Car hire and driving in Beijing
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In China traffic drives on the right. Picking up at PEK means 25 km (16 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648823 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648851 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2807090.
Drives from Beijing
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing to Mentougou | China | 26 km (16 mi) | about 24 min |
| Beijing to Shunyi | China | 32 km (20 mi) | about 29 min |
| Beijing to Langfang | China | 51 km (32 mi) | about 47 min |
| Beijing to Sanhe | China | 58 km (36 mi) | about 53 min |
| Beijing to Tianjin | China | 108 km (67 mi) | about 1 h 39 min |
| Beijing to Xuanhua | China | 138 km (85 mi) | about 2 h 6 min |
| Beijing to Hangu | China | 140 km (87 mi) | about 2 h 8 min |
| Beijing to Baoding | China | 140 km (87 mi) | about 2 h 8 min |
| Beijing to Tanggu | China | 146 km (91 mi) | about 2 h 13 min |
| Beijing to Tangshan | China | 155 km (97 mi) | about 2 h 22 min |
| Beijing to Zhangjiakou | China | 162 km (101 mi) | about 2 h 28 min |
| Beijing to Chengde | China | 176 km (109 mi) | about 2 h 41 min |
| Beijing to Shanghai | China | 1,068 km (664 mi) | about 16 h 17 min |
| Beijing to Chongqing | China | 1,458 km (906 mi) | about 22 h 14 min |
| Beijing to Chengdu | China | 1,517 km (942 mi) | about 23 h 8 min |
| Beijing to Wuhan | China | 1,055 km (655 mi) | about 16 h 5 min |
| Beijing to Xi’an | China | 912 km (567 mi) | about 13 h 55 min |
| Beijing to Hangzhou | China | 1,122 km (697 mi) | about 17 h 7 min |
| Beijing to Harbin | China | 1,057 km (657 mi) | about 16 h 8 min |
| Beijing to Hefei | China | 898 km (558 mi) | about 13 h 42 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Beijing?
The right, as everywhere in China.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.