By Plane

On direct, nonstop flights, China's own international airlines always offer rates slightly lower than those of foreign carriers. Cabin staff try to be helpful but are never quite sure how, and the in-flight movies may be 40 years old. Air China only recently suffered its first and only fatal accident and should not be confused with China Airlines from Taiwan, at quite the other end of the scale.

Note that when leaving the country, there's a departure tax, currently ¥90 ($11), payable only in cash. Departure tax on domestic flights is ¥50 ($6.25), and flights from the mainland to Hong Kong and Macau are treated as international flights.

From North America -- Among North American airlines, Air Canada (www.aircanada.com), Northwest Airlines (www.nwa.com) (via Tokyo), and United Airlines (www.ual.com) fly to Beijing.

Japan Airlines (www.jal.co.jp) flies via Tokyo to Beijing, as does All Nippon Airways (www.ana.co.jp). Korean Air (www.koreanair.com) and Asiana Airlines (us.flyasiana.com) fly via Seoul.

From the United Kingdom -- British Airways (www.britishairways.com) flies to Beijing. Fares with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (www.klm.com) via Amsterdam, Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com) via Frankfurt, or Finnair (www.finnair.com) via Helsinki, can often be considerably cheaper. Fares with eastern European airlines such as Tarom Romanian Air Transport (www.tarom.ru) via Bucharest, and Aeroflot (www.aeroflot.com) via Moscow, or with Asian airlines such as Pakistan International Airlines (www.piac.com.hk) via Islamabad or Karachi, Malaysia Airlines (www.mas.com.my) via Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com) via Singapore, can be cheaper still. There are even more creative routes via Ethiopia or the Gulf States.

From Australasia -- There's not much choice to the mainland from Down Under, although Sydney is served by China Eastern and Air China to Beijing and Shanghai, and by Air China and China Southern to Guangzhou, where you can catch a connecting flight to Beijing. Qantas (www.qantas.com.au) and Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.com) fly to Hong Kong, and there are possible indirect routes with Philippine Airlines (www.pal.com.ph) via Manila, Garuda Indonesia (www.garuda-indonesia.com) via Jakarta, and Malaysian Airlines (www.malaysiaairlines.com.my) via Kuala Lumpur. Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com) flies directly from six Australian cities and Auckland.

Flying for Less: Tips for Getting the Best Airfare--Passengers sharing the same airplane cabin rarely pay the same fare. Travelers who need to purchase tickets at the last minute, change their itinerary at a moment's notice, or fly one-way often get stuck paying the premium rate. Here are some ways to keep your airfare costs down.

Passengers who can book their ticket long in advance, who stay over Saturday night, or who fly midweek or at less-trafficked hours will pay less. If your schedule is flexible, say so, and ask if you can secure a cheaper fare by changing your flight plans.

Fly via an intermediate country rather than directly. In Europe considerable discounts can be obtained just by using a neighboring nation's airline and changing planes once. But North Americans can save by changing planes in Tokyo, Seoul, or Taipei, and Europeans save even more by picking eastern European airlines or those of intermediate Asian nations such as Malaysia, India, and Pakistan. Stopovers in one direction are often free or are allowable at minimum cost, giving you a chance to see two nations for the price of one ticket.

Fly with one of China's carriers, such as Air China, China Eastern, or China Southern. These undercut your own country's airline prices.

Fly with a carrier, such as Japan Airlines, serving smaller regional airports.

Search the Internet for cheap fares.

Consolidators, also known as bucket shops, are the best sources for international tickets. Start by looking in Sunday newspaper travel sections and "what's on" magazines. Small travel agents in your local Chinatown often have the best deals. Beware: Bucket shop tickets are usually nonrefundable or rigged with stiff cancellation penalties. Several reliable consolidators are worldwide and available on the Net. STA Travel (www.sta.com) offers competitive fares for travelers of all ages, as does TravelCUTS (www.travelcuts.com) of Canada and the U.K. Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.com) guarantees to beat the lowest written quote you can get elsewhere, and has offices all over Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the U.K, and the U.S.

By Road

Foreign visitors are not permitted to drive their own vehicles into China, unless arrangements are made far in advance with a state-recognized travel agency for a specific itinerary. The agency will provide a guide who will travel in your vehicle, or in a second vehicle with a driver, and make sure you stick to the planned route. You will have to cover all the (marked-up) costs of guide, driver, and extra vehicle if needed, and of Chinese plates for your vehicle. The agency will book and overcharge you for all your hotels and for as many excursions as it can. Forget it.

By Train

From Hung Hom station in Kowloon (Hong Kong), expresses run directly to Beijing's West Station on alternate days (see www.kcrc.com for schedules and fares). From Moscow there are weekly trains via Ulaan Baatar in Mongolia to Beijing, and weekly via a more easterly route directly to Harbin in China's northeast and down to the capital. There's also a separate weekly run from Ulaan Baatar to Beijing. Trains run twice-weekly from Hanoi in Vietnam to Beijing West via Guilin. There's also a service between Beijing and Pyongyang in North Korea, but you'll only be on that if you've joined an organized tour.

By Ship

There are ferry connections from Incheon in South Korea (english.tour2korea.com/coming/getting/bysea.asp) and from Shimonoseki and Kobe in Japan (www.celkobe.co.jp) to Tianjin, a couple of hours from Beijing.