Beijing to open new bus tour through city center

The third tourist bus route in Beijing will open on Friday, running along the capital's central axis, the city's public transport group announced Thursday.

The 54.5-km route will pass many landmarks, including the new and old Summer Palaces, Tsinghua and Peking universities, the Drum Tower and the Forbidden City.

The new route will be linked with the city's other two tourist lines at the north gate of the Forbidden City.

Multi-media displays will provide information on tourist attraction spots, businesses and hotels in both Chinese and English.

The buses will depart from Beigongmen Station near the Summer Palace from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. while buses from the north gate of the Forbidden City will run from 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Each trip costs 20 yuan (3 U.S. dollars) for those paying in cash and 15 yuan for those with public transport cards. Enditem