Airport taxi

When arriving at the airport, keep away from taxi or black

taxi drivers who approach you in the terminal or outside
the terminal as they will ask for much more than the
actual price.Just follow the taxi sign and there is a taxi
stand outside the each terminal. Drivers should use their
meter; make sure that the driver puts down the flag.
Beijing capital airport is located about 20km to the
northeast of Beijing city center. Taxi charges from
Terminal 3 at Beijing capital international airport to
Beijing downtown: about CNY 130 inclusive of both a toll
gate fee (CNY 10) and a fuel surcharge (CNY1). Taxi
charges from Terminal 2 at Beijing capital international
airport to Beijing downtown: about CNY 120 inclusive of a
fuel surcharge (CNY1).
If you take a taxi to Beijing airport from downtown Beijing
at rush hour (morning and afternoon), it is best to call a
taxi several hours in advance of your departure time.
Although the Metro is often quicker during peak hours, a
taxi is much more convenient.
Beijing legitimate taxi license plates will be for the
"Beijing B" otherwise it is a black taxi! After paying a legal
taxi, you will get a legal computerized receipt in which
you can find the taxi company's phone number while a
black driver only offers you a hand-written receipt with
which you will never find him! A black driver would
charge you RMB 400 - RMB 500 for the airport downtown
drive.
Beijing Capital Airport has three terminals - T1, T2 and T3.
Each Terminal has its own airport taxi stand. Below is the

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detailed information on the location of each airport taxi

stand of T3, T2 and T1 at Beijing capital airport.
TAXI in Bangkok
Public taxis are the most popular way to get into town,
and the most convenient in terms of door-to-door service.
Ignore all touts in the airport terminal offering taxi
services. Outside the arrival building on the first floor
(one floor down from arrivals) youll see a Public Taxi
desk.
Most taxis are relatively new vehicles, although there
are some older cars no longer in prime condition
(officially these are not supposed to be permitted at
the airport). There are also some van-type or "maxi"
taxis ideal for 3-4 people with lots of bags. All taxis
run on natural gas and most of the boot (trunk) in the
ordinary sedans is taken up with a large tank. Some
luggage will still fit there, but quite often suitcases
must be stacked on the passenger seat beside the
driver. Tell the dispatcher your destination. He will
give you a slip of white paper. Hold onto it, do not
give it to the driver, because it has instructions on
what to do in the unlikely event of any problem. The
dispatcher will give another part of the form to the
driver, and should ensure that the driver knows how
to get to your destination (but you may wish to
confirm this ) When you get into the taxi, make sure
the meter is on and showing 35 baht. On arrival at
your hotel, youll have to pay the fare on the meter,

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plus an airport surcharge of 50 baht that is not

shown on the meter. In addition there may be
optional expressway tolls of 75 baht which you
should pay directly at the two toll stations. Typical
cost: 250 to 400 baht in total (including metered
fare, surcharge and tolls) depending on distance and
traffic conditions. The average seems to be around
300-350 baht to most inner city destinations.
Average Time : About 30 to 45 minutes. After
midnight and in the very early morning it is not
necessary to use the toll expressway, so you can tell
the driver "no highway" and save 75 baht. The taxi
will use the ground-level road underneath the
elevated expressway, which is just as fast as the
expressway late at night.
Taxi drivers are not normally tipped, although rounding of
odd amounts (e.g. 97 baht to 100 baht, or even
sometimes of 101 baht down to 100 baht!) is commonly
practised.

