Tell Beijing's two airports apart — Capital (PEK) versus Daxing (PKX) — with metro, fares and tips for reaching the city and your hotel.
Beijing has two international airports, and mixing them up is the single most common arrival mistake. Here is how to tell them apart and get into the city.
The older, larger airport in the northeast, handling the bulk of international and domestic flights. Bigger, busier, and a longer ride into town.
The newer, striking starfish-shaped airport far to the south, opened in 2019. Sleeker and less crowded, but farther from the traditional city centre.
Your airline and ticket decide — you usually don't choose. PEK is northeast and closer to the classic centre; PKX is south. For our southern KOULING Donggaodi hotel, PKX is often the nearer of the two; for central and western stays, PEK can be comparable. Check your ticket's airport code before you set off.
From either airport, allow about 50 to 65 minutes to our hotels by taxi or ride-hail, longer in rush hour. The metro is cheaper but involves transfers; Didi or a taxi is simplest with luggage. Have your hotel's Chinese address ready to show the driver.
From PEK, the Airport Express costs 25 yuan to Sanyuanqiao or Dongzhimen, where you transfer to Line 2 or Line 10; a metered taxi into the city typically runs 100–140 yuan plus a 10 yuan fuel surcharge and expressway tolls. From PKX, the Daxing Airport Express costs around 35 yuan to Caoqiao, and the Beijing–Xiong'an intercity rail also links the airport to Beijing West station in roughly 30 minutes for similar money; a taxi from PKX covers more kilometres, so expect 150–200 yuan depending on where in the city you are headed. Ride-hail (Didi) usually prices out slightly below or near the taxi meter but can add wait time at the designated pickup zones. For one or two travellers with light luggage the rail links win on price; for three or more people with suitcases, splitting a taxi often costs about the same and gets you door to door. Fares are reviewed periodically, so treat these as ballpark figures.
The most expensive error is going to the wrong airport: Beijing's terminals are 60–100 km apart, and a same-day switch between them means at least two hours and 150–250 yuan by taxi. Check the airport code on the booking, not just the airline. Second, assume the last train is late enough — the PEK Airport Express and PKX airport line stop service around 22:30–23:00, so late arrivals should pre-book a taxi or hotel shuttle. Third, forget cash entirely: card and mobile payments are widely accepted, but small taxi operators and some shuttle counters may still want cash or a local payment app, so keep a few hundred yuan in notes. Finally, at PEK remember that Terminal 3 is a long walk or short shuttle ride from the railway station concourse — allow 15–20 minutes between train and check-in when planning a tight connection.
If you found this useful, these cover the next question most visitors ask: