Airport transfer to Hotel

We are flying into Beijing & need transportation from the airport to China World Hotel-a Shangri-La Hotel downtown. This is a land based tour with Vantage. Since we are going in early, they do not provide any assistance for transportation.

Would appreciate any help, suggestions, or tips. We arrive 2 days early before beginning a 3 day tour in Beijing. Hopeful to do some DIY things in the city prior to our tour & get over any jet-lag from the states. Is it safe to venture out on our own ?

Happy Travels, John

I've always taken a cab in Beijing (and Shanghai - well, once I took the Maglev back to the airport:p And depending on where I stay, I'll take the subway to the hotel too)

Anyway - your hotel will have on its site a way to print the name & address in Chinese. I do that, then get in the taxi queue (signs in English) after immigration, baggage & customs.

I've always taken a cab in Beijing (and Shanghai - well, once I took the Maglev back to the airport:p And depending on where I stay, I'll take the subway to the hotel too)

 

Anyway - your hotel will have on its site a way to print the name & address in Chinese. I do that, then get in the taxi queue (signs in English) after immigration, baggage & customs.

Agree with this and exactly how we have done it on our visits to Beijing and Shanghai, our favorite city and how easy it is to get around using taxi's or the MRT....Just jump in the taxi quickly...have your address and Yuan to pay...always use a meter never let them try to give you a flat rate or say the meter is broken...if so hop out :D

You can also arrange a limousine or airport transfer through the hotel, however, it will cost more than a taxi.

You didn't ask, but you can get RMB at the airport from an ATM right after you clear immigration / customs or exchange at one of the banks that also have branches in the arrival hall. (don't use the money exchange services). There use to be a Citibank ATM at Kerry Center (next the Kerry Center Shangri-La across the road from your hotel (you can get there by going underground rather than on the street level).

Sorry, I forgot to answer your other question. It's pretty safe in Beijing, but just be aware of your surroundings like any other tourist area in the world.

If you like walking, you can walk to Tiananmen Square / Forbidden City, it's on the main road near your hotel, about a half an hour walk. Note if you take a taxi to Tiananmen Square, they can't let you off at the Square, they will let you off on a side street. There are taxi's at the exit of the Forbidden City if you don't feel like walking back to your hotel. At Tiananmen Square you will see a lot of plain clothes security - you can tell because they are all young and normally dressed in work out clothes or very neat casual attire.

On the way, you can stop at the Silk Market, a six story building of stalls that sell just about everything. The aggressive sales people are something to experience. If you don't want to be hassled, just walk in the middle of the aisle so the sales people can't grab you. You can tell who the sales people are, they all wear vests. Don't pay more than about 1/3 of the asking price.

My very first time in Beijing I only had half a day - I had been on business in another province and was flying home through Beijing. I stayed at the airport Hilton and took public transportation into town so I could do some shopping at the Silk Market - there's a subway stop right there. https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/shopping/xiushui-street/

I started at the top and walked down through most of the aisle and smiled and shook my head a lot. I wasn't actively shopping, though I did end up with a few things. Though most of the sales people will speak some English, it's quite common to negotiate using calculators and/or note pads as well. It was exhausting, though, and I was happy to have some dumplings and a beer in the basement food court before heading back to my hotel :p

(lest you fear I got no culture, I spent my outbound half-day with colleagues exploring the 798 Art Zone:D And then I went to Changhzi for work and was able to visit some amazing gorges and a really old "prime minister's" house)

Taxis are simple. Just follow the signs that say "taxi" and get in line. Ignore the touts approaching you. If you really want a driver, find one here: http://www.thebeijinger.com/classifieds/cars-drivers

The Silk market has to be the place that I hate the most in Beijing.

the following site has information about Beijing which might help you.

https://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/China/Beijing_Shi/Beijing-1024960/TravelGuide-Beijing.html

Thanks to all of you who replied. Likely will forgo the driver & just get a taxi to our location/hotel in the city. Thanks again for the help, John