Transportation from Beijing to Tianjin cruise port

Sailing on the Ovation in July and flying in to Beijing. I see Tianjin cruise port is 2+ hrs away (ugh). Bullet train gets me half way there in 30 mins but not sure what to switch to after that. Would taxi/private car be less hassle (having luggage) out of Beijing? I heard traffic is a nightmare . . . Any suggestion is greatly appreciated.

We faced the same dilemma three years ago. After looking at a range of options we linked up with 3 other couples from our roll call and hired a minibus. It picked us up from 3 hotels, stopped for a break half way through the trip. I don't remember the cost, but recall that it was one of the cheapest options. Btw, we met the others for dinner the night before - a great way to start the holiday

Depending where your hotel is, the subway is also an option.

We faced the same dilemma three years ago. After looking at a range of options we linked up with 3 other couples from our roll call and hired a minibus. It picked us up from 3 hotels, stopped for a break half way through the trip. I don't remember the cost, but recall that it was one of the cheapest options. Btw, we met the others for dinner the night before - a great way to start the holiday

That would be awesome! So far no roll call check-ins but I'll keep an eye out. The private van/bus seems very affordable ($240 for a van) and most convenient. The kids are still itching to ride the bullet train, which would require 2 transfers (hotel to train station $78 >(cost of train ticket) > train station to port $60)

I don't know where your hotel is in Beijing but I can't think that a taxi from anywhere to the south train station would cost more than $7 to 8.

I assume that the above is just a joke.

Do note that the Taxi booth is "small". Big luggage bag will not fit into the booth.

I forgot to mention that the minivan was not "self drive". I recall that we had no problem conversing with the driver, but that his English was limited. We decided that the minivan was the best option, because (unless the rail route has changed) we would have had to get a taxi from the station to the ship which was still a long distance.

You can do it easily by train if you enjoy the adventure. Fast "G" trains run from Bejing South to Tainjin station regularly. Tianjin station links with Tianjin Metro and you can catch a metro train on line 9 to Tanggu station. Cost is 9 CNY.

From Tanggu although it is possible to get a bus I believe it is best to catch a cab.

Port name: Tianjin International Cruise Home Port 天津国际油轮母港 Port address: 1 Asia Road (south end), Dongjiang Bonded Port Area, Tianjin 天津市东疆保税港区亚洲路 1 号(最 南端) Tel: 022-2570 5871

Distance from Tanggu station to port about 30klms (yes this port is really out of the way) and cab should be around 50CNY.

You could also catch a cab from Tianjin station direct but traffic is bad and metro will be faster I believe.

There is also a high speed (bullet train) Station at Yujiapu with trains from Beijing South going directly there. You hotel in Beijing should organise trains for a small fee. I am unfamiliar with this station but it appears to be a similar distance from the port to Tanggu metro so a taxi should be fine from there.

I always have a preference for public transport but that is just me as I enjoy the research and experience.

We are doing a similar route on June 14th for an Ovation cruise and again on June 23rd but we are coming from Shenyang (about 600klms further north than Beijing) on bullet train to Tianjin and then metro to Tanggu and taxi to port. We leave at 8am and expect to be at the port around 1-1.30pm.

Will report back how we went.

Make life easy and hire a driver. I recommend staying in Beijing for a week at least to see imp sites and absorb culture.