Transportation in the Cities

I have read people are spending $600 on cab rides to go visit the wall. Are they serious or are they just not bargaining or is that really the rate? We would like to be able to fly into Beijing then take trips to all the places you recommended and is it realistic to be able to take buses, metro, cabs, etc

Jill from L.A.


US$600 for a cab to the wall? Maybe they meant Rmb 600? That is about US$80.

There are different places to go see the wall, one of the further sections, the one at Simatai/Jinshanling is about a 3-4 hour ride, a taxi there would cost approx US$80-100 for the four of you.

I'm not sure how much prices have changed after the Beijing Olympics, but can't imagine going up that much!

Regarding transportation in the city, Metro and buses can get VERY crowded, I would recommend sticking with taxis, they are inexpensive. The ride from Beijing airport to the hotel for example (about 30-40 min.) was about US$12. Since you have 4 in your group, easier than trying to figure out public transport.

Remember to have all your addresses written in Chinese. You don't bargain with the city taxis, they use the meter.

You only bargain for places like the Great Wall, where they will bring you and WAIT for you to bring you back.