Category Archives: beijing

Travelling from Beijing Capital Airport to downtown Beijing by subway

To help travelers to Asia’s biggest cities, we are running a series of articles on how to travel from major airports to downtown. Today, we’re focusing on Beijing.

Beijing’s main airport, Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is situated 32 km northeast of central Beijing.

The simplest way to get to downtown is via the Airport Express line. There are stations at Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. The journey to the city takes 16 to 20 minutes, and a one way ticket costs 25 RMB. Trains run every 15 minutes. City-bound trains depart Terminal 3 from 6:21am to 10:51pm and Terminal 2 from 6:35am to 11:10pm.

There are two stations in the city: Sanyuanqiao (interchange with Line 10) and Dongzhimen (interchange with Line 2 and Line 13).

If you’re planning a trip to Beijing, we’ve got the resources you need for using the subway: visit our interactive subway map, print out a PDF map or download our iPhone/iPad app or Android app.

 

One Way Ticket
Creative Commons License photo credit: bryan@22°N 120°E.

Try the beta version of our all-new metro maps

We’re pleased to announce that the beta version of our new metro maps is now available! Visit our sites for Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Singapore or Hong Kong – look for this orange banner at the top of the page to opt into the beta:

If you don’t yet see the message, please accept our apologies, we will make it available to you soon!

You can also visit our sites from an iPhone, iPad or Android device to try out the beta version.

Some of the great new features of our all-new metro maps include:

  • Doesn’t require Flash
  • Layout adapts to your browser size
  • Simplified routeplanning. Just tap on the first station, choose “Plan route”, then tap on the second station
  • Quickly jump to another city using the top menu
  • Zoom in and out using the mouse scrollwheel or zoom buttons
  • Pop open the first/last train times panel. Just tap any station, then choose “First & last”
  • Load the Metropedia article for any station by tapping on the station name

If you’d like to return to the classic version, tap the ExploreMetro logo and choose “Don’t use beta”.

 

As this is a beta version, there may still be a few glitches. If you spot anything wrong, or have suggestions for improvements, contact us!

Coming soon: all-new online metro maps

Since 2007 we’ve been providing interactive Flash metro maps at exploreshanghai.com and for four other cities. While recently we’ve been focused on apps for iPhone and Android, our popular online maps at  are starting to look a little dated. It’s time for a fresh start, so I’ve been redesigning the online maps from the ground up. The goals of the redesign are:

  • No more Flash: as an increasing number of devices don’t come with Flash Player installed
  • Make the design responsive – that is to say, it should display well on any screen size, from a mobile phone right up to a large desktop monitor
  • Allow users of mobile devices who haven’t got our native apps to access basic mapping functionality on all devices for free
  • Add online maps for Seoul and Taipei
  • Add some features from our native apps, like more intuitive routeplanning, and zoom in/out

We’re still testing the new maps, but here’s a sneak preview of things to come (click to enlarge):

Soon, you’ll be able to opt-in to use the new version when you visit one of our sites. Stay tuned for updates!

Explore Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore with our new Android metro maps

We’re excited to announce that our metro map apps are now available for Android phones and tablets! Explore Shanghai, Explore Beijing and Explore Singapore are available now for FREE on the Android Marketplace.

You can download the apps from the Android Marketplace, just click on the relevant icon below to go straight to an app.

Explore ShanghaiExplore BeijingExplore Singapore

 

Features in the first version include:

  • Up to date map with all the latest lines and stations for 2012
  • Legend for each line
  • English/Chinese version (based on device language)
  • Route planner with times and prices
  • Audio station names (Shanghai/Beijing)
  • First/last train times
  • Link to Google Maps for street maps
  • Nearest stations (uses GPS/Wifi)
  • Help section

Here are a few screenshots!

 

There are a few features that we haven’t included yet, since we wanted to get version 1.0 out as soon as possible. Once you have installed the app, we would love to get your feedback.

  • Were there any problems or crashes?
  • Are there any features that you think should be added?

Love it? We’d also appreciate it if you could give us a good review on the Android Market (and tell all your Android-using friends)!

Hate it? Please email me directly at android at exploremetro dot com or leave a comment below, and I’ll do my best to assist with any problems.

 

Looking for the iPhone/iPad versions of our apps? Please see our iPhone apps page.

The Joy of Six: introducing Explore Beijing 6.0 with new subway lines, top tips

We’re proud to announce that Explore Beijing is the first of our award-winning subway maps for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to reach version 6.0

With version 6.0 we re-wrote the map code from the ground up to be faster. The app now loads quicker, and zooming in and out should be smooth, even on older devices.

The other big new feature is tips. Ever wondered what points of interest are close to a subway stop? Now you can tap on any station, then tap on Tips to see what’s nearby:

Tap the thumbs up button on any tip which you find useful. And if you know a great local restaurant, attraction or a clever shortcut, you can add your own tip:

 

You can also view a list of the most popular tips for the whole city.

And of course we’ve brought Explore Beijing fully up to date for 2012 with the latest lines and stations: find journey times on the new Line 9, Line 8 extension and Line 15 extension.

Explore Beijing 6.0 is a free update for existing users. Not got Explore Beijing yet? Download it now from the iTunes App Store.





On Dear Passengers – Are They Banning Photography on the Beijing Subway?

David Feng on Dear Passengers

Yours truly has recently heard of a few disturbing cases where some riders (especially young riders) have been harassed for taking pictures at some Beijing Subway stations.

No law in China forbids photography inside trains or at stations, but it is an offence under at least the Beijing Subway regulations “to remain for an extended period of time” (久留) inside stations, especially on the platforms or concourses.

Read the full article at DearPassengers.com >>

Beijing Subway Line 9 set for December opening: and two new extensions!

The Beijing Subway will be getting longer with the opening of 3 new sections at the end of December 2012. David Feng wrote a good summary of the new lines over at City Weekend.

The good news is that Line 8 is reopening with a longer northern extension towards Huilongguan, interchanging with Line 13 at Huoying. Line 15 is also extended, and there’s a brand new Line 9 which connects the Fangshan Line to Beijing West Railway Station. Line 9 and the Fangshan Line are still isolated from the rest of the subway system: you’ll need to take a bus from Beijing West Railway Station to Military Museum station on Line 1.

Here’s a map highlighted the newly opened lines: click to expand. Look out for updated versions of our interactive subway map and Beijing Subway iPhone app when the new lines open.