China - Taxi to Airport

I am staying at a small boutique hotel so there is no taxi line outside. I asked the front desk to book me a cab for Saturday morning to the airport and they said it would be 50 rmb extra. Just wondering if that is standard or if I am getting ripped off. Anyone know if I can just book a cab myself from one of the taxi companies directly and how much it would be? thank you.

Where are you?

Anyone know if I can just book a cab myself from one of the taxi companies directly and how much it would be? thank you.


Sure you can. If you can speak chinese you can make an apointment with a driver, too. You didn't tell us in which City and Street you are so we can't say how much a taxi to a airport will me.

Before we do the booking thing, let's see if there are any other options.
Where are you staying and what time is your flight on Saturday morning (I presume a domestic one)?

The problem with booking a cab, is that even if you do so yourself (especially if you do so yourself), there's no guarantee they will show up. This has been an increasing problem in Beijing.

I am staying at Hotel Kapok Wangfujing. Need to leave for the airport around 9am on Saturday, I know the cost should be around 120 rmb or so but just worried about hailing a cab off the street during that time.

Not peak traffic time. Unless heavy rain...more customers.

This happens normally when you aren't staying in the city and need to get to the airport. When I stayed at IC Qiandaohu and IC Huizhou they asked for more because there aren't cabs waiting, and normally the resorts are frequented by those with cars.

In Beijing, I really think that you don't need to do this, and can just walk outside and find one. Your hotel can do this for you, and by doing this they can send one of their employees outside to hail one (what they often do....). I think the 50 rmb fee comes from them having to reserve the cab and have it waiting for you at the hotel at 9am. You can also do it yourself, and shouldn't be too worried about it - just give yourself enough time to do it

I am staying at a small boutique hotel so there is no taxi line outside. I asked the front desk to book me a cab for Saturday morning to the airport and they said it would be 50 rmb extra. Just wondering if that is standard or if I am getting ripped off. Anyone know if I can just book a cab myself from one of the taxi companies directly and how much it would be? thank you.

Why don't you just call one of the taxi booking numbers (that are printed on taxis themselves)? I never do this because I've learned it's rather pointless during peak periods, but Saturday morning should be easy as pie.

As other posters have said, saturday AM is not a peak taxi time.

But, a 10 rmb note to the concierge, or asst. concierge about 10 minutes before departure with clarity on which BJ airport terminal ( 2 or 3 ) will have you a cab.

In that Wangfujing area, there are cabs, & lines at the nearby Grand Hyatt.

As other posters have said, saturday AM is not a peak taxi time.

But, a 10 rmb note to the concierge, or asst. concierge about 10 minutes before departure with clarity on which BJ airport terminal ( 2 or 3 ) will have you a cab.

In that Wangfujing area, there are cabs, & lines at the nearby Grand Hyatt.

Agree with the others. I wouldn't bother pre-booking a cab. I thought you were going to say you needed to leave at 5:00 am or something very early. Just give yourself a little extra time, maybe check-out by 8:30 am and have bellboy/concierge start looking for a cab if there's not a couple already waiting nearby. Saturday morning, you shouldn't have to wait very long and there should be plenty of empties in that area (unlike M-F).

50 yuan to book a cab is a rip off.

Don't have to pay such unnecessary fees.

50 yuan to book a cab is a rip off.

Don't have to pay such unnecessary fees.

+1 and +1

thanks everyone for the help!

Agree with all the other advice. I stayed at the Hilton Wanfujing recently, with an even earlier departure time than you have on a Sunday morning. Had no problem finding a cab outside.

I stayed at the Kapok a few weeks ago and had no problem just waiting outside at 9AM on a weekday.

Why dont you just take the subway / train? When I did it could not have been easier to do so...

Why dont you just take the subway / train? When I did it could not have been easier to do so...

Hmmm... where to begin?

