Beijing Airport Guide

Beijing Capital International Airport - to give it its correct title - is located 15 miles (20 kilometres) north of central Beijing, or Peking as it was originally called, hence the code PEK for Peking Airport.

The airport has three terminals. Terminal 1 handles domestic flights, while Terminal 2 handles international flights and flights between Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Terminal 3 was constructed to handle visitors for the 2008 Olympics and is the 2nd largest terminal in the world.

Beijing Airport The vast Terminal 3, international end

Terminals 1 and 2 are linked by a public walkway that takes about 10-15 minutes to traverse, however to Terminal 3 you will need to take the inter-terminal shuttle bus. The buses leave every ten minutes from 6 am to 11 pm, and every 30 minutes from 11pm till 6am.

Beijing Airport International Terminal 2

Beijing Airport Terminal 2 is now nearly 15 years old - and looking it. It really is getting quite tired. Small compared to Terminal 3, it has only 20 airbridges - with one specifically for the A380 - and mainly deals with Skyteam flights, including China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Air Koryo.

Beijing Airport The vast Terminal 3 international

Beijing Airport International Terminal 3

Beijing Airport added the enormous Terminal 3 in 2008 for the Olympic Games. It is the second largest airport terminal in the world after Dubai Airport's Terminal 3, and the fifth largest building in the world by area. It has 66 airbridges, and 120 remote stands. On many international flights, alas you will be bussed to the airport.

Far from a white elephant, on most international flights you will end up here. It was designed by the UK Architect Foster and Partners. Traditional Chinese elements are employed in the terminal's interior decoration, including carvings imitating the famous Nine-Dragon Wall, and a copper vat used to store water for fighting fires in the Forbidden City called a "Menhai".

The main domestic terminal is called Terminal 3C. There are also two satellite concourses - Terminal 3E is for international flights. T3C and T3E are in fact two-kilometres apart - a people mover takes the trip in two minutes.

Beijing Airport Terminal 3, indoor garden

There is an indoor garden in the T3E waiting area, styled like the imperial gardens at the Summer Palace. On the people mover train to T3C, there is an underground tunnel garden.

There is also Terminal 3D (named the "Olympics Hall" as it was used for charter flights during the Beijing Olympics) which is now starting to be used for international flights.

It is Air China's main base at the airport - and as such almost all Star Alliance depart from here, from Lufthansa to Turkish, SAS to United, Singapore Airlines to Austrian.

There is also a small oneworld base at Beijing Airport Terminal 3.

Beijing Airport Domestic Terminal 1

Beijing Airport Terminal 1 is really small. It dates back to 1980, when it was the main international terminal, but it was refurnished in 2004.

Terminal 1 is used by China Southern Airlines on domestic routes, along with minor airlines like Xiamen Airlines and Chongqing Airlines.

Beijing Airport Pay in, First & Business Class lounges

Beijing Airport transportation

If you want to get from beijing airport to city, you will almost always end up on the train. It is fast, quick, and cheap.

Travellers should know that many bus, limousine and shuttle bus services operating to and from Beijing Airport usually require pre-booking.

Beijing Airport train

Beijing Airport shuttle bus services

Beijing Airport taxi services

Car Hire at Beijing Airport

Beijing Airport airside transit Transit without visa

Beijing Airport Transit without visa

It should be pretty simple to go through Beijing Airport Transit without Visa. In reality, it's harder than you imagine. Mind you, it is vastly simpler in Beijing rather than in Shanghai, where you have to go airside to transfer between planes. At Beijing you do not have to do airside to transit between international flights. Instead, you just collect your new boarding pass (if you don't have it) and go downstairs to departures. This is the tricky bit. For a start there are only two people on the transit desk - and the queue can be deep. There is no priority line: it can take upwards of an hour. Then, head to the 'airside transit' queue, not the immigration queue. This queue is the long snaking line to the right of the main passport control. You will then have your passport stamped for 'China entry', you go down the stairs, and 10 meters further on down the same corridor your passport is stamped 'China exit', sometimes by the same person who admitted you. There is then a further security check and xray. Allow two hours for the whole procedure. You can however exit the airport - and even stay overnight - without a visa. The golden rules is that certain passport holders do not need a visa to transit or enter China, if your onward flight is within 24 hours (48 hours for a few passport holders), and it forms part of an onward journey: you can't have a return TO Shanghai, and only stay for 24 hours. You must be flying directly in and out of different countries. Also, anything, even 5 minutes over 24/48 hours, needs a visa without exception. The exact wording of the visa regulations is changing, however in general transit visas are not required if you hold an air tickets to a final destination on international airlines flying directly through China, and will stay for less than 24 hours without leaving the airport. This is extended to 48 hours for anyone with a passport from the Republic of Korea, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland. Note that UK Passport Holders are specifically excluded from the 48 hour rule. A 24 hour limit applies for passengers from the UK.

Beijing Airport Left Luggage

Beijing airport luggage storage is handled by Beijing Capital Airport itself. There are left luggage facilities in both terminal 2 & 3. In terminal 3 The Beijing Airport Left Luggage desk is on the right (when arriving) in the arrivals floor.

Cost is 10 RMB a day for small hand luggage, to 50RMB a day for huge suitcases.

Beijing Airport The global kitchen

Beijing Airport Bars and Restaurants

Food options are rather poor in terminal 1 & 2, however in Terminal 3 at the domestic end, landside, there is a food court called the "global kitchen". There are 72 outlets with a blend of Chinese and Western dishes, although it has a very bland shopping centre atmosphere, and the food is little better than a motorway service station.

Beijing Airport Shamrock Bar

The Shamrock Bar

What the idiots running this place have done is decide that because there are so many westerners going through the airport, they need at pub at Beijing Airport. So, in the central food servery of right at the apex of the triangle, they have cut a small hatch in the roundel, put three chairs there, two draft beer taps, and put up a purple sign saying 'The Shamrock Bar'.

It is hilariously bad. The service is dire, and the staff look at you oddly if you want to, say, drink your beer at the bar.

Beer is both types of Tsing-tao. Guiness is available in cans. Wine, if you really want, is Chinese Imperial Court Wine.

Avoid, just avoid.

Beijing Airport Cafe Sambai

Cafe Sambai