Beijing Capital International Airport
Beijing Capital International Airport things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
Plan your stay
&promo_pic=/one-page/coolest.jpg)
Posts
Good airport for international transit in Terminal 3, arriving from London. I had a 6 hour layover here. After leaving the airplane you are clearly directed to security which only took 5 minutes for me although there is only one security lane/conveyor belt processing all international transfers, so it could be busy depending on your luck. But it was not busy at all for me. The security process is the same as any country, scan the luggage and pass the metal detector. Make sure you take any powerbanks out of your bag, they are strict on that. There were no issues. Security are not overly friendly but it's not deliberately rude or difficult. The staff don't always speak good English (some do) but it's not really necessary to talk. Once you pass security you take the escalator downstairs and the airport is clean, quiet and peaceful. There is plenty of seating and the chairs are comfortable with padding. This is not a busy airport at all. There are a limited number of cafes and restaurants but it's adequate. The restrooms are very clean and spacious, many stalls. Nothing bad to say about this airport really.
Hasan AslamHasan Aslam
40
Not recommended if you are travelling with children, elderly, or have health conditions, no wifi, SECURITY: ** I went in early august and travelled back through this airport around sept 9/ 2018. We were in terminal 3 or 4 I cannot be 100%sure. It was very slow and tedious going throughout the security screening, and temperature is uncomfortably warm in the security area. As they dont speak much English it is hard to follow directions what they want you to do. On our way back the passport self scanner we scanned, and we were yelled at by security to move to the other side right away which was very rude as he yelled on top of his lungs, i was very tempted to ask him why does he have to yell like that? he can communicate calmly to us. ;( AIRPORT STAFF HELPFULNESS: 1 star * It was really hard for us to find someone who can speak enough english to help us. I guess speaking Chinese will be more helpful. A book or translation device would be handy. Most staff in the restaurants , duty free or almost anywhere do NOT speak any english at all, and was pleasantly surprised that a janitor was able to help us in english than anyone-else. Wifi: only exists in theory, it does not work ever. RESTAURANT/ FAST FOOD: zero stars Our terminal had handful of Chinese food places and 1 KFC and pizza hut. It was extremely frustrating to get no help at pizza hut. At this pizza hut you are supposed to sit at your seat and they come and help you there. The staff realized we were non-chinese speakers and would not come to take our order for good 25 mins, I had to go and get some guy who could come and help us. The rest of the staff just hid in the back and even upon calling would not come to us i am assuming because of language barrier. Finally that one guy was willing to attempt to take our order and we were able to order a basic cheese pizza. I had to point to a jug of water to indicate that we would like water please as staff did not know what "water" was. at the table they had forms which has options to select what you want to order but we just wanted just a basic cheese or vegetable pizza which option was not there so forget it trying to explain to staff if you want to explain to them that what you want is not the form. :) RESTING LOUNGE: *** We were provided a special lounge because we were at the airport for a full day almost. The receptionist at the lounge was completely dumb founded and did not know anything about us having a lounge and it took a few minutes for us to clarify and finally for her to acknowledge that we have a lounge. A very rude pakistani-canadian couple with one child took up 4 couches ( 2 extra to put their feet) took 2 extra couches and it was not enough couches for everyone and there were people sitting/ sleeping on the floor too. there was free food in the lounge such as coffee, soft drinks, cookies , biscuits and i was the warm stuff in the warmers is for premium travellers only which was not really that appetizing to look at anyways. All juices/ sodas in the fridge were past the expiry date but the staff informed me that in CHINA the expiry is one year after the date on the product which i have not heard before, maybe someone can verify that? Lounge has showers too which is a plus point. TEMPERATURE: I travelled both ways through this airport during aug and september and both times the temperature was was on the high side and uncomfortable specially in the security screening area. CONCLUSION:😀 I would NOT recommend travelling though this airport specially if you have health problems, have kids who would be bored or annoyed or impatient easily, are an elderly or travelling with elderly , or get frustrated easily. First of all passing through the security is uncomfortably hot temperature wise, 2nd there is language problems so if your flight is missed, delayed or anything like that it will be really hard explaining the staff to help you with that. if you are getting a good deal on the ticket then and can bypass all the hurdles then by all means travel through here.
lets chatlets chat
50
It’s easy to make something big, but seems harder to make something good…. What an awful airport - one of the worlds worst to transit in… staffed by the most miserable people in Asia. Of course the introduction of the 144 hour visa has been good, but it’s implementation is so so bad. Most times you get to the desk and no one is working, you have to wait 20 minutes for someone to arrive - only for them to work through the long line of passengers at a truly glacial pace - one person every 8 minutes or so - great craic when there are 50 people waiting. A totally inefficient process. The staff make it clear they hate their job and have complete distain at having to do a repetitive and pointless task that could presumably be automated with people filling out a form in advance online. There are never more than just a handful of people working on immigration at a time - I dread to think what’s it’s like when it’s actually busy. But even if it’s not busy it will be slow, and of course without even the slightest pleasantry. Security screening is the absolute worst in any airport - so comically inefficient - very slow, disorganised and people going through your possessions (with very little care) freaking out over every single battery. Every single person is seriously miserable. Despite being huge, there is almost no where to eat - and the few places that do exist are all closed by 8. Kind of strange considering many flights leave in the middle of the night and early morning. To use the Wi-Fi you need to complete a Byzantian challenge on a computer terminal, providing every piece of personal data you could possibly imagine only for it to of course not work… so no internet while you are stuck in a big glass box with no food. If your flight is delayed (did have one nice layover with a 5 hour delay) - then of course you can’t go out, there is no food, no internet, no shops - make sure you have a book… it’s like being in a big prison, just fancier glass and a shiner floor. While transiting they will take more photos of you than your mum every took throughout your life. If you have a choice, transit in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Istanbul ANYWHERE but Beijing (unless you dislike smiles, food, comfort, freedom, a drink, efficiency - or you do like an extremely abnormal amount of cameras, hunger, retro experience of Eastern Europe officialdom in 80s, pointless large buildings with limited functionality, observing how a top down approach to management creates rubbish workers and bad processes. TL:DR- Beijing airport - big, shiny, sh!t Anyway, that used up 10 minutes of my time - just 2.5 hours to go…
SamSam
340
Oh dear god where to begin... The entire airport is FREEZING. We both had long heavy clothes and felt frozen here. If you have a long layover, bring layers. If you have a long layover and are hoping to do a tour out of the airport, here's what you should know (scroll down to read more about the airport itself): Sit in the front of your plane if you can. When you get off the plane, you're automatically funneled into a line where a shocking amount of people get in line to get the 72hr visa (was seemingly at least half our whole plane from LAX). This line will move VERY slowly. We stood in the same spot for at least 30mins before it actually made a noticeable move. The reason this line goes so slowly? People haven't filled out the paperwork (that is available to the side of the desks with available pens--fill this out in line), they are just problematic, the ONE or TWO officers (no joke there was next to no one working the booth) granting the visas are fairly tough and stern, oh and people cut in line, repeatedly. So if you want a possible idea of how long it takes, we started in line about 15ft away from the sign in the middle of the walkway, if you are there you know what I'm saying. We got in line at 6am, flight landed late (supposed to be 530am) and we did not receive our visa until 820am... If you've booked a tour, that starts at say, 7am as ours was scheduled to, you can still make it to the Great Wall (the old part, not with cable cars) if you leave at 830. The agency we went with said that 830am is their cut off for the wall and they aren't kidding! Save yourself time to go through the maddening and chaotic security on the way back into the airport. If you leave for the wall at 830am, expect to spend 3mins there lol. Still worth it though. More about the airport--there are no western snacks available in the mini stores. Literally just chocolates, dried fruits, alcohol, perfume, luxury clothing, weird stuff. So bring snacks with you if you are spending some time at this airport. The coffee shops are minimal in what they supply. Oh and, NO VEGAN FOOD IN THE ENTIRE AIRPORT. Not even kidding!!!! We were starving and went to every restaurant to find something, it was next to impossible to find things that were even vegetarian. They cannot modify meals really either. So literally plan on starving or leaving the airport if you're vegan and need food.
HeatherHeather
70
I don't really get this airport.. I understand that demand isn't that high anymore after Covid and thr opening of the second airport in Beijing, however the offering is insanely dreadful considering the infrastructure is all there. I used PEK for two connections, one with 3,5h layover, the second time for a 9,5 evening/late night layover. The terminal is spotless clean and really beautiful in general. There are many water dispensers all around the terminal. However, thats basically it. For food service the international terminal (T3) offers a hand full of starbucks/costa as well as one chinese restaurant, a pizza hut and a KFC. All three restaurants close between 5 and 8 pm despite the main longhaul wave is between midnight and 2am. So better come with food prepared. There are a few vending machines which only accept CNY and chinese cash apps, no international credit cards accepted. No ATMs within the terminal, money exchange also closed after 5pm. There are a few duty free shops. However they don't work as duty frees at othere airports and don't offer any snacks or drinks for the go. Only high end cosmetics, clothing and 1l bottled spirits but nothing which would help you on you layover (unless you want to empty a 1l bottle of Gin). There are 4 lounges. Air China Business, Air China First, Emirates, and one random small contract lounge. Air China Lounges work for priority pass but don't offer lounge entry for cash. The small contract lounge can be used as a payed lounge but doesn't seem to be worth it. The transfer was fine for us. There is a passport/ticket and afterwards a security check. The staff wasn't really friendly, however it didn't take longer than 10-15 minutes on both occasions. If you like to obtain a 24/144h transit visa be aware that there was nobody at the visa desk on both transits. Worst of all however was honestly the temperature. It was -5° outside during our layover. There was no heating in the terminal. People were all sitting in their winter coats with their hood on because it was freezing inside. I really don't get it. You could fix this terminal so easily. Turn on heating, don't close the food options before long haul waves left (it will definitely be worth it) and stock duty frees with some bottled waters, some snacks, maybe sandwiches, canned beer and the experience for passengers improves massively.
Tim Michael VesperTim Michael Vesper
200
Here's a complaint regarding my experience at the Air China First Class Lounge in Beijing Airport: Date 16 May 2024 Time 18.20 I met an unprofessional behavior at First Class Lounge Reception, Air China, Terminal 3 I wanted Air China Customer Service Team to read this but I could not find a google map or a google business of Air China First Class Lounge at Terminal 3E near Gate E20. My dissatisfaction with the service I received at the First Class Lounge reception at Beijing Airport. As a frequent flyer and a loyal customer of Air China, I was taken aback by the unprofessional behavior I encountered during my visit on 16 May 2024, Time 18.20. Upon my arrival at the lounge, I approached the reception desk to check in with a credit card. Unfortunately, one of a reception staff member on duty at that time displayed a discourteous demeanor that was not only unwelcoming but also dismissive of my inquiries. The individual in question failed to provide the standard of customer service that one would expect from a prestigious airline's First Class Lounge. For more specific staff, on that day, there were two staffs. I wanted to inform that a woman staff who sits on the right side on the counter, near to the door did an awful acting to us. The specific issues I faced were as follows: - The staff member was abrupt and seemed uninterested in assisting me. - My questions regarding lounge facilities were met with vague and very substandard responses. I felt as though I was in a fresh market. - I felt disregarded and undervalued as a first-class passenger. This experience was highly disappointing and not reflective of the high standards that Air China is known for. It is imperative for the airline to ensure that all passengers, especially those flying first class, receive courteous and professional service at all times. I trust that Air China values customer feedback and will take the necessary steps to address this issue promptly. I would appreciate it if Air China Lounge could investigate this matter and ensure that such an incident does not recur. Additionally, I would like to request that the staff involved receive appropriate customer service training to prevent future occurrences.
Narongkorn SansangNarongkorn Sansang
10
Nearby Restaurants Of Beijing Capital International Airport
Starbucks @Terminal 3
Costa Coffee @Terminal 3
Crystal Jade T3
星巴克咖啡机场二店
赛百味
Yonho King
Starbucks
KFC
Starbucks
Starbucks @Terminal 3
2.4
(16)$$
Click for details
Costa Coffee @Terminal 3
2.9
(10)Click for details
Crystal Jade T3
1.8
(9)Click for details
星巴克咖啡机场二店
4.3
(3)$$
Click for details
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
3JH3+W6X, Shunyi District, Beijing, China
Map
Phone
+86 10 96158
Call
Website
bcia.com.cn
Visit
Reviews
Overview
3.6
(2.3K reviews)
Ratings & Description
attractions: , restaurants: Starbucks @Terminal 3, Costa Coffee @Terminal 3, Crystal Jade T3, 星巴克咖啡机场二店, 赛百味, Yonho King, Starbucks, KFC, Starbucks
