Beijing Arrival Guide

Beijing Capital International Airport · China · International Arrivals = Terminal 3 (T3), Level 2

✓ Hand-verified 8 Oct 2026 · Autumn now: 8–19 °C, clear and dry — Beijing's best season

Beijing is magnificent and immense — six centuries of empire stacked inside a modern megacity. It is also a place where Google Maps does not work and few taxi drivers speak English, so a prepared arrival matters more here than almost anywhere. This guide covers the free online arrival card, the Airport Express and every honest ride into the city, mobile payments, and the palaces, wall and duck that brought you here.

BEFORE YOU FLY: visa check + FREE online arrival card

① Visa: many passports (incl. Singapore, Malaysia) get 30 days visa-free; 240-hr transit needs an onward ticket to a DIFFERENT country. ② Arrival card: fill it ONLINE within 72 hrs before landing — FREE OF CHARGE — at s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC (opens in any browser; no WeChat needed) or the “NIA 12367” app. Paper fallback exists at the border.

⚠ Beware fake sites that charge fees — the official arrival card is FREE OF CHARGE.

Official site (copy this exactly): https://s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/

Visa note: Visa-free 30 days for many passports (check yours) · 240-hr visa-free transit needs an onward ticket to a DIFFERENT country · Hotel registers your stay automatically.

Your First 2 Hours, Step by Step

Immigration — 30–60 min · passport + arrival QR
Baggage — check carousel screens
Customs — Green Channel = walk out
Cash/SIM — ATMs + SIM counters, arrivals
Alipay — link your card on free WiFi
Go — Airport Express: B2 · taxi: L1 rank

≈30 km to city centre

Emergency Numbers in Beijing

110	Police
120	Ambulance
119	Fire
12345	City Helpline
12308	China MFA Hotline (24/7)
+86-10-96158	Airport Hotline

Embassies (lost passport, 24-hr lines)

United States	+86-10-8531-3000 — U.S. Embassy Beijing — 55 Anjialou Rd, Chaoyang
United Kingdom	+86-10-5192-4000 — British Embassy Beijing — 11 Guanghua Rd, Chaoyang
Australia	+86-10-5140-4111 — Australian Embassy Beijing — 21 Dongzhimenwai Dajie

Other nationalities: find your embassy at embassy.goabroad.com. Save these numbers offline before you fly.

Getting From Beijing Capital International Airport Into the City

Airport ExpressCHEAPEST¥25 ≈ $3.70

T3/T2 to Sanyuanqiao + Dongzhimen (metro Lines 2/13). ~30 min, every 10 min, 06:20–22:50. Machines take cash + foreign cards.

Metered TaxiEASIEST¥100–150 ≈ $15–22

Official rank outside arrivals, 24 hrs. ~40–60 min to Wangfujing. Meter on, plus ~¥10 toll. Ignore anyone who approaches YOU inside.

DiDi (app)¥90–140

China's Uber, English interface inside Alipay. Needs data — set up on airport WiFi first, then follow the app's pickup lane.

🌙 after ~23:00: taxi or DiDi only

Money in Beijing

1 USD ≈ ¥6.7 (7 Oct 26)

¥10 ≈ $1.50¥50 ≈ $7.50¥100 ≈ $15¥500 ≈ $75

China is nearly cashless: link your Visa/Mastercard to Alipay (and WeChat Pay) BEFORE you fly — works at street stalls to taxis. Keep ¥200–500 cash backup (bank ATMs in arrivals). Cards alone fail at small shops.

Phone, WiFi & SIM

Airport WiFi: Free WiFi: “AIRPORT-FREE-WIFI” — needs a phone number for the SMS code. No number? Ask the info counter to print a WiFi login slip.

Tourist SIM: Tourist SIM in arrivals (China Unicom): 7 days ≈ ¥85 · 30 days ≈ ¥200 (20 GB). Easier: install an eSIM before you fly (≈ $8–16, works on landing). Passport required for any local SIM.

Apps to install before you fly: Get 3 apps BEFORE flying: Alipay (pay + DiDi + metro codes) · Amap or Baidu Maps (Google Maps drifts in China) · a translator with offline Chinese. Gmail/WhatsApp need a VPN — install that before you fly too.

