Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) – Terminals, Guides, Transportation

Written by Veronica | Updated January 17,2026

Beijing Capital International Airport (Beijing Shoudu International Airport), located 25 kilometers away from the city center, is the largest, busiest, and most important gateway of China. Over 70 airlines throughout the world have opened domestic and international flights to Beijing Capital Airport, enabling not only Chinese tourists but also visitors from major cities abroad, such as New York, Seatle, Paris, London, Moscow, and Tokyo… to arrive in Beijing in hours.

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• Fast Facts of Beijing Capital International Airport
• Visa-Free Policies of Beijing Capital International Airport
• Flight Information of the Three Terminals
• Instructions to Passengers
• Transportation Between Terminals at Beijing Capital International Airport
• Transportation Between Beijing Capital International Airport and City Center
• How to Get to Beijing Daxing International Airport from Beijing Capital Airport
• Accommodation around Beijing Capital International Airport

Fast Facts of Beijing Capital International Airport

Chinese Name: 北京首都机场

Airport Code: PEK

Address: Airport West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing City (25km from the downtown area)

Telephone Number: (+86) 010-96158

Terminals: 3 terminals in total, covering an area of 1,410,000 square meters

Visa-Free Policies of Beijing Capital International Airport

Beijing Capital International Airport has been implementing two types of visa-free policies: 24-hour direct transit and 240-visa-free-transit. The former one grants citizens around the world visa-free transit at PEK within 24 hours, while travelers from 55 designated countries and regions are allowed to take a 240-hour layover tour in Beijing, as well as other 59 ports, without a visa.

Transiters need to apply for a temporary entry permit to leave Beijing airport during the layover. The passport, the application card, and the onward flight ticket to a 3rd country or region are required for the application.

• Visa Office of Beijing International Airport:

T2: International entry area on 3F; T3: International entry area on 3F of T3-E

Read more on:

• • The Latest China Visa-Free Policy: 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit
  • Top 8 Things to Do During a Layover at Beijing Airport
  • Air Travel in China: Flights, Airlines, Booking & Tips

Flight Information of the Three Terminals

It is necessary that passengers be aware of which terminal building they should go to. You can refer to the table below to learn about the distribution of airlines in Capital International Airport.

Terminal 1 (out of service)

Terminal 2: Operating Domestic & International Flights

• Arrival Hall: 1F
• Departure Hall: 2F

Terminal 3: Operating Domestic & International Flights

• Arrival Hall: 2F of T3-C, 3F of T3-D, 3F of T3-E
• Departure Hall: 3F of T3-C, 2F of T3-E

Recommended Beijing Tour Packages:

• 2 Days Beijing Stopover Tour: Great Wall + Forbidden City
• 3 Days Beijing Package Tour

Instructions to Passengers

Time for Taking Flights

1. Check-in

2. Boarding

How to Take a Departure Flight at PEK?

Domestic Departures:

1. Checkin at the corresponding counter and obtain the boarding pass;
2. Check your luggage at the check-in counter if needed;
3. Go through security check;
4. Find the boarding gate and wait for your flight in the departure lounge.

International Departures:

1. Go through customs inspection and fill in a Declaration Form if you have anything to declare;
2. Checkin at the corresponding counter and obtain the boarding pass;
3. Check your luggage at the check-in counter if needed;
4. Accept inspections by the health quarantine officials;
5. Prepare your passport, visa and departure card for the frontier inspection;
6. Go through security check;
7. Find the boarding gate and wait for your flight in the departure lounge.

*If you are to leave from T3, the procedure goes like this: customs declaration → check-in → check-in luggage → security check → health quarantine → frontier inspection → customs inspection → waiting and boarding

What to Do After Landing at PEK?

Domestic Arrival:

1. Flight arrives;
2. Follow the signs to the “Luggage Claim” area to pick up your baggage;
3. Go to the Arrival Hall and leave the airport from there.

International Arrival

1. Flight arrives;
2. Accept necessary inspections by the health quarantine officials;
3. Prepare your passport, entry visa and arrival card for the frontier inspection;
4. Follow the signs to the “Luggage Claim” area to pick up your baggage;
5. Go through customs inspection and fill in a Declaration Form if you have anything to declare;
6. Go to the Arrival Hall and leave the airport from there.

How to Transit at Beijing Capital International Airport? – Transfer Guide at PEK

Domestic to Domestic

1. Upon arrival, confirm the terminal building of your connecting flight with the airport staff;
2. Handle transit formalities at the transfer counter;
3. Find the boarding gate and wait for your flight in the departure lounge.

