Taxi Transfers To and From Beijing Airport

There are four toll roads that connect the airport with the city and surrounding suburbs. Road and bridge tolls and any other charges must be borne by the passengers, so it is important to be clear about the total cost of the taxi ride before going ahead with the official airport taxi operator. The airport is located approximately 20 miles or 32 km northeast of central Beijing.

There are several taxi ranks and taxi stops at the airport and Airport Taxi Dispatch Management will help visitors to find the right one on helpline tel number (010) 64541100.

At T1 passengers will find Beijing Airport taxis waiting outside gates 1 to 5 on level F1, which is also the drop-off point for passengers arriving at the airport.

At T2 passengers can board taxis or be dropped by them outside gates 5 to 9 on level F1.

For T3 taxi rank locations passengers should follow the signposting inside the terminal.

A minimum fare with taxis Beijing Airport costs RMB 10, which covers the first 3 kilometers. The remaining journey will be charged at RMB 2 per kilometer traveled.

For journeys that exceed 15 kilometers, an additional 50 per cent of the total fare is added to the overall cost, which allows for the driver's return journey to the airport. At certain times of the day traffic conditions can be slow moving and Beijing Airport taxis will charge extra, if the taxi's speed drops below 12 km per hour. The rate is charged at an extra 1 km for every five minutes.

Waiting times are also charged extra. Every 5 minutes of waiting will incur a charge of 1 kilometer's fare. Between the hours of 11.00 pm and 05.00 am at night the minimum fare rises to RMB 11 and the price per kilometer traveled increases by 20 per cent.

Official taxis all carry charge standards on their windows as well as information on the service supervision of the taxi driver. The latter is displayed by a card. Passengers requiring an invoice or receipt must ask the driver for it at the end of their journey. It is always advisable to get a receipt and when in doubt, passengers should make a note of the car's registration number. Official airport taxis all carry a registration number on the card displayed in the window. In the event of a complaint, it is important to forward this number and it should be clearly stated on the receipt or invoice handed to the passenger at the end of the taxi ride.

Many of the important tourist attractions can be reached by Beijing Subway, but there will be times when it is easier to travel by taxi or chauffeur driven car, if self-drive is not preferred. Good quality tourist guide books should display the address details in both Roman lettering and Chinese symbols, which should be shown to the driver, if communication becomes an issue during the journey.

One such example is the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium in the Olympic Village, which is best visited via Beijing Capital International Airport taxis.

The National Stadium was designed by award winning architects Herzog & de Meuron to host track as well as field events during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

At night, when the stadium is lit up, the space-age structure is particularly beautiful to look at. Visitors should tell their taxi drivers to head for Ao Yun Niao Chao (奥运鸟巢 , meaning literally the "Olympic Bird's Nest").