If you are planning to visit the Great Wall of China, most people will fly to the Beijing area to see the Great Wall of China.
Beijing has two major international airports; the Beijing Capital International airport and the newer Beijing Daxing international airport. Both airports offer you many airline choices plus many great services within the airport. They both have ground transportation services that can help you get to the Beijing city center or even the Great Wall area.
Table of Contents
- The Best Airport For the Great Wall Are The Beijing Airport
- Virtually Visit The Great Wall of China – Conquer Virtual Challenges
- Related Questions
The Best Airport For the Great Wall Are The Beijing Airport
Most people visiting the Great Wall of China will fly into one of the Beijing International Airports. Beijing is a major city in China, so there are two major International Airports in Beijing, China.
Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK)
The Beijing international airport is one of the leading international airports serving the city of Beijing in the People’s Republic of China. It is the airport that I have flown in and out of each time I have traveled to Beijing or through Beijing to go to the United States.
It is one of the world’s busiest airports and one of the largest Chinese airport areas.
Here are a few things about the Beijing Capital International Airport:
- Beijing Capital International Airport code is PEK. If you want to fly to this airport, ask the airline if they fly into the Beijing Capital International Airport or the airport with the code PEK.
- The Beijing Capital International Airport is 32 km or 20 miles northeast of Beijing’s city center. It is located in the Chaoyang-Sunyi District. Even though the airport is only 32 km or 20 miles from the city center, it can take 45 minutes to an hour to get to downtown Beijing. This is because of the traffic.
- Beijing Capital International Airport has three terminals. Each of the terminals is as follows:
- Terminal 1 – This is the smallest terminal of the Beijing International Airport since it only serves domestic flights to major Chinese cities. So if you travel within China, you may travel in and out of terminal 1. I traveled out of terminal 1 when I flew from Beijing to Guangzhou.
- Terminal 2 – Terminal 2 is for international and domestic flights.
- Terminal 3 – Terminal 3 is known as the Dragon Terminal and handles international and domestic flights.
- There is an airport train service that can take you between the terminals. So even though, at first glance, the airport layout can seem messy, you can get around the airport quite quickly.
- The airport has a lot of services, such as restaurants, cafés, shops, banks, and money exchanges. Don’t be surprised if they may not have all of your restaurant choices or food choices, as many will be from local Chinese restaurants.
- Also, ground transportation from the airport is relatively easy; you can quickly get a taxi from the airport to downtown, plus some train services you can take. I have always found that the taxi is the easiest; it’s not that expensive, but it will get you to your destination. Here are some of your ground transportation choices at the Beijing Capital International Airport:
- Airport Express Subway Line – Beijing Capital International Airport is served by the airport express line of the Beijing Subway. The service is faster than the airport shuttle bus and runs more frequently than many buses. It also runs to the downtown area, so if you know exactly where you are going, this could be an excellent option for you to take.
- Bus – There are also a lot of buses that go throughout the Beijing area; when you get out of the terminal, you can check and ask about the buses.
- Beijing Airport Shuttle Bus – A Beijing airport shuttle bus will take you to certain areas of Beijing; this is not a very expensive option, and it goes to many different parts of the Beijing area.
- Taxis – You can get taxis anywhere in the Beijing area. You may need to spend some time waiting in line for taxis, and it will usually take you 45 to 60 minutes to get to the city center. I usually take a taxi because it is one of the easiest ways to find my hotel, especially if I do not know exactly where it is located.
- Car Rentals – The airport also has some car rentals. If you are not used to driving in Beijing, there can be a lot of traffic rules and regulations. Also, parking within Beijing itself can be complicated. I never drive in China but take taxis, public transportation, or car service.
Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX)
The other major airport in the Beijing area is Beijing Daxing International Airport. It is one of the world’s biggest airports, the second international airport in Beijing, and the Beijing Capital International Airport.
This airport is designed to serve the Chinese Capital of Beijing, Hebei, and Tianjin’s neighboring areas. China. This airport is further outside Beijing than the Beijing Capital International Airport but offers excellent transportation options to get into Beijing’s city center quickly and efficiently.
