Two Beijing Taxi Questions

[Long Zhiren]

(1) When is rush-hour? I'm trying to choose a domestic flight to arrive in Beijing. What hours do I choose to make life easier for myself?

(2) How many people and how much luggage can taxis usually handle? Do I need to get one of those black ones if there's three of us + luggage?

Thanks.

[roddy]

It's pretty much all rush hour - the normal rush hour times will be even busier, but at no point are you going to have empty roads. The best thing you can do to make your trip to and from the airport easier is to choose a hotel in the north-east part of the city, easily accessible from the Airport expressway or one of the ring roads. Of course, that might not be so handy for the rest of your trip. I'd just choose the hotel that looks best, and treat the journey to and from the airport as a rather slow sightseeing tour.

Taxis will seat up to five people, and have a standard sized boot / trunk. Three people plus suitcases could be a bit of a tight squeeze but I think you could manage. NB 'Black' cabs in Beijing just means unlicensed to operate as taxis - they're no bigger than the legitimate cabs.

[mich327]

I've been to Beijing about 15 times, and I like to arrive at night, past 8:00 pm, because it's much quicker

[cdn_in_bj]

Late evening is good, but I find early afternoon to be not too bad. It also depends on where you'll be going from the airport.

[imron]

Yes, I also agree with the evening option. You might also consider taking the Airport Express bus, which has many destinations around the city, and can easily handle any amount of luggage you have. Also, just for your reference a metered taxi from the airport to the city centre will be around 100 yuan, including the expressway toll.

[Lu]

I agree with imron, best take the airport bus to the stop nearest to your hotel/place you're staying, and then take a taxi for the last stretch.

[jeffofarabia]

you can rent a van if you have too much. i have seen them in hotels. they charge a bit more but at least you will have room.

as for rush hour: two in the morning is pretty light.

[adrianlondon]

If time to/from the airport is critical, then take the airport express bus and stay at the Hilton. it's not a bad hotel and often has decent rates, especially during holiday times (it's primarily a business hotel).

I stayed there for a week the first time I went to Beijing. The location isn't too bad and I could cycle from there into the centre of town easily enough, but that's not everyone's idea of fun.

The last time I stayed in a hotel (rather than student dorms) I picked the Swissotel. More central than the Hilton, nicer hotel (I got a very cheap rate on expedia, for the execurive floor) and still served by the airport express bus. However, it does have to trawl through some traffic to get there.

Neither are in my ideal location though; there seems to be no decent hotels near Houhai/Xinjiekou.

[Long Zhiren]

Thanks for the inputs.

It's not necessarily the "time" from the airport. I was just thinking cheap, because if the taxi is stuck in traffic, the fare doesn't stop rising. However, after 11pm, the fare gets higher anyway. I'll try an early afternoon arrival.

I'm not sure how much luggage we'll have with us. We'll be arriving from 哈尔滨 in early January so 北京 will feel relatively balmy. We might have shed a lot of clothes.

[imron]

I was just thinking cheap

If that's the case, then the airport bus can't be beat. It's not too crowded, departs regularly, and is only 16 yuan per person.