.
• Line 2 is the inner rectangular loop tracing the Ming-era inner city wall, with stops at 11 former gates (names ending in men) and Beijing Railway Station.
• Line 3 runs from the eastern edge of the inner city to the northeast through Sanlitun, Chaoyang Park and Chaoyang Railway Station.
• Line 4 is a mainly north–south line west of the centre, serving the Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace, Peking and Renmin Universities, Zhongguancun, the National Library, Beijing Zoo, Xidan and Beijing South Railway Station.
• Line 5 runs north–south east of the centre, passing the Temple of Earth, Yonghe Temple and the Temple of Heaven.
• Line 6 runs east–west north of Line 1, from Shijingshan District to the Beijing City Sub-Center in Tongzhou District.
• Line 7 runs east–west south of Line 1, from Beijing West Railway Station to Universal Resort.
• Line 8 follows the city's central axis from Changping District through the Olympic Green, Shichahai and Nanluoguxiang, past the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, and on south to Yinghai.
• Line 9 runs north–south west of Line 4, from the National Library through the Military Museum and Beijing West Railway Station.
• Line 10 is the outer loop beneath or just beyond the Third Ring Road; every other core line intersects it.
• Line 12 follows the northern section of the 3rd Ring Road and then heads east into Chaoyang.
• Line 13 arcs across the northern suburbs.
• Other lines include 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, plus the Changping Line, Yizhuang Line, Fangshan Line, Yanfang Line and the maglev Line S1.
• The Capital Airport Express links Beixinqiao, Dongzhimen and Sanyuanqiao with Terminals 3 and 2, and the Daxing Airport Express links Caoqiao and Daxing Xincheng with Daxing Airport.
• Two light rail tram lines serve the northwest and the exhibition district: one runs to the Summer Palace West Gate, Botanical Garden and Fragrant Hills, and another serves the Etrong International Exhibition & Convention Center and Rongchang East Street.

Beyond the subway, Beijing has an extensive bus network of more than 800 lines, though stop names and schedules are in Chinese only, which makes buses harder for visitors to navigate. The city's railway stations — including Beijing Railway Station (北京站, Běijīng Zhàn), Beijing West (北京西站, Běijīng Xīzhàn), Beijing South (北京南站, Běijīng Nánzhàn), Beijing North (北京北站, Běijīng Běizhàn) and Fengtai (北京丰台站, Běijīng Fēngtái Zhàn) — are all connected to the subway, and suburban and intercity rail services such as the BCR Huaimi Line and BCR Sub-Central line extend into the surrounding region.

Tickets & fares

Fares on all lines except the two airport expresses are distance-based. A trip of up to 6 km costs ¥3, with ¥1 added for the next 6 km, for every 10 km thereafter up to 32 km, and for every 20 km beyond 32 km; a 40 km trip, for example, costs ¥7. The Capital Airport Express has a fixed fare of ¥25 per ride. The Daxing Airport Express has class-based fares, with ordinary class varying from ¥10 to ¥35 by distance and business class fixed at ¥50. These prices are approximate and subject to change.

Same-station transfers are free on all subway lines except the two Airport Express lines, the Xijiao Line and the Yizhuang T1 Line, which require a new fare when you transfer to or from them. Children below 1.3 m in height ride free when accompanied by a paying adult, and senior citizens over 65, people with physical disabilities, and certain military and police veterans also ride free.

