Taxi from the airport

Beijing airport has many similarities to any modern airport in the world. There are crowds and people milling about. There are taxi (limousine) touts and people trying to get you to go to their hotel or apartment.

It is far better to have your accommodation booked in advance. Some of the major hotel chains will have shuttle services to and from the airport and will have desks at the airport manned by their own concierge staff. This can be a welcome relief to check that you are booked in to their hotel and to be looked after. Make sure that you find out if this service is available before you set off. It will stop you from wasting time looking for a non-existent desk.

If you can, then try and, get the Chinese characters that spells out the name of your hotel printed out from the hotel web site. Taxi drivers in Beijing are supposed to be learning English in time for the Olympics with the incentive that if they do not pass their English test then they will lose their taxi driver's license. It is far better to get the name written as they understand it as this cuts down the possibility of getting to the wrong hotel. Be prepared to pay the tolls on the expressway into Beijing as this is part of your fare.

Always ignore any people offering you a taxi from the airport concourse. They will be touts from the limousine firms and it will cost a lot of money. You may get a better car using a limousine as many Beijing taxis do not have air conditioning, but it will be expensive. Instead follow the signs to the taxi ranks controlled by the local police (known as the P.S.B. or Public Security Bureau). Also when you take a car that is not a taxi you may be taken on a longer route at very high speed.

Rule number 1 of traveling by taxi in China is never show fear. If they think they can make you afraid then they will go as close to the car in front as they can while traveling and stop within millimeters of them.
Be prepared for a long ride through busy streets where the traffic does not seem to be obeying any laws or logic. Realize that the favorite maneuver for a Chinese driver is the U turn and the approach to your hotel may require at least one to be performed.