Arriving in Beijing: PEK and PKX Airports and Rail Hubs

Beijing is served by two major international airports and a ring of high-speed railway terminals, each linked directly into the Beijing Subway network. Checking your three-letter airport code or exact station name before departure prevents a long cross-city transfer across the ring roads.

Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) in the northeast

Located roughly twenty-eight kilometres northeast of the historic centre in Shunyi, Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) handles a large share of long-haul and Star Alliance flights across Terminal 2 and the giant dragon-roofed Terminal 3. The fastest route into central Dongcheng is the Capital Airport Express rail line, which links both terminals to Sanyuanqiao (Subway Line 10 and Line 12), Dongzhimen (Line 2 and Line 13) and its western terminus at Beixinqiao (Line 5), right beside Ghost Street and the eastern hutongs. Official metered taxi ranks and designated ride-hailing pickup zones sit on the ground levels of both terminals.

Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) in the south

Forty-six kilometres south of Tiananmen, Zaha Hadid's starfish-shaped Daxing Airport (PKX) serves SkyTeam, Oneworld and domestic carriers under a single multi-level roof with remarkably short walking distances to the gates. Despite the distance on the map, the high-speed Daxing Airport Express metro train covers the run to Caoqiao Station on the southern loop of Subway Line 10 and Line 19 in under twenty minutes. A separate mainline rail concourse in the basement also runs regional intercity trains straight into Beijing West Station.

Mainline high-speed railway terminals

If you arrive overland on high-speed trains, note which terminal appears on your booking. Bullet trains from Shanghai, Nanjing and Tianjin arrive at Beijing South Station (Subway Lines 4 and 14); trains from Xi'an, Zhengzhou and Luoyang pull into Beijing West Station (Lines 7 and 9) or massive Beijing Fengtai Station (Lines 10 and 16); and mountain trains toward Badaling use Beijing North (Xizhimen) or Qinghe (Line 13). See where to stay in Beijing to match your hotel to your arrival line.