BeiJing Travel - Transportation

I was in Beijing in 2000, but only for a few days. Though I am not very familiar with the transport system there, I believe my brief introduction here will be just as helpful.

Airport
The airport is about 30km away from the town area. And it provides shuttle bus services to several places in the town area, e.g. arts museum. If you would like to drive to the place, there is a charge for using the highway. And the amount varies based on the type of car you are driving.
From Beijing airport, you can reach most of the major cities all over the world via the domestic flights. It is very convenient.

Train
As capital of China, Beijing railway station is one of the most important railway stations in the country and it links to every other important city in China. You can reach the railway station by subway or by bus... There's four major railway stations, namely Beijing station, Beijing West station, Beijing South station and Beijing North station (Direct translation). Several bus routes passes through Beijing station.

Roads
There are 6 highways and 12 major roads in Beijing as well. You can reach Shenyang, Tianjin, Guangzhou, etc via the major roads. There are also 12 long distance bus stop spread all over the whole city.

Travel shuttle train
Everyday the railway station provides travel shuttle train which reaches several of the famous places situated around Beijing. Tickets can be purchased through a travel agency, or buy it at the railway station.

Subway
There are two main lines for the subway system. It usually starts at 5 am and the last train is around 11 pm.

Bus
The bus system in Beijing is very convenient. There are hundreds of bus routes available and they can bring you to every corner in Beijing. But you had better be prepared. Due to the large population, the buses are usually jam packed, besides the discomfort, do take note to be extra careful with your wallet as there might be pickpockets around.

Taxi
There are a lot of taxis in Beijing, and its starting charge is 10RMB. But if the place you are heading to if near your pickup point, they driver may not be willing to take you.

Bicycle
You can rent a bicycle in nearly every hotel all over Beijing. It will be a good experience for you to join in with the locals on their daily routine. But be careful when riding, avoid the peak hours as you will find all the roads jammed up by bikes, and if you are not skillful enough, you might just get into an accident.