AIRPORT RAIL LINK form Bangkok airport

The Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link (SARL or ARL for
short) provides speedy rail service from the airport to
central Bangkok. City Line commuter trains stop at eight
stations.
The ARL City Line makes eight stops (Suvarnabhumi to
Phaya Thai) and takes a total of 26 minutes. Trains depart
the airport every 12 to 15 minutes (according to the time

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of day), starting at 05:56 and with the last 2 services (non

stop only) at 00:15 & 00:30 weekdays. On weekends and
holidays, trains run every 15 minutes starting at 06:02.
The last 2 services (non stop only) depart at 00:15 &
00:30. Timetable here.
Fares range between 15 and 45 baht one-way, depending
on the distance travelled. Many stations are handy to
areas where travelers tend to stay, for instance
Ratchaprarop is near Pratunam, Makkasan is not far by
taxi from Lower Sukhumvit and Ramkhamhaeng is a 10
minute (60 baht) taxi ride from Thonglor and Ekamai. At
Makkasan you can change to the MRT (subway underground) via a 200m walkway. At Phaya Thai a 70m
ramp leads to the BTS Skytrain, giving you access to a
large part of the city by mass transit.
Although the City Line is a commuter train, it is used
heavily by both locals and tourists, with all their luggage,
to get to and from the airport. All ARL Express services
are currently suspended until further notice due to a
shortage of rolling stock.
To take the ARL train from Suvarnabhumi Airport, head
down by elevator or escalator to the lowest level. You can
purchase a token in a machine or at the ticket booth. The
machines give change.
Here is a MAP showing the airport rail link togther with
the MRT and BTS. There's more info at the ARL website.
If you are an iPhone user, you can also download the
"Airport Link Bangkok" app which provides convenient

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access to the timetables of each of the Airport Link

stations.
FOOd to eat :
(bei3 jing1 kao3 ya1) Beijing Roast Duck or
Peking Duck as it was once referred to. The specialty of
Beijing. Slices of mainly roast duck skin with plum sauce,
spring onion strips and little pancakes.
(la4 zi ji1 ding1) Hot spicy diced chicken. Green
peppers and boneless chicken in a hot gravy.
(gong1 bao4 ji1 ding1) Hot spicy diced chicken. Red
peppers, boneless chicken with roasted peanuts in a hot
gravy. (usually not quite as spicy as Lazi Jiding)
(la4 zi ji1) Really spicy, deep fried, bite sized
chunks of chicken including bone. Often so much bone
that there is not much meat content left, but varies from
place to place.
(hao2 you2 niu2 liu3) Strips of beef in an oyster
sauce. Not usually spicy at all. Sometimes has
vegetables included.
(tie3 ban3 niu2 liu3) Strips of beef brought to the
table on a sizzling hot iron platter. Sometimes pepper
flavored, sometimes has a tomato flavor.
(shui3 zhu3 yu2) Whole fish sliced and boiled in a
very spicy oil and water mix with red chillis. Chillis are
usually fished out of the soup mixture at your table
before you start eating.

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--- (zi1 ran2 yang2 rou4) Boneless lamb pieces,

no sauce as such, more of just a light seasoning

Every lamp post is equipped with an array of speakers

which can convey the speakers message to a crowd in
the tens of thousands. You can visit the square freely
until 10.30pm at night. If you go during the day you can
often buy a ticket to go up to the balcony from which the
leaders address the people. This gives a very impressive
view of the square and you can pretend to be the
government figure of your choice
If at all possible, you must go check out the square at
night as well as during the day. The atmosphere at night
is different again and the square is beautifully lit. On a
cold winter night with fog is really something. But don't
arrive too late, at 10.30pm the soldiers come and
evacuate the whole thing in minutes and its sealed off for
the night.
At sunrise and sunset the flag to the front of the square is
raised or lowered by a squad of army personnel. This in
itself is an interesting thing to watch. All the traffic on
the busy Chang An Avenue is halted, around 30 soldiers
march very ceremoniously across the road and the flag is
hoisted up, or down the poll. Many people come to watch
this, so get there an hour or so before if you want a good
view.Getting to Tiananmen Square is best done by
subway or walking as taxis are not really allowed to stop
anywhere near it. The are two subway stations on line 1,

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Tiananmen East (116) and Tiananmen West (117). They

are both inconveniently situated a 5 to 7 minute walk
away from the center of the square so there is no best
station. Walking from the south entrance to Wangfujing
Street takes about 20 minutes and is very pleasant. Just
find the Beijing Hotel on Changan Avenue, walk past it
and keep going west on Changan Avenue.

