13 Helpful Beijing Travel Tips & FAQs 2024/2025

Normally, a Chinese Visa is required when you visit Beijing or other cities in China's mainland. But if you meet the requirements of Beijing 144/72/24-hour transit visa free policy, you can visit Beijing without a visa.

24-Hour Transit Visa Free: This policy at Beijing Capital International Airport is available for all foreigners who hold connecting flight tickets to a third country/region. It allows passengers stay within the airport for less than 24 hours, without going through any immigration or customs.

72-hour transit visa free: Citizens of 45 countries with valid visa & connecting flight tickets to a third country/region can apply for this policy. It permits qualified transit passengers enter & exit via Beijing Capital International Airport.

144-hour transit visa free: Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region has implemented the latest 144-Hour Visa-free Transit to visitors from 53 countries with valid travel document & connecting (flight, ship, trains) tickets to a third country/region. So you can spend 6 days in this region without a visa.

☛ Beijing Visa Free: 144/72/24-Hour Transit Visa Exemption Guide

As a busy transportation hub, Beijing Capital International Airport offers international flights to major cities in all continents (except sub-Saharan Africa and sub-USA American), and domestic flights to every provincial capital and major cities in China. What’s more, Beijing Daxing International Airport is about to open after September 30, 2019. At that time, it will be the largest airport in the world. So it will be very convenient for travellers to get to Beijing from other places in the world.

☛ How to get to & around Beijing

Travel to Beijing from major cities in China:

Travel from Hong Kong to Beijing | Travel from Guilin to Beijing | Travel from Guangzhou to Beijing | Travel from Chengdu to Beijing | Travel from Tianjin to Beijing | Travel from Zhangjiajie to Beijing | Travel from Chongqing to Beijing | Travel from Hangzhou to Beijing | Travel from Shenzhen to Beijing

Beijing has thousands of hotels in different classes and regions. Generally, most great hotels are located in Wangfujing Area, Hutong Area and Qianmen Area which are also three areas close to some top attractions, like Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Jingshan Park, Beihai Park, etc. If you plan to stay a night near the Great Wall, there will be more choices at Mutianyu and Badaling than other sections.

☛ Beijing Accommodation: Recommended Hotels & Hostels | Beijing Hotels Maps

If you have 8 or more hours’ layover at Beijing airport, you can consider taking a layover trip to Tian'anmen Square, Foribidden City, and Temple of Heaven at the downtown area, or going to Mutianyu section of the Great Wall (about 1.5 hours’ drive from Beijing Capital International Airport). Remember to take the time for airport check-out and check-in into account. If you want make full use of every minute to enjoy your layover in Beijing, we China Discovery can provide you with private and tailor-made layover tours. Just tell us how long you will stay in Beijing and what attractions you want to go, we will make a tour plan for you, pick you up at the airport, and then escort you all the way.

☛ Private and Tailor-Made Beijing Layover Tours

If you want to save all the transfer troubles, you can choose a private Beijing tour package with China Discovery. No matter when your flight arrives, and which terminal your flight lands, our friendly tour guide and driver will welcome you at the arrival hall and escort you to your hotel and any destinations you want to go.>> Contact us

If you are independent travellers, you can take the Airport Express Train at Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, or take Airport Shuttle Bus (available in three terminals) to downtown area. Remember to pay attention to their routes and timetables to get to your destination timely. There are also many taxis outside the gate waiting in lines. The price depends on the distance to your destination, usually around ¥80 - ¥150.

☛ Transfer from Beijing Capital International Airport to Beijing Downtown

There are many shopping centers in Beijing. Hongqiao Market is most famous for its pearls, but it also provides a great number of souvenirs goods like figurines, silk, handbags, toys, some electronics, etc. Panjiayuan Antique Market, as the name shows, is the best place to find both authentic and fake Chinese antiques. Wangfujing Street is Beijing’s busiest and most prosperous commercial street with numerous upscale shops and boutiques. Xidan Commercial Street is a shopping paradise for the young dotted with megamalls, outdoor markets, small shops, restaurants, and entertainment centers. For more detailed information, please check Beijing Shopping – What and Where to Buy in Beijing

In Beijing, Wifi is provided in most public places such as the shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, cafes, etc. You can log in them for free. Sometimes you can connect to them directly, but some of them may need a password (you can ask the staffs) or a Chinese cellphone number to register with (you need a Chinese SIM card). Apart from WIFI, you can get access to the Internet with data. There are usually 2 options. The first option, you can use your own SIM card and open the data roaming service from its provider at your home country. The second one, you can buy a local SIM card when you arrive in Beijing at the airport or at the stores of China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom with your passport. Tell the staff your needs such as providing mobile data or being able to make international calls and they will show you the suitable one. Generally speaking, buying a local one is more convenient and cheaper.

☛ Internet & WiFi | Cellphone & SIM Card

You can make currency exchange both in your country and Beijing. Some banks, four-star hotels, and five-star hotels in Beijing will provide currency exchange service. You can also make cash withdrawals (RMB only) in China through an ATM machine with your Visa card or Master Card. Credit cards are usually acceptable in some upscale hotels and big foreign chains like Starbucks. For daily expenses, cash is more convenient.

☛ Chinese Currency & Money Exchange