The capital of the People's Republic of China, Beijing is not only the country’s financial and cultural heart but it is also the greatest transportation hub. During the recent years, the capital has updated its rail and road systems as well as extending its metro network, adding further routes. The downtown subway lines are all either new or have been renovated in recent times. The transportation system in Beijing is constantly restructured and because of this, day to day travel is becoming increasingly easy.
The Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is Beijing's primary airport, it was the capital's original international airport and the largest international airport in the whole of Asia. Beijing flights predominantly depart from this airport which is connected to downtown via the Airport Expressway highway. In the absence of heavy traffic, the journey from the city to the airport is in the region of 40 minutes.
The city boasts other airports including Beijing Nanyuan Airport (NAY), Beijing Liangxiang Airport, Beijing Xijiao Airport, Beijing Shahe Airport and Beijing Badaling Airport. Except Nanyuan, these hubs are utilized for internal trips. Nanyuan Airport is used by the military and is not accessible to cilvilians.
At present Beijing has four train stations: Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station and the Beijing North Railway Station. Beijing Station is known was the "Gateway to the Capital," and is the port of call in China's capital for Chinese citizens from outside of the capital. The station is also located on the following lines: Beijing-Baotou line, Beijing-Qinhuangdao line, Beijing-Harbin line and the Beijing-Shanghai line. Beijing Railway Station is also an international terminus for trains bound for Pyongyang, Ulan Bator and Moscow.
Beijing West Railway Station is a station from which trains leaving for to the 1st and 2nd tier cities of the south, southeast and northeast regions of the country depart. Beijing South Railway Station is the world's largest train station and is a stop for intercity trains, a connection to Beijing's high-speed rail line, and a docking facility for trains. Beijing North Railway Station transports visitors to the outskirts of Beijing including areas such Badaling and theKangxi Grasslands. It also dispatches a handful of short-haul trains to Inner Mongolia, Hebei among other destinations.
Beijing is surrounded by 12 national highways each allowing access to a different city. Among them are Shenyang, Tianjin, Harbin, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Nanjing, Fuzhou and Kunming. There are also 9 highways within Beijing: Badaling Highway, Beijing Capital International Airport Highway, Beijing-Shenyang Highway, Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu Highway, Beijing-Shijiazhuang Expressway, Beijing-Zhang Highway, Beijing-Chengde Road, Beijing-Harbin Highway and Beijing-Kaifeng Highway. In addition to highways, Beijing has 12coachstations which are excellent for people on a tight budget and very convenient for internal transportation.
In short, Beijing is very well connected and accessible in terms of transportation and from this point can go in any direction, be it an internal or international destination. Train and bus tickets can be booked in advance with ease. Some excellent ticket websites which you may browse for further ideas are Qunar (www.qunar.com), Ctrip (www.ctrip.com) and eLong (www.elong.net)