Domestic to International

1. Upon arrival, confirm the terminal building of your connecting flight with the airport staff;
2. Go through customs inspection and fill in a Declaration Form if you have anything to declare;
3. Handle transit formalities at the transfer counter;
4. Refer to the procedure of “International Departure” to take your connecting flight

International to Domestic

1. Upon arrival, confirm the terminal building of your connecting flight with the airport staff;
2. Accept necessary inspections by the health quarantine officials;
3. Prepare your passport, entry visa and arrival card for the frontier inspection;
4. Go through customs inspection and fill in a Declaration Form if you have anything to declare;
5. Confirm the terminal building of your connecting flight with the airport staff;
6. Handle transit formalities at the transfer counter;
7. Refer to the procedure of “Domestic Departure” to take your connecting flight

International to International

1. Upon arrival, confirm the terminal building of your connecting flight with the airport staff;
2. Handle transit formalities at the transfer counter;
3. Go through necessary inspections by the health quarantine officials;
4. Pass through the channel for self-service immigration inspection;
5. Accept the security check;
6. Go through customs inspection and fill in a Declaration Form if you have anything to declare;(If you are to leave from T3, it only takes one check for both customs and security inspections.)
7. Find the boarding gate and wait for your flight in the departure lounge.

Popular Beijing Day Tours:

• Day Beijing Culture and Sightseeing Tour
• Beijing Panda and Forbidden City Day Tour

Transportation Between Terminals at Beijing Capital International Airport

If you need to transfer to a different terminal, there are 24-hour inter-terminal shuttle buses available at Beijing Capital International Airport to help save you time.

Inter-Terminal Shuttle Bus (24 Hours)

Boarding Points

Transportation Between Beijing Capital International Airport and City Center

Airport Express (Downtown – PEK)

• Route:

Beixinqiao – Dongzhimen – Sanyuanqiao – T3 – T2 (the whole ride takes about 30 minutes)

• Ticket Price: CNY 25 per person
• Service Time: (with an interval of about 10 minutes)

Service Time

Boarding Points 

• T2: B2, Parking Garage
• T3: 2F, Parking Garage

Airport Shuttle Bus

1. 5 Local Bus Lines Between Downtown Beijing and PEK Airport

Bus Fare:

Tiered prices include CNY 20, CNY 25, CNY 30, and CNY 55 depending on which stop you are to get off.

Boarding Points at PEK:

T2: Outside No. 11 Gate on 1F; T3: No. 1 Gate on 1F

Beijing Fengtai Railway Station Line (北京丰台站线)

Beijing Fengtai Railway Station Line, Gongzhufen Branch (Starting from Gongzhufen Station) (公主坟区间车)

Beijing West Railway Station Line (北京西站线)

Daxing International Airport (PKX) Line

Beijing South Railway Station Line (北京南站线)

Tongzhou Line (通州线)

2. Intercity Buses Between Beijing Capital International Airport and Langfang/Tianjin

Boarding Points at PEK

T2: Outside No. 15 Gate on 1F; T3: No. 11 Gate on 1F

From PEK to Langfang / Tianjin

From Langfang / Tianjin to PEK

Licensed Taxi

• Taxi Stands

T2: No. 5-9 Gate on 1F; T3: the waiting area on B1

• Taxi Fare

The flag-fall price is CNY 13 for the first 3 kilometers. Every extra kilometer costs CNY 2.3 in daytime and CNY 2.76 during 23:00~05:00. Extra fee will be charged for low-speed driving and waiting time.

Airport Bus (PEK – Shunyi District)

How to Get to Beijing Daxing International Airport from Beijing Capital Airport

Aside from PEK Airport, there are two other airports in Beijing, namely Daxing International Airport and Nanyuan Airport. Daxing Airport is 67 kilometers away from the Capital Airport and is still in service today, but Beijing Nanyuan Airport was closed in 2019 and transferred all the flights to the airport of Daxing.

If your connecting flight takes off at Daxing Airport, taking the shuttle bus to Daxing International Airport Line from PEK is the most convenient way and you will reach the destination in around 2 hours. However, there are only 3 buses per day. If you miss the bus, an alternative approach is to take Airport Express to Sanyuanqiao, transfer to subway line 10 there, and get off at Caoqiao, where you can board Daxing Airport Express to the terminal station.

Accommodation around Beijing Capital International Airport

There is a great variety of accommodation choices around the Beijing Capital International Airport, ranging from economic hostels to starred hotels. Hotels like Comfort Free (康福瑞), Qiu Guo Hotel (秋果酒店), CITIC Hotel Beijing Airport (北京国都大饭店) and Voyage International Hotel (远航国际酒店) have got a bunch of great reviews and are only a few minutes’ drive from the airport.

Inside Peking Capital Airport, there are hourly hotels on the first basement floor of T2, and the second floor of T3-C and T3-E, offering single rooms, standard rooms and hourly lounges to passengers.