• Single-ride tickets are RFID-enabled flexible plastic cards, bought from ticket vending machines or staffed counters at every station. You insert the ticket at the gate on entry and again at the exit, where it is retained and reused. Machines have an English option; payment can be by cash, WeChat, Alipay or card, though card acceptance varies by station and line.
• Yikatong (一卡通, also called the Beijing Municipal Administration & Communication Card) is a rechargeable smartcard valid on the subway, urban and suburban buses and for e-money purchases. It costs a ¥20 deposit plus an initial recharge (minimum ¥20 is typical) and must be bought at a ticket counter. You need a minimum balance of ¥3 to enter a station, and the card may be overdrawn once. Frequent users earn monthly rebates: after ¥100 of subway spending in a calendar month, 20% of further spending up to ¥150 is credited, and 50% of spending between ¥150 and ¥250.
• Beijing Pass is a multi-function smart card aimed at foreign tourists, sold at the international arrival terminals of Beijing's airports and at railway stations. It works on public transport, for entry to selected attractions and at some convenience stores.
• Tap to ride with a contactless bank card is accepted at all station gates, including the airport expresses; overseas-issued Mastercard and Visa cards and UnionPay QuickPass cards work, as do phones and watches linked to them. Some single-branded foreign-currency cards issued in China are not yet supported.
• QR codes via Alipay (and WeChat Pay) are widely used; Alipay's Metro mini-program can be set up with an international bank card and offers 15 in-app languages.
• Unlimited-ride tickets for periods of one to seven days can be bought through the Yitongxing (亿通行, "One Hundred Million Rides") app, which generates a QR code.

You must complete your journey within four hours of entering; exceeding this incurs a ¥3 surcharge.

From the airport

Beijing has two major international airports. Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都国际机场, Běijīng Shǒudū Guójì Jīchǎng, PEK) lies 26 km northeast of the centre. The most convenient way downtown is the Capital Airport Express subway line, with a fare of ¥25. Trains run every 10–15 minutes between 06:30 and 23:00, departing from Terminal 2 and stopping at Sanyuanqiao (Line 10), Dongzhimen (Line 2) and Beixinqiao (Line 5). The journey to the city takes about 25 minutes, after which you buy a separate ticket for the rest of the subway. From Terminal 1 it is an eight-minute walk to Terminal 2.

Beijing Daxing International Airport (北京大兴国际机场, Běijīng Dàxīng Guójì Jīchǎng, PKX), which opened in September 2019, is served by the Daxing Airport Express, connecting to Line 10 at Caoqiao in about 22 minutes, with trains roughly every 10 minutes. Tickets cost ¥35; the machines require ID and do not accept non-Chinese passports, so buying from a human cashier is easiest for new arrivals. The Beijing–Xiong'an high-speed intercity railway also links Daxing Airport to Beijing West Railway Station, and a Huairou–Daxing Airport intercity railway was due to open by the end of 2024. Airport shuttle buses serve several city points for ¥25–40 (about 90 minutes), and a metered taxi to central Beijing costs roughly ¥200 including the expressway toll.

Etiquette & customs

• Security first. Every station entry has a mandatory airport-style bag X-ray; the process is quick, and liquids may require a test sip. Alcohol, flammable liquids, large spray cans, knives, scissors and sharp objects are restricted or prohibited.
• Queuing and boarding. Floor markings show car positions and waiting zones, and passengers generally queue in single file before the train arrives — but boarding becomes push-and-shove once the doors open, and passengers sometimes exit after boarders rather than before. Be prepared to assert yourself to get on and off.
• Escalators. The sources do not specify a standing side, so follow the flow of those around you and hold the handrail.
• Rush hour. The busiest times are roughly 07:00–10:00 and 17:00–20:00 on weekdays, when trains are extremely crowded and some stations queue to enter. Attendants at each door manage the crush, pushing passengers in and sometimes pulling people off so the doors can close.
• On board. Passengers are typically absorbed in their smartphones and there is little conversation. Priority seating is provided; offer your seat to those who need it.
• Eating and drinking. The sources do not give a specific rule, so keep food and drink to a minimum out of courtesy in crowded cars.
• Expect some jostling at ticket machines, security belts and platforms, and note that burping and spitting in public are common local habits.

Official links

• Beijing Municipal Government – Beijing Life on the Subway (English)

Survival terms

• Subway/metro — 地铁 (dìtiě)
• Ticket — 票 (piào)
• Line — 线 (xiàn), as in 一号线 (yī hào xiàn, Line 1)
• Entrance — 入口 (rùkǒu)
• Exit — 出口 (chūkǒu)
• Transfer — 换乘 (huànchéng)
• Single fare — 单程票 (dānchéng piào)
• Day pass — 日票 (rì piào)

Before you set out each day, note the exit letter for your destination station so you surface on the right side of a major intersection rather than walking an extra block or two.