北京 → 天津

Beijing–Tianjin intercity railway

China’s first high-speed intercity line, and still the easiest day trip from Beijing.

The trip is short enough that people commute it. Trains leave throughout the day and the whole journey is quicker than crossing Beijing by taxi at rush hour — which makes Tianjin’s colonial-era streets and riverside a practical same-day excursion.

• Both ends are central: Beijing South and Tianjin station are each on the metro, so there is no cross-city transfer at either end.
• Buy the return leg when you arrive if you are coming back the same day — evening departures fill up on weekends.