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PEK · PKX · arrival routes

Beijing — Airport to city

Beijing has two main international airports — Capital (PEK) in the northeast and Daxing (PKX) in the southwest. PEK has the Capital Airport Express direct to Dongzhimen; PKX has its own express metro plus the CRH high-speed rail link to Beijing West.

Route options

CA
Capital Airport Express (PEK)
Direct rail from PEK T2/T3 to Sanyuanqiao + Dongzhimen with metro transfers to lines 2/10/13.
≈ 28 min to Dongzhimen (operator)
Operator rate
DA
Daxing Express (PKX)
PKX dedicated express to Caoqiao station, transfer to Metro Line 10.
≈ 19 min to Caoqiao (operator)
Operator, multi-class
CR
CRH high-speed rail (PKX → Beijing West)
High-speed rail link between PKX station and Beijing West station. Different station from Beijing Central.
≈ 20 min (operator)
12306
TA
Taxi / Didi
Official queue outside arrivals; Didi via Alipay mini-program from arrivals floor.
PEK 60–90 min · PKX 60–80 min (estimate, varies with traffic)
Metered

Practical notes

  • Activate your eSIM before landing — metro QR gates, Didi, and maps all need data.
  • PKX is geographically much farther from central Beijing than PEK — factor in taxi cost if arriving late at night.
  • Capital Airport Express and Daxing Express have operator-published last-train cutoffs in the evening — confirm at the station before counting on the last service.
  • CRH high-speed rail at PKX goes to Beijing West (北京西), not Beijing Central or Beijing South — confirm your terminus.
  • Didi for foreigners at PEK: book via the Didi mini-program inside Alipay, then exit arrivals and follow rideshare signage to the designated Didi pick-up area near the T3 P3 parking zone. At PKX, follow the "Online Car-Hailing" (网约车) signs from the arrivals hall to the ground-floor pick-up bay. Driver plate numbers are shown in the Didi app — match before boarding.

How we verify airport routes

  • We prefer airport, metro, rail, and government operator pages for route, ticketing, terminal, and schedule claims.
  • If an exact fare, pickup bay, or last-train time is not confirmed on an operator page, we tell travelers to check it instead of publishing a number.
  • Last-updated dates mark when source links and page claims were reviewed.

Airport and transport sources

Last updated:

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