The Chinese name of Tiananmen Square is written below.

You can use it to ask people directions or follow signs.

The Great Wall, as you probably know, is one of the few

man made structures visible from space. From Beijing you
can get to a few different pieces of the Great Wall within
2 or 3 hours by bus or car. The Badaling part of the great
wall is a fully restored section which is long enough to
make you feel that it is never going end. It does,
however have two stopping points where you cannot walk
any further. From the entrance following the route to the
tallest point you can see and over to the stopping point
takes about 2 hours (one way) unless you're some kind of
Olympic Athlete. Not sure about the other end. We
thoroughly recommend the Badaling part, as it is well
managed and safe. The other parts are not fully restored
and further away anyway. The Great Wall is extremely
hard work. Some sections have steps and railings, other
sections are just gradual steep slopes. Be prepared for
extreme temperatures. If you go in summer you will be

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fried by the sun, in winter you will have a biting wind,

extreme sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice.Even if you
are not fit, it is worth taking the trip out, walking a few
steps and knowing you can say you've stood on one of
the modern wonders of the world. If you are fit, get there
very early and touch those end points ! Very satisfying,
and a surprisingly few number of people manage to
achieve this. If you can get to an end point without
stopping for a rest you truly are our hero.To get to
Badaling Great Wall you can get a tour arranged from
your hotel. If you want to go it alone you can get a bus
from various places around the city. We will update later
with full details. Another option is to rent a taxi for the
day. We have successfully rented a 1.60RMB taxi for the
day for 400RMB. For this price the taxi will take you
there, wait for as many hours as you'd like, and then
return. If you use the meter it will cost near 800RMB to
get there and back, so negotiate with the driver first, and
pay at the end of the day.
This is the name of Badaling Great Wall in Chinese:

The forbidden city is a vast complex of halls, temples and

housing which make up the former residence of the
ancient emperors. Also known as the Imperial Palace, the
complex is said to contain 9,999 rooms.
The complex is divided into a northern and southern part.
The southern area is where the emperor would hold
ceremonies and entertain guests. The northern half was

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kept completely private residence accessible only to the

select circles of the emperor.

Today, the Forbidden City is one of the world's most

famous tourist attractions and lately becoming ever more
popular with film crews who pay a hefty price to film
Chinese period pieces.As you walk around the Forbidden
City you can really lose yourself as the outside world of
Beijing is barely visible from most parts. You can really
experience a little of the feel of being a Chinese Emperor.
The price to get into the Forbidden City is pretty high,
around 60 RMB but you will easily while away a couple of
hours here. For an additional 20 RMB or so, you can
purchase an audio tour in one of many languages. This
tour is world-class. The English version is done by Roger
Moore (of James Bond fame). Together with some sound
effects he expertly guides you through the complex.
Worth every penny.
Getting to the Forbidden City couldn't be easier. It is
located at the rear of Tiananmen Square. You can go to
the Tiananmen East (116) or Tiananmen West (117) Line
1 subway stations and walk behind Mao's picture.
Like Tiananmen, we do not recommend you go by taxi to
the Forbidden City unless you live a long way away as the
taxis cannot easily park near the south entrance. Instead

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you can go by subway or walk from Wangfujing Street.

The name of the Forbidden City in Chinese is as follows.
You may want to print this and hand it to someone if you
have difficulty finding it.