8 Phrases That Open Doors

Hello	Ni hao	你好
Thank you	Xie xie	谢谢
How much?	Duo shao qian?	多少钱
Not spicy	Bu la	不辣
Where is the toilet?	Ce suo zai na li?	厕所在哪里
Sorry / excuse me	Bu hao yi si	不好意思
Delicious!	Hao chi!	好吃
The bill, please	Mai dan	买单

Mandarin · tones change meaning — point if unsure — and if pronunciation fails, point at the local script on your printed card.

Top 5 Must-Go Places in Beijing

1. The Forbidden City故宫

600 years of imperial China — 980 buildings of golden roofs. Enter south, exit north.

¥60 Apr–Oct · closed Mondays · Metro Tiananmen East

Book online 7 days ahead (passport = ticket) — no gate sales. · Open in Google Maps

2. Mutianyu Great Wall慕田峪长城

The best-preserved Wall section — fewer crowds, cable car up, toboggan down.

¥40 entry · cable car ≈ ¥140 return · 1.5 hr from city

Go early; official shuttle from Dongzhimen or a tour. · Open in Google Maps

3. Temple of Heaven天坛

Ming-dynasty altar in a park of ancient cypresses; locals do tai chi at dawn.

¥34 combo ticket · Daily 6:00–22:00 · Metro Tiantan Dongmen

Arrive before 9:00 for the morning tai-chi scene. · Open in Google Maps

4. Summer Palace颐和园

Lakeside imperial gardens, painted corridors and a marble boat.

¥30 · Daily 6:30–18:00 · Metro Beigongmen

Allow half a day; rent a boat on Kunming Lake. · Open in Google Maps

5. Nanluoguxiang Hutong南锣鼓巷

800-year-old alley lanes — snack stalls, courtyard cafés, tiny shops.

FREE · all day, liveliest 15:00–21:00 · Metro Nanluoguxiang

Wander the side alleys — quieter, prettier, cheaper. · Open in Google Maps

Top 5 Must-Eat Dishes in Beijing

1. Peking Duck	北京烤鸭	¥150–300	crispy duck in pancakes · Legend: Siji Minfu or Quanjude
2. Zhajiang Noodles	炸酱面	¥20–35	hand-pulled noodles, rich bean sauce · old-city shops
3. Jianbing	煎饼	¥8–15	crispy breakfast crepe · street carts before 10:00
4. Lamb Skewers	羊肉串	¥3–5/stick	cumin-crusted grill · hutong night stalls
5. Mongolian Hotpot	涮羊肉	¥80–150	paper-thin lamb in copper pot · Dong Lai Shun est. 1903

Beware: ALWAYS BEWARE: unlicensed taxis inside arrivals quoting ¥300–600 flat (official rank only); tea-house and art-student scams near Wangfujing/Tiananmen; skip-the-line ticket sellers. Full China safety guidelines → safety guide

Good to know: Carry your passport always — it IS your ticket at sights and for trains. Hotels must be licensed for foreigners (most are — booking sites show it). No tipping anywhere. Autumn days are dry and clear: the best Great Wall season.

Local tips: Metro in 3 steps: ① Alipay > Transport > get Beijing metro QR ② scan at the gate ③ rides ¥3–9, 05:00–23:00. · Book Forbidden City exactly 7 days ahead at 20:00 Beijing time — weekend slots sell out in minutes.

Sources & Verification

Hand-verified on 8 Oct 2026 against official airport, metro, government and attraction sources, including:

Official arrival form: s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/ (always free)
Travel safety guidelines: U.S. State Department — China
Exchange rate used: 1 USD ≈ ¥6.7 (7 Oct 26)

Prices and rules change — always check before you travel. Spot something that has changed? Tell us and we'll fix it — travellers' corrections make the next card better.

Take Beijing With You — On Paper

Everything in this guide, condensed onto one printable A4 card that folds to pocket size — with your flight and hotel filled in, and a QR code back to this page. Works with a dead phone. Free forever.

Get My Free Beijing Card →
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Compiled from public sources, verified 8 Oct 2026. Prices, rules and hours change without notice — check before you go. Not legal, visa or safety advice; not affiliated with any airport or the Chinese government. Ads are paid placements; no endorsement implied.