By Bus in Beijing

Unless you know Beijing well, public buses aren't the best choice for getting around. There are hundreds of routes, which are hot and crowded in summer and cold and crowded in winter. Just getting on and off can be, quite literally, a fight. Pickpocketing is rife so watch your belongings very carefully.

The Beijing Public Transportation Corporation is the city's largest bus service provider. Routes 1 to 199 are regular city buses, and cost a flat fare of Y1. Routes 201 through 212 only run at night, costing Y2. Routes numbered 300 or higher are suburban, and fares depend on how far you're going—have your destination written in Chinese, as you have to tell the conductor so they can calculate your fare. Newer, air-conditioned buses have an 800 route number; prices vary, but start at Y3. They also run more expensive tourist buses going to sights in and around the city—to the Summer Palace and Great Wall, for example. Prices start at Y40.

Contact

Beijing Public Transportation Corporation (www.bjbus.com).