Though some residents of Beijing know conversational English (especially in the areas frequented by tourists or Haidian District's university cluster), one should not count on finding a taxi driver or passer-by who knows English well. Neither should foreigners with minimal experience with the Chinese language put faith in their ability to pronounce Chinese place names so that a local can understand. Before embarking on a trip around the city, it is best to print out the names of places you want to visit. When going to specific addresses, writing nearby intersections or basic directions can be helpful as well. Show the text to the taxi driver, or just ask for help on the street. In general, you will have a better chance of getting help in English if you address younger people, as many schools in China have expanded their English education in the last few years.

Crossing the road in China is an art and may be difficult for pedestrians unused to Beijing's particular driving styles. Before crossing, assume that none of the road users will give way to you, even if a policeman is present. Zebra crossings are ignored. Chinese drivers lean on the horn heavily and frequently play games of chicken with pedestrians and other vehicles. Should you hear a loud horn when crossing the road, always look around as there is probably a car right behind you or heading straight for you. Should you find several cars and bicycles veering towards you from different directions, do not try to run to safety; instead, stand still. For drivers and cyclists, a stationary obstacle is easier to avoid. Also note that traffic light crossings have zebra stripes painted on the road, but you should only cross when the walk light is green. As with pedestrian crossings in many countries, there is strength in numbers. When a mass of people crosses together, cars are more likely to stop or slow down.

By subway

The Beijing Subway is a good way to quickly get around the city and is clearly marked in English for travelers. The network has expanded at a furious pace, with 18 lines now operational and more being built. Unlike most giant cities' subways, it has a grid-like network which is refreshingly easy to navigate. The subway system shuts down around 22:30, and opens again around 05:00, with signage at the entrance to each station.
Subway station entrances are identified by a large blue stylized letter G wrapped around a smaller letter B. You must pass your ticket through the turnstiles upon entering AND exiting the station, so make sure you don't lose it.

If you plan on traveling more than a few times, pick up a Yīkātōng (一卡通 ) pre-paid card. Tap the card at the entrance turnstile and again upon exiting. Using the pre-paid card does not reduce the subway fare, unlike bus fares. The card's deposit can only be returned at a few stations, so passing it on to a friend may be easier than getting your deposit back. Stations that offer a refund clearly state "Yikatong refund" in the ticket booth; examples include Xizhimen, Haidianhuangzhuang (only near exits C/D) and the Airport.

If you are carrying handbags or luggage, these bags must pass through the X-ray checks at the stations. Dangerous liquids (including oil!) may be confiscated. If necessary, drink a little of your bottle of water in front of the security guards to show that it is not harmful.

It is not likely to buy wrong tickets since the ticket machines are easy to buy a ticket from, but if you override stations or when a system error occurs and you fail to get out of a station (when the ticket barriers display a red cross on the screen at the top), ask a station staff to help you. It's illegal to dodge the fare (and almost impossible), but a fare dodger will be fined for a large amount of money and may be arrested.

Smoking is strictly prohibited in subway trains, and anyone who smokes can be asked to stop by any other passenger.

Beware that stations and trains become very crowded during rush hour, particularly lines 1, 10, and 13. Follow the crowd and it will be fine, but trying to avoid these hours seems a wise choice. If there are seats available, be prepared for a mad dash as commuters shove and wrestle for the available seats; you may try to do the same if you feel that you are up to the task. Pickpockets are most likely to strike at this moment, so be alert of your belongings.

By bicycle

Once known as a nation of bicycles, China today has an ever-growing number of private car owners. It is estimated 1,200 more cars hit the streets in Beijing every day. As a result, nowadays you are guaranteed to see more bikes in the Netherlands than in Beijing. However, the infrastructure from its days as the capital of the "Bicycle Kingdom" means exploring Beijing on a bike is excellent. The city is flat as a pancake and all major streets have bike lanes. Bicycling is often faster than traveling by car, taxi or bus because of the traffic congestion in the motorized traffic lanes.

