My son and I stayed in an airport hotel in Beijing, and planned this visit as we had an early afternoon flight and wanted to avoid the traffic in the center of the city. The tunnel museum is a little over 30 km from the airport, in a north easterly direction. We took bus 3, from Terminal 2, which has a terminus outside of exit # 1 at the Peking Airport. The bus runs every half hour and costs 3 yuan. We exited the bus at the International Exhibition Center, which was approximately 10 minutes from the Airport. You will see the tall Crowne Plaza Hotel on your left before the bus makes this right turn onto G111 road, and the next bus stop is where you disembark. The subway station is located opposite the bus stop.
Wait for a few minutes at thsi bus stop, and take Bus 31, which runs every half hour to the tunnel site. This trip will take 35-40 minutes, and the terminus of Bus 31, is just past the tunnel museum.The cost of the trip is 6 yuan. When the bus stops, the museum is a 5 minute walk back in the direction from which the bus came. I would advise that you walk through the parking lot, which has great reliefs on the walls depicting the struggle against the Japanese troops. Many local vendors selling fruit, nuts and souvenirs are in this area .
Entrance is free, but passports are required to be shown, so that you can receive two tickets. The museum is comprised of two sections; museum exhibits and the tunnels. The white ticket will be taken from you at the museum, and the red tickets grants access to the tunnels which are to the rear of the museum, after crossing the street. In front of the museum, there is a sculpture of local fighters exiting a tunnel, and there are white marble reliefs on the exterior walls. The displays in the museum mainly relate to the items of daily life, how the tunnels were constructed and used, and home made weapons used by the fighters.There were a few photos of atrocities carried out by the Japanese on local people, and some famous WW2 photos e.g, surrender of Japan, raising the Soviet flag on the Reich Chancellery in Berlin
More souvenir vendors are found at the exit of the museum. A short walk over a bridge leads to the entrance to the tunnels, which is just to the left of a fighter jet monument. The tour of the tunnels can be self guided, as most of the signs had english translations, and the "side" tunnels had been blocked with barriers. It is cool in the tunnels, and at some places the ceiling was very low. There were no warning signs to indicate that the roof was low in places, so proceed with caution. All tunnels are damp, so there are a few slippery areas.There are numerous small cavities in the walls where fighters could hide, and the tunnels had drainage areas and wells for drinking water. Meeting rooms were also done, where 10 persons could gather, and the side passages led to pigstys, hollowed tree trunks and a donkey stable where the tunnel complex ends.
Although you have been walking in the tunnels for at least 15 minutes, the end of the tunnels is actually just behind where you originally entered. If you have 6 hours available in Beijing and want to avoid the busy city, this will be an enjoyable experience, particularly if you have young children who will have lots of fun in the tunnels.The wait for the buses may be slightly long, so ensure that you have sufficient time available.There are a few nature attractions nearby the museum, in the mountains surrounding the village.