hi all,
my wife and I will be visiting Beijing for a day one our way back home to the states and wanted to get some basic info as far as transportation in and out of Beijing.

we'll be getting there on new years day pretty late and wanted to see options for transportation to hotel. is it fairly easy to just go to a taxi stand and let them know where to go or should i pre-book. i am leaning toward just grabbing a taxi but wanted to get your thoughts as this is our first time in Beijing.

our hotel is near the forbidden city ( crown plaza) and we want to do a tour of the great wall. should i look online for a tour company to get us to the GW? as i mentioned we'll be getting there late on the 1st and our only day is on the 2nd , leaving on the 3rd.

thanks !

Just completed three weeks in China.
Had set up a taxi thru references on FT, was a no show at Beijing !
I went to the info desk in arrivals, requested the young lady to please write down the name and address of my hotel, ( in English on my res confirmation)Courtyard Marriott...took her more than 20 minutes and phone calls. Strange, I kept on pointing to the name and address in English but she just wanted to call....it took THREE cab rides as the first two took us to the wrong Marriott.
After that I haerance.tnd shop at the hotel staff write in Mandarin my next hotel.
Look up your res con. And see if your hotel will send you a Chinese version.

Re GW, best bet is to have a cab or private car take you there. Average about 700 CNY. if you can share it, better.
Hope the pollution and haze will be a lesser problem for you.
Depending on your health get a walking stick ( folding about 8 USD at the

thanks for the pointers ! THREE cabs seriously? omg i can't afford a long wait cause we'll be arriving at 11 pm . maybe i can have someone write the hotel name and address in mandarin for me. that seems to be best option...how much should i expect for airport transportation to hotel?

as far as the GW, should i have hotel concierge arrange a car for the following day when i get there? yeah i hope its less pollution at that time, i dunno I guess i'll keep that in the back of my mind. both my wife and I are young couple so it shouldn't be hard to walk/climb but the walking stick is a good idea for support too.

Taxi is fine; HMPS' unfortunate experience is not typical. You definitely will need to have the address written in Chinese characters, however, as the chances of getting a driver who can read English is near zero.

What hotel will you be staying at? I'd be happy to type the address out in Chinese for you. Still, if it's not a well-known hotel, you may find that the driver will call for directions (have the hotel phone # handy).

I'd recommend avoiding a tour company for the Great Wall trip. Many of the tours advertised include annoying shopping stops and the like and won't give you the flexibility to explore at your preferred pace. Public transit to the Great Wall is available (see Wikivoyage for details), but hiring a private car/driver for the day either via your hotel or independently is easiest.

thanks ! i appreciate if you could write the hotel info below in Chinese characters, that would def help

Crown Plaza Hotel
Beijing Wangfujing
No. 48 Wangfujing Avenue,
Beijing, 100006 China, People's Republic Of
Hotel Front Desk : 86-10-59119999

as far as GW , it sounds the best option is a private hire coordinated when i get to the ground.

thank you again !

北京国际艺苑皇冠假日饭店
东城区王府井大街48号
(王府井大街与灯市口大街交汇处)
电话010-59119999

That should do it for all but the most hopelessly incompetent driver (in fact, the bolded line is really all you need), but here's a link to a Chinese-language map if needed:
http://j.map.baidu.com/aizz6

The address is right below the hotel name on their DaoDao (TA) page:

http://www.daodao.com/Hotel_Review-g...g-Beijing.html

We have numerous threads about GW logistics here, which I encourage you to browse, but the drill is pretty much as simple as heading up there and walking... though many people like to arrange their own transport in advance.

THANK YOU !

i saved it on my phone and will print it out before i leave.

Thanks Moondog - i will research the threads here on GW logistics. i just wasn't sure what most people do and just getting some ideas . some countries its recommended to have a tour booked before hand and some you just wing it while you're there...

China is mostly a come-as-you-are and wing-it-at-the-last-minute type of place.

it seems like it !! we only have one day, so i just need to get to hotel way at night safely , talk to concierge if they are still open or wait till morning to find a private transfer to GW for an afternoon...we'll be staying near the forbidden city which we'll see and that'll be a nice little taste of china

To me, the words "private transfer" in and of themselves set the overkill bells in motion. While I almost never recommend Badaling, in your case, it might be worth consideration because you could pop up there by yourself (train or taxi), do things at your own pace, and go somewhere else (e.g. Wudaokou) afterwards.

by all means, if its easier for us to grab a taxi and go to the GW i am all for it !
its just that we'll be tired coming in to town probably will be in hotel by 1 am after 15 hour flight then have one full day in Beijing then traveling another 15 hours the next day.

For many GW spots, a one way taxi journey is a slightly risky proposition because getting back can be challenging (though is never impossible for resourceful people). But, this is not a problem at Badaling (because you have the train as a fall back), and Mutianyu is also pretty safe in this regard.

for a first time visit which section you recommend, Badaling or Mutianyu?