Four-wheeled motorized traffic in Beijing usually observes traffic signals with the exception of making turns at red lights which is often done without slowing or deferring to pedestrians or bicyclists. Pedestrians, bicycles and all other vehicles (for example, motorized bicycles, mopeds, and tricycles) generally do not observe traffic signals. Also, cars, trucks, and buses do not defer to cyclists on the road so it is common for a vehicle to make a right turn from an inside lane across a bike lane with no concern for cyclists traveling in the bike lane. Sometimes a right-turning vehicle crossing a bike lane will sound its horn as a warning, but not always. Cyclists also need to be on the lookout for wrong-way traffic in the bike lanes, usually bicycles and tricycles but sometimes motor vehicles, too. Wrong-way traffic usually stays close to the curb so you move to the left to get by them, but not always. Bicycling Beijingers tend not to wear helmets, nor do they use lights at night. Few bikes even have rear reflectors. The moderate pace and sheer numbers of bicyclists in Beijing appear to make bike travel safer than it would be otherwise.

While you will see cyclists use many creative paths across wide, busy intersections in Beijing, the safest way for cyclists is to observe the traffic signals (there are often special signals for cyclists) and to make left turns in two steps as a pedestrian would. But if you spend any significant amount of time cycling in Beijing, you will probably start adopting more creative approaches. These can be learned by finding a local cyclist going your way and following him or her across the intersection.

Several professional bike rental companies, as well as major hotels and some hostels, rent bikes on an hourly basis. For those who need the security of a guide, a bike touring company like Baja Bikes Beijing or Bicycle Kingdom Rentals & Tours would be a great way to go.

By bus

Beijing's bus system is cheap, convenient, and covers the entire city. But it is slow compared to the subway (often caught in heavy traffic), and difficult to use if you do not understand Chinese. But should you speak Mandarin, have a healthy sense of adventure, and a fair bit of patience, a bus can get you almost anywhere.

Good reasons to take the bus include:

• Your origin or destination are not in walking distance of a subway stop
• Your trip is less than about 3km in distance
• You want to see the city, not just a subway tunnel while traveling
• You are on an extremely tight budget

Buses now feature air-conditioning (heating in winter), TVs, a scrolling screen that displays stops in Chinese (and often English), and a broadcast system that announces stops (In Chinese and English). Bus staff speaks little English, and bus stop signs are entirely in Chinese. If you are having problems navigating the bus system, call the English-speaking operators at the Beijing Public Transportation Customer Helpline (96166).

Warning: Beijing buses can get very crowded so be prepared and keep an eye on your valuables. Indeed, the overhead speakers on more modern buses will announce a warning to this effect on the more crowded lines. Many pickpockets frequent buses and subways, so carry backpacks in the front and try to put your valuables somewhere hard to access.

If you use a Yikatong Card, you should both touch in and out on most bus lines so the system will calculate the right fare for you. If not, you may have to pay the original price for the whole route as a fine. You can find a notice above the doors like "下车请刷卡" means you should touch out when "下车请勿刷卡" means you needn't swipe your card when getting off (Usually "Please swipe your card when getting off" in English is printed).

Do not get off from doors where you are getting on except you are riding a bus with only 1 door, or you may be considered as fare dodging. Usually, you get off from the rear door of a bus which has 2 doors, and the front&back doors when you are riding a bus with 3 doors. BRT buses usually have 4 doors, and you can use any one of them you like.

Bus routes
Bus lines are numbered from 1-999. Buses under 300 serve the city center. Buses 300 and up run between the city center and more distant areas (such as beyond the Third Ring Road). Buses in the 800s connect Beijing with its "rural" districts (i.e., Changping, Yanqing, Shunyi, etc.). Buses with a heading of "专" (zhuān means special) usually serve a small area, "快专" (kuàizhuān means express special) provide express point-to-point services, with a much higher fare. The heading of "夜" (yè means night) provide late-night services only. Buses numbered between 101 and 199 are usually trolleybuses. BRT lines 1 to 4 are Bus Rapid Transit lines which run on another fare system, and you buy the tickets at a station staff or a vending machine (have pages in English).

Directions from place to place can be obtained on AutoNavi Maps, Baidu Maps, Edushi (click the bus flash icon) or Mapbar. Most maps are in Chinese, whilst AutoNavi Maps are available in foreign languages inside Apple Maps (when in China) or Google Maps (this is a slightly outdated copy). 

