China travel

[mich1]

We have got a river cruise scheduled for next year and would prefer to make our own air reservations rather than take those flights offered by the cruise line.  The one advantage of getting booked through the cruise line is that you will be met and escorted to the hotel from the airport.  

How difficult is it to get a taxi in the Beijing airport and have it take you to a hotel?  Somehow, I think that the $2000+ it would save us would be well worth it.  

[wise_rita]

I've never been to China and don't know what airport you'd be flying into, but for a $2,000 savings you'll figure it out!

If taxis are too complicated I'm sure you could book a transport company to meet you and bring you to the hotel.

[kpol]

We made sure to have the address of the hotel written in Chinese to show the driver, but it wasn’t difficult at all. The car was super small and there were 4 of us so it was a tight squeeze with luggage but wasn’t too bad. I don’t think you should have a problem!

[rupertpenny]

Yes, print out the address in Chinese ahead of time and you will be fine.

[RockNVoll]

Yes, be prepared for taxi drivers not to speak or read any English. It may be helpful to have a usable SIM/phone when you land in case you need to call your hotel for any help (they usually have staff that will speak at least some English).

And that's a crazy price difference on flights!

[chimera]

When DH has gone for work - he has made arrangements through his hotel for car service pick up.

[mich1]

As it turns out, I can call the cruise line with my flight reservations (when I get them) and they will pick us up from the airport. Plan B (I always have a Plan B) is to get the hotel written in Chinese letters. I was also thinking about hiring a car service from the hotel.

Thanks for the ideas.

[GilliC]

Taxi drivers at the airport are more likely to know the non-Chinese hotel names, but it’s a good idea to print the Chinese name (e.g. from the hotel website). Once you’re there, you can grab a card from the hotel reception to use to get home.

The hotel names in Chinese are typically completely different from the international names (e,g, the Beijing Capital Hotel is the “Guobin” hotel).

I haven’t been back since I moved away ten years ago, so things have changed significantly, but back then it was affordable and not a huge hassle to get a taxi from the airport.