You land at Beijing Capital Airport. Your hotel is 35 kilometers away. You have no idea whether to take a taxi, a train, or a bus. You do not have a Chinese SIM yet. This exact moment is where most first-time visitors to China lose an hour and overpay. This guide stops that from happening. Here is everything you need to know about getting around China, from the airport to the hotel to the next city.
The Short Version: Which Transport to Use
If you only read one section, read this one. China’s transport system is excellent. You just need to know which tool to use for which job.
| Journey Type | Use This | Why |
| City to city, under 5 hours | High-speed train (G-train) | Faster door-to-door than flying. Drops you in the city center. |
| City to city, over 5 to 6 hours | Domestic flight | Train takes too long. Flying saves 3 to 5 hours. |
| Within a city | Metro | Cheap (¥2 to ¥10), fast, and avoids traffic completely. |
| Point-to-point with luggage | DiDi (ride-hailing) | English app, fixed price shown before booking, automatic payment. |
| Overnight journey | Sleeper train (Z or K train) | Sleep through the journey, save a night’s accommodation. |
| Remote areas off the rail network | Long-distance bus or private car | Some rural destinations have no train. Bus or hired driver. |
| To/from airport | Airport express train or DiDi | Express trains exist at major airports. DiDi for everywhere else. |
The High-Speed Train: Your Main Tool
China has 45,000 km of high-speed rail as of 2026. That is more than the rest of the world combined. G-trains run at 300 to 350 km/h and connect every major city. They leave on time. They arrive on time. The seats are wide, there are power sockets at every seat, and the carriages are quiet. For any route under five or six hours, the train beats flying door-to-door every time.
Here is why the train beats the plane even when the flight looks shorter: Your hotel is in the city center. Beijing South station is on metro Line 4, directly connected to the center. Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) is 35 km away. Add 90 minutes for airport check-in, 60 minutes for the airport express, and the same time again at the other end. A 2-hour flight becomes a 6-hour journey. The 4.5-hour G-train becomes a 5.5-hour journey. The train wins.
Train vs. Flight: The Honest Comparison
| Route | G-Train | Door-to-Door (Train) | Flight | Door-to-Door (Flight) | Take the… |
| Beijing to Shanghai | 4h 30min | 5h 30min | 2h | 6h to 7h | Train |
| Beijing to Xi’an | 4h 30min | 5h 30min | 2h | 6h to 7h | Train |
| Shanghai to Hangzhou | 45min | 1h 30min | No direct flight | N/A | Train |
| Beijing to Chengdu | 7h 30min | 8h 30min | 2h 30min | 5h 30min | Flight |
| Shanghai to Chengdu | 10h+ | 11h+ | 2h 30min | 5h 30min | Flight |
| Guangzhou to Shanghai | 7h 30min | 8h 30min | 2h 30min | 6h | Flight |
| Any city to Hainan (Sanya) | Not possible by rail | N/A | 2h to 4h | 5h to 7h | Flight (only option) |
How to Book
Book on Trip.com or the 12306 app. Trip.com has a full English interface and accepts foreign Visa and Mastercard. 12306 is China’s official system and has slightly more availability, but the setup is more involved. Tickets go on sale 15 days before travel. For peak periods (Golden Week, Chinese New Year), set an alarm for 8:00 AM on the release date and book immediately. For a full step-by-step booking walkthrough, see the China High-Speed Rail guide.
Which Seat Class to Book
Book second class (二等座) for any journey under five hours. The seats are in a 3+2 layout, wide, with a fold-down tray and power sockets. They are more comfortable than economy on most domestic airlines. First class (一等座) gives you a 2+2 layout with more space. It costs 50 to 80% more. Worth it if you are on a route over four hours and want to work or sleep properly. Business class (商务座) is fully reclining and costs three to four times second class. You do not need it unless money is no object. Full comparison: train classes guide.
Domestic Flights: When to Use Them
Once the train journey exceeds about five to six hours, fly. China has dozens of domestic airlines and hundreds of daily flights between major cities. Prices are competitive, especially if you book four to six weeks ahead.
The Airlines Worth Knowing
The three main carriers cover the majority of routes:
- Air China (CA): Based in Beijing. Best for northern routes. Good business class.
- China Eastern (MU): Based in Shanghai. Strong on eastern seaboard and Yangtze region routes.
- China Southern (CZ): Based in Guangzhou. Best network for southern China and Hainan Island.
For budget routes, Spring Airlines and Juneyao Airlines are reliable and cheap. Book on Trip.com or directly on the airline’s app. What to know about airports and check-in: China Domestic Flights guide.