Beijing Daxing International Airport is also known as Beijing’s New Airport. The airport has a unique Starfish design.
Here are a few things about the Beijing Daxing International Airport:
- The airport code of the Beijing Daxing international airport is PKX. If you want to fly into this airport, check to see whether or not your airline flies into the airport with the code PKX.
- The Beijing Daxing International airport is located about 46 km or 28 miles from Tiananmen Square or downtown Beijing.
- The Beijing Daxing International Airport is also located 85 kilometers or 52 miles from the Beijing Capital International Airport. On a day when the traffic is good, it will take you at least an hour to travel that distance by car; if there is traffic, it could take much longer.
- The Beijing Daxing International Airport was built to handle a lot of passengers or up to 100 million airport passengers annually.
- The airport has a lot of services, such as Wi-Fi, airport lounges, banks, hotels, foreign exchange, restaurants, shops, parking, a post office, baby rooms, and even a yoga room.
- This massive project has terminal buildings covering over 700,000 m² while the ground transportation center extends to another 80,000 m².
- The airport has a lot of ground transportation that includes:
- Beijing – Xiong’an Intercity Railway, which connects Daxing Airport to Beijing city center, will take you to downtown Beijing in 20 minutes.
- Daxing Airport Subway will take you to downtown Beijing in 19 minutes.
- Daxing Airport Taxis will take you all over Beijing.
- Daxing Airport Bus service that takes you to Beijing via bus.
Both airports are great places to visit the Great Wall of China and other sites within Beijing. Either one of them will help you to be able to get to your destination. Both of them offer excellent local transportation and other services.
Virtually Visit The Great Wall of China – Conquer Virtual Challenges
If you cannot travel to the Great Wall of China, I recommend that one of the ways you can still travel the length of the great wall is through the Conqueror Virtual Challenge – Great Wall Challenge.
Every time you walk, run, cycle, swim, or do a host of other activities, you can put the miles into their app to virtually travel the Great Wall.
We have done the Great Wall challenge, and we love how every time we go past a significant part of the Great Wall, the Conqueror Virtual Challenge will email us a postcard to tell us a little bit about the area’s history.
This is a great way to travel virtually and experience this Great Wall of China.
If you are planning to travel to the Great Wall now or sometime in the future, the Conquer Virtual Challenge is an excellent way for you to able to learn about the Great Wall before you travel there.
If you cannot visit the Great Wall but would still like to experience it virtually, we recommend you sign up for a Conquer Virtual Challenge to explore more of the Great Wall. To find out more about the Conquer Virtual Challenge and receive 10% off on your Great Wall challenge, click on the link below:
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Related Questions
How Much Does The Great Wall Of China Weigh?
If you calculate the approximate number of bricks and the weight of each, the Great Wall of China would weigh over 50,000,000 tons. The Great Wall is considered the heaviest continuous structure on the face of the earth. As so many bricks were used to build the wall, if you put all the bricks side by side, it would go around the equator about 36 times.
By clicking here, you can discover How Much Does The Great Wall Of China Weigh?.
Are There Dead Bodies Inside The Great Wall Of China?
Bodies would not have been buried right into the wall, but they could have been buried in the earth near and even under the wall. They would not have put them right into the wall, as it would have caused structural damage when the bodies decomposed. The bodies are probably buried right by the wall, under some stone, and other slabs.
You can learn more by reading Are There Dead Bodies Inside The Great Wall Of China? by clicking here.
How Long Did It Take to Build the Whole Great Wall of China?
The Great Wall of China took over 2,000 years to build. The building span many Chinese Dynasties for about 22 centuries. The construction of the wall ended in the Ming Dynasty in 1644. The Great Wall is one of the most significant human-made construction projects globally; the Great Wall is over 21,196 kilometers or 13,171 miles. There are over 25,000 watchtowers scattered throughout the Great Wall structure.
To know more about How Long Did It Take to Build the Whole Great Wall of China? by clicking here.
