My family and I enjoy exploring China, and honestly, high-speed rail travels across the country are a fantastic option. However, when you factor in the time needed for a group of five to get to the train station, wait for the train, transfer, travel, and then get from the destination station to your hotel — all those minutes start to add up. In some cases, arranging for a point-to-point private transfer may actually be the smarter choice.
During our recent trip to China two months back, that’s exactly what we did. Here are some helpful tips we picked up along the way if you’re considering a similar journey.
Our Route: Beijing to Hohhot to Datong, Then Back
We landed at Beijing Capital Airport (note: Beijing has two international airports). From there, we hopped on our private transportation (which I had arranged via Xiaohongshu) to Hohhot, Inner Mongolia — about 480 km away.
By high-speed rail, that same trip takes about 2–3 hours — but that’s just the train ride. Once you include transfers to and from the stations, the total travel time extends much more than it looks on paper. Our private hire took about six hours point-to-point. While longer on the clock, it completely removed the hassle of juggling two DiDis or cabs and multiple stopovers.
From Hohhot, we continued our journey to Datong Ancient City in Shaanxi, and finally, from Datong back to Beijing. Here’s what I learned:
1. Explore Your Options
If you’re a small group with minimal luggage and on a tighter budget, traveling via high-speed rail remains a great option. But if you’re travelling as a family or group of three or more, do the math. Once you include transfer costs and waiting time, a private transfer can save both time and energy.
2. Book a Larger Vehicle Than You Think You Need
Many vehicles in China don’t have enough space for large suitcases, especially for long road trips. My family of five initially booked an 8-seater minivan — we quickly learned it wasn’t enough. For our subsequent legs, we upgraded to a 9-seater van, which provided better comfort and boot space. Long rides are far more enjoyable when everyone (and their luggage) has room.
3. Use Xiaohongshu (Rednote) to Explore Transport Options
Go to Xiaohongshu and search for private transport or intercity transfers. It’s a great way to see what local drivers and small agencies are offering.
- Avoid going for the cheapest listing or those that sound too clickbait-ish — these often exclude fuel, tolls, or insurance.
- Look for drivers with an official tour agency certificate – again, this is for insurance purposes.
- Most drivers will request a downpayment of around 200 RMB. A good sign of legitimacy: the Alipay or WeChat account they provide is registered as a business account. If you’d like to not incur the WeChat/Alipay 3% transaction fee for international credit cards for transactions above 200 RMB, check with them if you can split this downpayment into two transactions. More often than not, they’ll allow.
- Chat with several drivers to get a price reference before deciding. Do not feel pressured to put a downpayment fast, especially if it’s off-peak season.
4. Check with Your Hotel for Recommendations
From our second trip onward, we started asking our hotel reception for transfer recommendations and it made a big difference. Staff often suggest drivers or agencies they trust, which adds a safety net.
Most hotels are happy to help with coordination and may even check in to confirm your arrangements. It’s still good practice to double-check rates on Xiaohongshu for reference, but booking through trusted recommendations saved us a lot of potential headache.
5. Know Beijing’s Vehicle Entry Restrictions
This one’s crucial. Vehicles without a Beijing license plate cannot enter the city’s inner (first, second and third) rings. Our vehicle, for example, could only drop us off at the Fourth Ring Road, so we had to hail a DiDi to reach our hotel near the Forbidden City. Our driver gave us a heads-up before we made a downpayment so confirm this restriction with your driver before booking. Interestingly, when we checked with a few travel agencies on Meituan, none mentioned this until we brought it up ourselves — so definitely ask in advance!
When entering Beijing, there are some security checkpoints, and foreigners may be required to show passports. Some are even asked to go through manual counters. We didn’t have to, thankfully, but it’s good to be prepared.
Traveling via private transfers isn’t just a matter of luxury, it is also a great way to explore China at your own pace. Although the fast and reliable high-speed rails are definitely convenient, when it comes to family travelling with luggage and several destinations, spacious and convenient private transfers make travelling more comfortable and less stressful. So here’s to your next travel to China being even more smooth and comfortable!
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