Beijing Subway Travel Tips and FAQs

Plan to tour Beijing on budget and on your own?

In that case, subway is a cheap and easy way to access popular scenic spots, shopping markets and famous restaurants.

The underground train in Beijing also called the subway or metro, is clean, efficient, and cheap, air conditioned, easily navigated in English, and can be the fastest and most convenient form of transportation within the city. However, it is greatly crowded.

Notes：

1. You can get to anywhere in the city;

2. There is one fare – 2 RMB; you can transfer freely, but the ticket is invalid after your exit.

3. The airport express train costs 25 RMB.

4. Children below 1.2m in height ride for free when accompanied by a paying adult.

6. The trains can move as fast as 70km/hr, which seems like the speed of light when compared to the buses in town;

7. There are only a few subway stations that could be called "accessible" by US standards. Even the refurbished ones reopening are filled with stairs.

8. Most stations have 4 exits, and at a few stations, there will be one of those with facilities to handle a wheelchair.

9. The first trains depart terminals at around 5 am and the last leave at around 11:00pm.

10. Presently, there are the line 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 13, Batong Line and Airport Express Line.

11. Beijing's rapid transit rail network is expected to reach 561 km in length by 2015.

12. After witnessing several serious subway accidents in South Korea (e.g. Daegu subway fire in February 2003), the Beijing Subway removed all shops and vendors from the inside of subway stations and installed self-illuminating exit signs to facilitate emergency evacuations. The popular underground mall at the Xidan station was also closed.

Hot Tourist Attractions that Beijing Subway can bring you

Taking subway to tourist attractions and scenic spots in Beijing city center is easy. You can reach many of them by subway, including: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Lama Temple, Beijing Zoo, Qianmen Street, Xian Street, Wangfujing, Silk Market, Pearl Market and Olympic Center, Bird Nest, Water Cube, etc.