The summer palace is located in the north west corner of

Beijing right next to Beijing University. Constructed as
a place of rest and recreation for the emperor of old, it
is now open as a public park and is one of the most
impressive places to visit in Beijing. The focus of the
Summer Palace is a huge lake with a long walkway circling
it. To the one end is built a series of towers, halls and
temples climbing the hillside. From the buildings towards
the top of the hill you can see the entire lake and its
surroundings. The picture on the right was taken in mid
winter and those are not boats on the lake but rather
people walking on the ice. The park is accented by many
small architectural features such as the beautiful 17 arch
bridge which leads to a small island, and the pagoda on
the hill of the far shore. There is also a large boat
built from stone to look out for. In the summer you can
go boating on the lake. You can go with a group on one of
the large dragon boats, or you can rent your own electric
powered boat by the hour.It will take about 50 minutes to
just over an hour to reach the summer palace by taxi from
the center of Beijing. If you want to take the bus it
could take an hour and a half or more. The taxi cost
should be no more than 50 RMB. The bus fare if you're
willing to brave it would be less than 7 RMB. The summer
palace entrance fee is around 30RMB. Boat rental stops

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early at around 4.30pm so get there early if you want to

rent a boat.When you leave the summer palace, getting a
taxi back can often be a problem, and so can traffic on
the small roads leading out. Be very careful about taxis
parked near the Summer Palace, they are often fake or have
adjusted meters. Try to find a taxi which has just pulled
up, or one which is cruising by. Another option is to
take a tour from your hotel. Most hotels can get you on
some kind of tour which will give you a coach there and
back. This is the Chinese name of the Summer Palace.
Directions are hardly necessary as every Beijing taxi
driver should know exactly where it is.

The Temple of Heaven is a large park and temple complex

situated in more or less the south central area of
Beijing. Its center piece is a large tower built, it is
said, entirely of wood and not using a single nail.H aving
said that, the main features of the park are its trees and
inhabitants. The park is filled with more than a thousand
species of tree, some of which are hundreds of years old,
despite their relatively small size. One thing you could
notice here is that most of the architecture here

The park also attracts local residents by the thousand

each day, who come to practice singing, martial arts,
Peking opera, chess, dancing, calligraphy. Of course,
this can be said of many parks in Beijing, but the Temple
of Heaven attracts more than its fair share.The park

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pricing structure is as follows, you can buy an entrance

ticket to the park for a relatively cheap price, and then
you will be asked to pay again for the tower and the echo
wall attractions. Alternatively you can buy a combination
ticket for 35 RMB which lets you into everything.
One of the separately ticketed items is the echo wall. It
is a smooth wall built in an almost complete circle. It
is said that if you stand next to the wall and talk at it,
the words are carried along the wall and can be heard from
any point. It sort of works, except that a protective
barrier now stops you getting really close to the wall.
The best way to get to the Temple of Heaven is by taxi as
the buses are really not very convenient. You can also
maybe get a tour from your hotel, but the price will
probably be a lot more than doing it alone and its really
close to the center of Beijing. A taxi from the center
shouldn't cost you much more than 20 RMB, could even be as
low as 12 RMB depending on where you're coming from.

The following is the Chinese name for the Temple of Heaven

which you can print and hand to your taxi driver.

Wangfujing is now considered the central heart of the

city. Certainly from Wangfujing all areas of Beijing are
easily accessible. Wangfujing is a fairly long street. A
walk from end to end would take you about 30 minutes, and
that's without looking at any shops.The street has two
major shopping malls, one of which, Oriental Plaza,
sprawls a further 2 blocks to the east (and another 15
minute walk). Wangfujing street is also home to a number

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of large department stores, souvenir stores, and whole

side streets full of food stalls, Chinese painting stores
and other goodies.It is also home to one of the biggest
book stores in Beijing, (Wangfujing Bookstore) and
probably the largest outdoor TV screen in Beijing.
At night, when Wangfujing street turns on its ever
increasing number of neon advertising signs, even more
crowds flock to soak up the atmosphere. The neons can now
be compared to those of any major city in the world and
are very popular with the tourists, especially those
coming from less developed parts of China. Most shops
stay open till around 9pm and sometimes an impromptu night
market .Getting to Wangfujing is pretty easy. You can
take the subway and get off at the Line 1 Wangfujing (118)
station.
Alternatively, you can of course take the taxi.
Show the following to the driver:

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