By minibus

Minibuses are very common in the countryside outside urban areas. 

By taxi

Taxis are reliable and are relatively inexpensive. The downsides are Beijing's well-known traffic jams, as well as the fact that most drivers cannot speak or read English and some taxi drivers can be recent arrivals who do not know the city too well. If you don't speak Mandarin then it's worth having the Chinese characters for the location ready in advance. Vehicles used as taxis include the Hyundai Sonata and Elantra, Volkswagen Santana and Jetta (the old model, designed in the 1980s), and Citroëns manufactured in China. These taxis are dark red, or yellow top with a dark blue bottom, or painted with new colors.

Luxurious black executive cars (usually Audis) can also be found, usually waiting outside hotels and can be booked from private companies. They will cost multiple times the equivalent taxi fare to hire.

You might not be able to find any official taxis in the more remote areas of Beijing. However, in these places, there will most likely be plenty of unofficial taxis. These might be difficult to recognize for travelers, but the drivers will address you if you look like you are searching for a taxi. Remember to negotiate the fare before you go. Local people usually pay a bit less for the unofficial taxis than for the official ones, but the asking price for foreign travelers will often be much higher.

Avoiding scams and fakes
All official taxis have license plates beginning with the letter "B", as in "京B". "Pirate cabs" may look like taxis but their license plates will start with letters other than B. It's nearly impossible to hail a pirate cab on the streets; they generally hang out around tourist sights like the Great Wall and the Summer Palace or around subway stops. Pirate cabs will charge you a higher fee for the journey, unless you are a good bargainer, know where you are going, and know what the right fare should be. Sometimes they drop foreign tourists in the wrong places. In some extreme cases, the driver may even take them to the countryside and rob them. If you find you hired a fake taxi and are overcharged, don't argue if you are alone, pay the driver and remember the car's license plate number, then call the police later.

To avoid being taken advantage of, it is a good idea to know the rough direction, cost, and distance of your destination. You can easily find this out from asking locals before calling a cab. Verify these values with the taxicab driver to show them that you are in the know, and are probably too much trouble to cheat. Keep track of the direction of travel with a compass and/or the sun. If the cab goes in the wrong direction for a long distance, verify the location with the taxi driver. For scamming drivers, that is usually enough for them to go back on the right track (without ever acknowledging that they were trying to cheat you). Honest drivers will explain why they are going that way. In addition, sometimes a cab driver might tell you an extravagant price to get somewhere and tell you the meter is broken.
There are several "makeshift taxis" running around Beijing including a seat fixed up to the back of an electric scooter. These guys will scam you big time if you don't negotiate a clear fare beforehand. Upon arriving at your destination, for a 2-minute ride, the driver will demand ¥300 and will be very belligerent if you don't pay it.

Keep in mind that central Beijing can be off limits at certain times, forcing cabs to reroute. And some roads forbid left turns (with big road signs) either at certain hours or all the time, so the driver might make a detour.

By car

Driving in Beijing can be quite complicated with seemingly perpetual traffic jams. Public transport or taxis will get you to most of the main tourist sites and therefore renting a car is not often required at all.

Short visa holders (less than 3 months) can get a provisional driver's license at Beijing Capital International Airport or the transportation police stations in the city within minutes. You need to provide your passport as well as your foreign driver's license and do a small examination to confirm you don't have a physical or visual disability that affects driving. With a provisional license, you can legally drive cars in China. Ask any information desk at the airport for directions.

You can find the counters of many car rental companies in the arrival hall of Terminal 2 in Beijing Capital Airport, although their English is usually not very good.

Here is an incomplete list of car rental companies serving the Beijing Capital Airport:

• China Auto Rental, Tel: +86 400 616 6666
• Avis also operates a car rental service in Beijing
• Beijing Airport Transfer, Tel: +86 18932846209

Vehicles without a license registered in Beijing are subject to severe restrictions in the capital — most need a special permit to enter the part of town inside the 6th Ring Road, and for those which are granted this license, it must be renewed nearly every week. You must have your passport / Chinese ID, driving license and vehicle license ("blue book", not larger registration certificate) with you at all times, especially when leaving or entering Beijing, as you will be checked by the police.