One Thing Nobody Tells You About Domestic Flights
Chinese airspace is heavily controlled by the military. Commercial flight corridors are narrow. When summer thunderstorms hit Shanghai or Beijing, delays cascade across the entire network. A flight delay in Chengdu can cascade into delays at six other airports. June to September is the worst period. If your domestic flight connects to an international departure, build in a buffer day. The high-speed train runs in all weather and almost never delays.
Getting Around Cities: The Metro
Every Chinese city with a population over three million has a metro system. Beijing has 27 lines. Shanghai has 20. They cover every major tourist site, every shopping district, and every train station. A single trip costs ¥2 to ¥10 depending on distance. The signage is bilingual. Announcements are in English. They run from around 5:30 AM to midnight. Use them for everything except trips with heavy luggage or when you are running late.
How to pay: open Alipay, tap ‘Transport’, and it generates a QR code for your city. Scan it at the turnstile when you enter. Scan it again when you exit. The fare is calculated automatically and charged to your linked card. If you have not set up Alipay yet, do it now: Alipay for foreigners.
DiDi: The Taxi App You Will Actually Use
Forget street taxis. In Chinese cities, almost nobody hails a cab from the curb anymore. Everyone uses DiDi. It works like Uber: open the app, type your destination in English, the app translates it for the driver, and the fare is shown before you confirm. Payment goes through Alipay automatically when you arrive. You never need to speak Chinese, show a printed address, or handle cash.
Why not street taxis? In tourist areas, metered taxis regularly take longer routes, quote higher prices to foreigners, or refuse to use the meter. DiDi shows you the price before you book. The driver’s details and route are tracked in real time. If something goes wrong, there is a record. Download and setup: DiDi in China guide.
Overnight Sleeper Trains: The Budget Hack
Not everything has a high-speed equivalent yet. Some routes are still served by conventional overnight trains with sleeper cars. These are slower (10 to 16 hours for long routes) but have a genuine upside: you travel overnight, arrive in the morning, and save a night’s accommodation. Beijing to Chengdu overnight, for example, saves both travel time and a hotel night.
Two sleeper options. Soft sleeper (软卧): a closed four-berth compartment with a locking door. Quiet, private, and reasonable for a full night. Hard sleeper (硬卧): an open six-berth section, no door. Cheaper, more social, slightly noisier. Both are safe. Both have an attendant in each carriage. Keep your passport and valuables with you while you sleep.
Luggage Between Cities
Dragging a suitcase through metro stations and train stations across five cities gets old fast. China has a hotel-to-hotel luggage delivery service that most tourists do not know about. You leave your bag at the hotel front desk. It arrives at your next hotel the following morning. Cost: ¥50 to ¥150 for most routes. Full guide: Luggage Delivery Services in China.
From the Airport to Your Hotel
Every major Chinese airport has an airport express train directly to the city center. Beijing Capital: Airport Express to Dongzhimen in 20 minutes, ¥25. Shanghai Pudong: Maglev to Longyang Road in 8 minutes, ¥50 (fastest train in the world at 430 km/h). Then take the metro to your hotel from there. Alternatively, DiDi from the airport to your hotel is transparent and reliable. Avoid the unofficial taxi touts at arrival halls. They will charge two to three times the metered rate.
Can Foreigners Drive in China?
Technically yes. Practically, almost never worth it. China does not recognize the International Driving Permit. Getting a temporary Chinese driving license requires a written test in Mandarin, a medical exam, and document translation. Even if you get the license, city driving is aggressive, GPS requires a Chinese app, and parking in major cities is a constant problem. The only real reason to consider driving: very remote areas in Xinjiang, western Sichuan, or Qinghai where there is no rail connection. For those areas, hiring a car with a driver is more practical than renting and driving yourself.
The Digital Foundation
None of this works without your phone set up correctly before you land. You need Alipay linked to your foreign card to pay for metros, DiDi, and train tickets. You need a VPN installed before arrival to access Google and WhatsApp. You need Amap, not Google Maps, which has significant data errors in China. You need a working data connection: either a Chinese SIM bought on arrival or an eSIM set up before departure.
Do all four before your flight. Alipay: setup guide. VPN: internet guide. Maps: Amap vs Baidu. Full app list: best apps for China.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the full high-speed rail guide including booking steps, see China High-Speed Rail guide. For the train vs. flight comparison by route, see Travel Time Between Chinese Cities. For address formats and getting taxis, see Chinese Address Formats for Taxis.