-subways are often extremely crowded (e.g. Line 1 can give Tokyo a run for the money at times)
-it is usually necessary to walk up/down at least one flight of stairs
-both of the previous points are compounded when you have luggage in tow
-transfers between lines in Beijing (well, in China in general) tend to be long and sometimes uncomfortably crowded (I'm thinking of Line 1 to Line 10, in particular)

Meanwhile,

-taxis are almost always faster; in spite of Beijing's terrible traffic, when going to the airport, if traffic is bad, you can simply take a higher numbered ring road, and Chang'an Jie itself is less and less congested the further east you go
-taxis are more comfortable than subways
-taxis drop off on the departures level at the airport (therefore, closer to check in counters)

Why dont you just take the subway / train? When I did it could not have been easier to do so...

From the Kapok (Jason's hotel) location, the taxi is the better tool to use than the subway/train combo, and particularly on Saturday morning. Only way I'd advise differently is if I knew both airport expressways (old one and the east one off the 5th ring road) were jammed up or closed off due to incoming/outgoing VIP's. In which case backup plan would be to have taxi drop me at Dongzhimen Hub then catch Airport Express light rail out.

From the Kapok (Jason's hotel) location, the taxi is the better tool to use than the subway/train combo, and particularly on Saturday morning. Only way I'd advise differently is if I knew both airport expressways (old one and the east one off the 5th ring road) were jammed up or closed off due to incoming/outgoing VIP's. In which case backup plan would be to have taxi drop me at Dongzhimen Hub then catch Airport Express light rail out.

This happens 10x per year, and for 30 minutes per occasion... kind of a non factor. As much as I appreciate the fact that utilizing public transit is better for the environment and saves 6 bucks (for the solo traveler), taxis are so much better on pretty much every front.

This happens 10x per year, and for 30 minutes per occasion... kind of a non factor. As much as I appreciate the fact that utilizing public transit is better for the environment and saves 6 bucks (for the solo traveler), taxis are so much better on pretty much every front.

I agree, it would be very unlucky to have a travel time coincide with a jam-up on all airport routes. Though I have had this happen to me on a couple of occasions when Hu Jintao was heading to and heading from the airport after an international state visit. The main "old" expressway was locked down to traffic in the same direction I was going, which meant all normal traffic was using the long way via the 5th Ring Road route---stuffing up traffic there. Which I was of course sitting in, rather than using the AE. The VIP lockdown doesn't take long, but the resulting backup takes longer to unsnarl and get moving again. :mad:

I assume the suggestion to call the taxi number and arrange for a pickup would require local language skills.. true? Seems unlikely an English speaker would have any luck.

I assume the suggestion to call the taxi number and arrange for a pickup would require local language skills.. true? Seems unlikely an English speaker would have any luck.

They speak English. Try 96103.

They speak English. Try 96103.

Shanghai cab companies don't IIRC.

Hello Everyone,
I am trying to book a hotel for travel to Beijing next month. My flight departs PEK at 3 AM. I only have one day to spend in Beijing and want to visit the great wall, and am arriving by train on Thu and departing on Sat.
With the above information. my questions are
1) Should I book a hotel near the Airport or stick to the tourist areas of downtown.
2) How easy is it to get a cab to the airport at 1 AM?
3) How much does it cost?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Hello Everyone,
I am trying to book a hotel for travel to Beijing next month. My flight departs PEK at 3 AM. I only have one day to spend in Beijing and want to visit the great wall, and am arriving by train on Thu and departing on Sat.
With the above information. my questions are
1) Should I book a hotel near the Airport or stick to the tourist areas of downtown.
2) How easy is it to get a cab to the airport at 1 AM?
3) How much does it cost?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Consider my Yo Yo place (it's not actually "mine", but I advise people to stay there every week). Sanlitun is where the action is, and it's halfway between Wangfujing and the airport. The taxi crisis is a bit over stated (my fault, to a degree; you can get them if you plan in advance). Cost is around y80 from Sanlitun to the airport (including the highway fee)... 100 from Wangfujing.

Consider my Yo Yo place (it's not actually "mine", but I advise people to stay there every week). Sanlitun is where the action is, and it's halfway between Wangfujing and the airport. The taxi crisis is a bit over stated (my fault, to a degree; you can get them if you plan in advance). Cost is around y80 from Sanlitun to the airport (including the highway fee)... 100 from Wangfujing.

Thanks you very much for the prompt reply.