Subway, Beijing

Beijings Subway is clean, fast and efficient. Tickets are recycleable and the cost depends on distance. Prices are cheap. Find your destination and look for final stop on route to find the appropiate line.

Costs around 20p a journey, fixed price whether you want to go one stop or change multiple lines. The subway is easy to use, but can be very busy at times.

Maps are easy to follow and most of the city is covered.

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Beijing Metro system is comparable with Shanghai Metro system. It has 14 lines in total to connect within the city, suburban, and the Airport. Beijing has the oldest subway in mainland China since 1969. You can see some of the stations are old. The metro train is the easiest way to travel in this city to major attractions, railway stations, and airport. Here are some of the metro travel tips to important places:

Line 1:
Tian'anmen West (Tiananmen Square)
Tian'anmen East (Tiananmen Square)
Wangfujing (Wangfujing Shopping)
Guomao (Financial Street, CCTV Building)

Line 5:
Tiantandongmen (The Temple of Heaven East Gate)

Line 8:
Olympic Sports Center (Olympic Park)

Metro is a pretty convenient way of travel in Beijing and if you want to feel the Chinese experience, it is a must. Ridership on Beijing Subway set a daily record of 4.92 million on August 22, 2008. It is pretty effective and the trains come often. I was a traveller most of my time in Beijing and I must say that the subway is not very much slower than a Beijing taxi. And about 50 times cheaper.

It operates between 5AM and 11PM.

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It's actually quite easy to get around Beijing (and considering the weather and pollution at road level), it may well be a good thing too!

Simply go to any station and buy a flat one-way ticket from any ticket booths. You pay according to the distance travelled.

The train system [北京地铁] is kinda modelled after the British and Hong Kong system. The sights and sounds of Beijing can be experienced in the train carriages. The carriages aren't exactly air-conditioned so it can get stuffy around peak hours and you'll get the rich chance of literally enjoying the smell of Beijing. Don't be surprised to see both vendors hagging their wares and beggars hagging you for wares in the train carriages as well.

Access link for Map of Beijing Subway: BEIJING SUBWAY

TIP
There is a store-value card called "Yi Ka Tong" (or IC Cards) you can purchase. This card will allow you to travel on both public buses and the Beijing Metro for a period of time or as long as you have money in the card! Save me the hassle of hunting down coins and small changes. It's kinda like the Octopus Card of Hong Kong and the Ezylink card of Singapore. There is a 20RMB deposit (which you can claim back from IC Card outlets) and on top of that, any amount of money you wish to add, depending on how much you think you're going to spend.

You get through the gates of the subway and board and alight the buses by flashing the card on a sensor and your fare will be automatically deducted.

This has to be the cheapest way to get around town just 3 RMB for a ride anywhere on the system.....that comes out to $0.32 US cents ....how can you beat that. The signs are easy to spot, it's safe...of course watch out for pickpockets....and all the signs are in English !!!! doesn't really go to all of the tourist attractions but too enough of them that there are walkable just lookout for the traffic !!!!

Update May 2009:

In the 3 years I was there, Beijing under went a massive built up in infrastructure for the 2008 Olympics, now there is something like 8 subway lines, and the cost has come down to 2 RMB to go anywhere in the system !!!!! and the subway station now have on site security that if they see you with a bag they make you put it thru a machine similar to the one's at the airport..... The only bad thing is that the trains are crowded no matter what time you get on them and they stop running at 11:30 p.m. each night.

All the subways have signs in English and announcements on the trains are made in English....don't be scared to jump on the train, it's easy and really safe !!!!!

For me subway has always been one of the most convenient transportation means. First of all because there is no risk to get into the traffic jam.
Beijing subway is not an exception. Nice trains, btw.

BEWARE: don't buy anything like Parisian 'carnet de 10 tikets', it won't help. Beijing subway tickets are valid only for the same date (when purchased) and only from the same metro station. For example, if you buy a ticket at Tianan' Men Dong station, you won't be able to use this ticket from any other station.

The Subway in Beijing is so easy to use - the machine are in English & Chinese. Just make sure you have plenty of coins as most do not take notes. Those that do tend to be 'out of order' or have a huge queue.

The subway is 3rmbs per trip per person so once you leave the station that's it the trip is over but if you transfer within the station and don't exit you still travel on that ticket - how awesome is that???

People will be pushing and shoving so be alert of your belongings - they will push not from behind but from the sides especially at the vending machines. No personal space here.

Check the last destination of the metro you're wanting to board so you get on the right line.