fallinasleep

In the case of the airport and/or hotel taxis, the keys to not getting ripped off are (1) to confirm that the meter has been reset when you get in and (2) get a copy of the receipt (and the driver's name and license number if necessary).

Of course, if the driver takes a roundabout route, it is hard to know if you are new to the city. However, don't freak out also just because you're on some highway that you've never seen before. Beijing has five (or is it six now?) ring roads, and taking them can sometimes be a faster albeit longer route.

At the end of the day, taxis in Beijing are so cheap anyway...it is not worth getting too stressed over it.

Oh yeah, a few years back, I was ripped off by a taxi (which was waiting outside the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza -- a foreigner hotel if there ever was one) on an airport ride. The taxi driver was really friendly and took the normal route. Only when we arrived did I discover that the fare was 3x what it should have been. I challenged the driver but without concrete proof other than the ridiculously high fare, he denied any wrongdoing (surprise, surprise) but agree to accept less than what was shown on the meter. Still, it was about 30 kuai more than it should have been. In hindsight, I should have given the driver nothing and walked out and threatened to call the police if he tried to stop me.

moondog

we're really zeroing in on subtopicopia here, but just to set the record straight: 6th ring should be complete within the next year or so, BUT there is no 1st ring.... therefore, there are currently around 4.5 ring roads.

fallinasleep

what about the moat around the Forbidden City?

moondog

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moondog

runningshoes

So when all is said and done, what is a rough estimate of what a taxi should cost from the airport to one of the hotels, say the Sheraton?

fallinasleep

RMB 90-100 but the driver is going to curse at you in Mandarin for such a short ride

moondog

I think you could get there for under 60, including tolls, as long as you take a 1.6. It's true that cabbies hate dropping anywhere north of the Kerry Centre (from the airport) because they have to queue for ~4 hours just take to a crack at an arriving passenger, but don't let that scare you; they are required to take you to your chosen destination.

FYI, many Sheraton-bound persons get taken to the Hilton because the Chinese name for Hilton sounds a lot like "Sheraton". To avoid such confusion, be sure to refer to the Sheraton by its proper name (Great Wall Hotel).

runningshoes

Thanks for the advice - I'll remember the "proper" hotel name.

MBS MillionMiler

This happened to me in Nanjing a few years ago...Was booked at the Sheraton Nanjing, and the cabbie took us to the Hilton. 'Hilton' in Chinese is something like "Xi Er Dung" (SEE-air-dung)...After much drama, we just had him drop us at the Hilton, and the good folks at the Hilton actually DROVE US to the Sheraton in a hotel car, free of charge.

Anyway, I now know better--not just for this instance, but if I'm unfamiliar with the hotel and I don't know the Chinese name and street, it's always a good idea to send an e-mail to the hotel and ask them for directions (or at least the hotel name) in Chinese...Print it off and take it with you.

Rothsix

Hello everyone,

We will be arriving in Beijing on Oct. 1 (apparently a bad idea, but somewhat cast in stone now) and I am wondering if anyone has used, or heard of <http://www.sinohotelguide.com/travel/chauffeur.html> or something similar? With the National Holiday I am hoping to pre-arrange as much as possible to try and avoid some of the possible chaos. I appreciate any suggestions.

Thank you.
Rothsix

moondog

The trick to National Day in Beijing is to avoid places that Chinese tourists like. That means:

-eating duck at Xiao Wangfu's instead of Quanjude
-going to a great wall site other than Badaling, Mutianyu, or Simatai
-laying low from Gugong, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven until the holiday is over, if possible.
-if the leaves are in bloom Xiangshan is a must, but I wouldn't go there during National Day. There is another park nearby that offers similar natural features, but isn't famous
-spend some time at the universities. They should be relatively peaceful and the area is quite interesting.

I wouldn't worry too much about cabs or hotel bookings.

oldandslow

Hello:

As non-Chinese speaking tourists, neither my wife nor I had any problem with the Beijing taxis on our visit about three weeks ago - and we took quite a few of them.

Even traveling separately, no problems. However, we did each have maps of the city which we kept open and tried to follow along during the ride. Only once did I think I was going the wrong way, but then I saw it was only a slightly longer way and likely much faster as it was on one of the ring roads.

I had read most of the comments on FT about the Beijing taxis before our trip, so I paid attention to the meter, and I always carried small change so I could pay exact fare (or less if I thought I needed to) - but again, the problem situations never came up.

Have a good time!

travelinmanS

Don't be scared of Taxis in Beijing. They very rarely rip people off. Beijing is one of the safest cities in the world.

Enjoy barganing with people for goods you want and pay a price you can accept and don't worry if its the absolutely lowest price. These people don't make that much scratch.

For tropical after Xian head to Hainan Island and the resort town of Sanya. Its got the only real beach resort in China.

Enjoy a great country!

sabrina

I used Sinohotel to book my hotel in Beijing (Beijing Hao Yuan House...great little place) and I used their driver from the airport when I arrived. He met me with a sign with my name on it and was very courteous, rolling my bag to the car for me and making sure I was settled in at the front desk before leaving. He didn't speak any English but I felt very safe and comfortable with him. However, after spending a few days in Beijing and overall having an excellent experience with the taxis, I would take a taxi from the hotel if I returned to Beijing, although I don't know how the holiday affects things. My taxi experience was marred only by my very last cab ride, which wasn't even supposed to happen but my flight back from Hong Kong was delayed by 5+ hours and my driver couldn't wait for me.

The cab driver took me the most direct route, but the car did not have a visible meter charge. There was a meter, and I saw her turn it on and heard the printing noise it makes, but I couldn't see any lit numbers. Once she stopped the car she stopped the meter and gave me the total verbally, and it looked like it was off the top of her head. It sounded like too much, but I wasn't sure since I hadn't taken a cab on that route before, so I asked to see the receipt. She handed me a receipt that had the fare she quoted me, so I paid. The next day, I was riding to the airport with an expat who told me I paid too much. When I told him what happened, he asked me if the receipt she gave me was for that ride or for another ride, perhaps from another time or another day. Good question...I had no idea.

He recommended a driver to me and my friend which we used for a day to the Great Wall, shopping, running errands, and to the airport for our HK sidetrip for only 400 RMB (less than $50). She was also scheduled to pick me up when I was delayed returning from HK for only 60 RMB (about $7). If you can find a private driver like that, it's great -- she was very friendly, very reliable, and very affordable!

The other taxi trips I had were fine -- very courteous, efficient drivers, including one who stopped the meter and went out of his way to ask the uniformed security guards at the apartment complex I stayed at for a few nights how to get to the building I needed. I speak no Chinese, so I had a guidebook with the names of tourist destinations written in Chinese. I also had a piece of paper or cards with the name of my lodging (hotel and then apartment) in Chinese. Finally, I downloaded several other things in Chinese to my Palm using Repligo from this site - http://www.beijingtraveltips.com/, and I would just pull up the info and show it to the driver. I'm so glad I was prepared with that.

-Sabrina