Originally Posted by
jplee3
One other question: for Beijing (or really any city, since they all have metro) is it recommended that we just take the metro to our hotel upon arrival (as well as when checking out of the hotel and going to the railway station or airport?)? Or is it better to just use taxis instead? Keep in mind: it's the 4 of us, including 2 kids (8 and 7) with our luggage. I intend to pack lightweight as much as possible (my wife and I will have big luggage backpacks on our back and maybe one wheeled luggage and our kids will have their own smaller backpacks and maybe a little wheeled luggage)
Chongwenmen is actually pretty easy to get from PEK via public transit (single transfer to Line 5), and traffic can be ugly, but I'd still probably opt for a taxi in your situation. For getting around Beijing and Shanghai, I personally like subways as long as I can keep transfers to a minimum and my origin and destination are near subway stations (not always a given). For cars, ride hailing apps are useful and occasionally essential. I'm not sure how old your kids are, but shared bikes are also a great asset, and exploring Beijing by bike is a lot of fun.