By train

Beijing, as a railway hub, has many railway stations. If you are traveling between them, you can even choose the national railway. Sometimes the train is the best way to go to places where don't have a good bus or subway connection. However, waiting for them takes a long time.

Suburban railway lines are great ways to get around. The lines are:

• Sub-Central line from Beijing West station to Tongzhou Railway station. All trains call at Beijing Railway Station and Beijing East Station. Not so many trains serve the line, but it can be a wise way to travel through the center of the city, especially during peak hours when the roads are too busy, buses and the metro are crowded, but the trains are quite "empty".
• S2 line, from Huangtudian station (near Huoying subway station on lines 8 and 13) to Yanqing, is a good choice if you are going to the northern suburbs, especially during morning and evening rush hours when the freeway is extremely crowded. All trains call at Badaling station where you can take a free shuttle bus to Badaling Great Wall. Some trains also stop at Nankou station between Badaling and Huangtudian. A train extends the service to Kangzhuang or Shacheng on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This is the only suburban railway line that a standard Yikatong card can be used, but your card should at least have a balance of ¥16. This line was described by the Chinese media as "The most beautiful commuting routine" and attracts many visitors. Trains from the city during evening rush or to the city in the morning rush may be really crowded.
• S5 line, from Huangtudian to Huairou North in the northeastern suburbs, reaches Huairou town and Changping North station. All trains call at Changping North Railway Station. However, there are only two "pairs" of trains per day, one pair in the morning and one in the afternoon.
• S9 line from Beijing East Station to Jizhou which is in Tianjin. It uses the name of Beijing Suburban Railway but is operated by National Rail long-distance trains. A journey takes 40 minutes and is cheaper than buses. However, the services are very limited.

Hints for riding Suburban railways

1. Get to the stations early for S2, S5 or S9 lines. A S2 line train is equipped with a First class car, a dining car (actually a car with amazing big windows) and standard class cars. Also, getting to stations later than 8:00 may lead you to a great crowd. So if you want to get a good seat to enjoy the great view or at least have a seat to sit down, get to stations early and be ready for a rush to the trains.
2. No need to book a ticket. Except the S2 line, every line is not so crowded. You can't book a ticket in advance for a S2 line journey. For other lines, buy a ticket at ticket offices (S5 at stations and Sub-Central at station main ticket offices)
3. Gate closes 5 minutes before departure. As a railway rule, this is really important when you are buying a ticket.
4. Use a Yikatong card for S2 line especially during tourist seasons. A S2 train only allows around 700 passengers with paper tickets to get aboard. However, another 850 people with cards are allowed to get on board. So when the tickets are sold out, think of your card!

You can also take trains to many other places like Huangcun and Miyvn, but those long-distance trains may not be as convenient as buses.

The Yikatong card

The Yikatong card actually means "Beijing city transportation card" in Chinese. You can get one from most subway stations and every Yikatong service center. Mobile Yikatong cards can also be purchased inside the Apple Wallet on iPhones, change the phone's region to China and then change it back again once you have bought the card. You can charge the card at a subway station, a transit hub, or a service center.

The standard Yikatong card can be used for:

• All buses operated by Beijing Public Transport, Bafangda buses or Yvntong bus lines, and receive a 50% discount
• All subway lines, including Xijiao tram line
• Suburban railway line S2
• Most public bike systems
• Convenience shops operated by Hualian Group (Not every shop available)
• Payphones (Mostly in the center of the city)

Another kind of cards is called the T-Union Yikatong. Almost look like the standard ones, but they have a China T-Union symbol on it. They can only be applied in the service centers, but they are useful if you are going to some other cities in the China T-Union plan. Those cards can be used for:

• Major bus lines in Beijing (which buses have a China T-Union symbol)
• The whole subway system
• Bus systems in many other cities in China, but may not available for discounts.

The third mainly used Yikatong card is called the suburban railway Yikatong. The only feature that differs from other ones is that it can be used on Suburban Railway Sub-Central line and line S5.