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| Tourist
Guides for China |
Tourist Guide
for Beijing (September 2008) |
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General Comments:
This page is dedicated to Tours of Beijing booked
internally in China. Please interpolate flight and
transfer times according to your personal itinerary
- it is very hard to generalise to suit everybody.
Actual tour information and options are specific for
all visitors
Beijing is the modern Capital City of China with a
population of about 14 million. It is a very 'BIG'
city, and new attractions are undoubtedly the venues
for the Olympic Games. Other 'Must-see' are The Forbidden
City, New Summer Palace, and of course The Great Wall
Beijing also boasts great public transport at very
low cost. The Underground (Metro, Subway, Tube) has
recently expanded and now rivals London's for convenient
sight-seeing. The only premium route is to the airport
= worth knowing if things go wrong. Most Chinese use
the excellent and frequent local buses, which have
a basic charge no matter the distance travelled -
I think it is Y1? Very little anyway. Watch-out for
the low double-decker's, as headroom is set at 5'
6"! Most buses into town go to Quinmen = the
far Eastern end of Tiananmen Square. Fixed price,
metered local taxi cars are fine. Avoid motor tricycles
= extortionate rates. To ease traffic congestion,
motorcycles are banned in central Beijing (?)
I have personally been to Beijing twice; once 4* and
the second Chinese 2*. There is little real difference
between them (Except cost), and you will not have
nightlife as part of your program. Below are listed
what we consider to be major attractions + personal
advice and tips
This is a short guide dealing with the Must See's.
Please also refer to our very extensive Online
Guide to Beijing
Tips:
1. Carry your Hotel Business
Card (In Chinese) at all times!
Ensure at least one for each person in your party
2. Collect free maps and general
tourist information from your hotel foyer, nearest
posh western hotel, or tourist information office
3. Seriously consider a longer trip
if you want a more relaxed and fulfilling visit to
Beijing - we recommend 4 full days minimum + days
of arrival and day of departure = 6 days, 5 nights
- it makes a very big difference!
4. Consider staying at a Central
Western 5* hotel. The Quinmen (East) end of Tiananmen
Square is ideal for everything you may wish to do.
Friends stayed at The Nova Hotel, stating it was excellent
and extremely convenient. Remember to haggle the price,
especially in low-season
5. A budget package may not provide
anything you consider as breakfast? There will always
be MacDonald's and KFC nearby. Otherwise find a Top
Western hotel and pay them for full English or Continental
breakfast, it is cheaper than you think, and common
practice
6. See our: In-depth
Guide to Beijing
Standard Tours of Beijing:
Let's take a standard 5-day, 4-night tour of Beijing
as prime example:
Day 1 and day 5 are actually half days due to travelling.
Consider you will physically be in Beijing Airport
at 1pm, regardless of direction of travel. Therefore
you have 3 full days and 4 useable nights in Beijing.
Plan careful usage of your limited time here. Use
the booked tour for flights, transfers, and hotel.
Do days 2, 3, and 4 independently, and let your guide
know this is your intention. Normally you do not offer
tips in China, but on this occasion I would tip the
Guide - she is your first line of help if you get
into trouble, so get her mobile number also
Suggested sights:
1. The Forbidden City. Start at Tiananmen
Square and head into The Forbidden City, it is a one-way
route. Visit the new museum, and use the electronic
guides. Exit ignoring Hawkers, and cross to park behind
with hill. Walk around the inter-connecting parks
heading for The Mosque. After this follow the shore
to a main road and cross it. Left up a track are beautiful
Imperial gardens and Arty shops. The gardens are interesting,
and have a traditional Tea-house with short display
of Beijing Opera. Right and by the canal is a great
nightlife area. End evening here and later return
to your hotel
2. Go to see The Great Wall. Coach
tours are very tiresome, so book a taxi or Private
driver for the day (Y300 to Y500). Try to start early
(7.30am) - thus allowing you time to see another major
attraction (And save a day). Total minimum time for
the Wall and travelling, about 5 hours. The old version
is better, has rides connecting to the wall proper,
and you can smoke here. The new version is a lot flatter,
far easier, and non-smoking. We suggest you visit
a local Jade factory shop en route. Forget everything
else - and go direct to The New Summer Palace for
about 2pm. If later, choose somewhere else instead
3. The are two summer palaces, the
old one being more interesting, but mainly ruins.
The New Summer Palace is excellent, very expansive,
and lots of interesting things to do and see. It is
set on a very large man-made lake, with Imperial courtyards
and temples scattered liberally about the adjoining
hill. You can also hire boats, pedilos, and see a
side museum near the main entrance. Please get a ticket
that includes all attractions, as you can only buy
entrance for the museum outside, and not on the local
gate inside! This has great transport connections,
mainly by local coach and taxi. Nearby are also a
Crystal shop and Cloisonne factory that are very worth
seeing. Minimum time 4 hours inside + Crystal and
Cloisonne
4. You may also want to see: The
Olympic Park near Tiananmen, Quinmen area, The Temple
of Heaven, YongHeGong Buddhist Temple, Tobacco Street
5. For evening we recommend: The
Acrobatics show = breath-taking! Nearby is 'Weird
Foods Street' = eat scorpion kebabs, live and colourful
wrigley maggots, etc. Yuck! Alternatively, Quinmen
for back-street late-night culture and shopping in
local street-markets. Beijing 'Downtown' for restaurants,
clubs, and bright lights.
6. Alternative treats include: Beijing
Farm Museum, zoos, and theme parks. Other areas are
renowned for arts, or local minority culture. You
will probably not understand, nor manage to endure?
a full performance of Beijing Opera - so do a 20-minute
sample at a traditional Tea-house instead. Also worth
seeing is Beijing aquatics centre, which is a massive
and very deep hole in the ground filled with water,
which displays numerous sea-life. Well worth an hour
viewing through very thick glass walls, which twist
downwards, and underneath on occasions
Avoid:
1. The Silk Market - street version = Nightmare!.
The Mall version is fine.
2. Migrant hawkers are extremely prevalent at a very
few restricted locations - be very brusque with them,
or totally ignore if possible. I only know them from
on The Great Wall itself, and at the rear of The Forbidden
City.
3. Begging is illegal in China;and you are unlikely
to see it in Beijing. However, if you stray a little
you will meet them. The vast majority are pimped by
rich Chinese 'Gangsters' - and little kids as babies
are bought especially for this purpose. Virtually
all amputees have self-inflicted wounds. If Beggars
accept left-over food, they are either genuine or
starving. Never give them money - it all goes to the
already rich Boss, whom in all likelihood is driving
around in the latest and most expensive Mercedes...
4. Gambling is also illegal in China - don't do it
5. Be circumspect with students of Beijing Arts Collage
near The Forbidden City. They are genuine, and the
displays they want you to see (So I am told) are excellent.
However, if this is not your thing, then please refuse
immediately and politely. Otherwise their eloquent
and interesting conversations will suddenly use up
at least 30-minutes of your time, and often a lot
more!
Do:
1. By total contrast: do have your picture
taken with local Chinese who ask - this is never a
con-trick, but a genuine offer of friendship. They
are usually on their first visit to Beijing also,
and you may be the very first Foreigner they have
ever spoken to
2. Do dive into back-streets, especially ones with
either street-markets or local communities.
Don't:
1. Flash wads of cash around in a
public place
2. Girls: Be very careful about your
handbags. Ideally use one with a shoulder-strap worn
over your head. China is extremely safe in general,
and virtually the only crime you will meet is snatching
of handbags - either on foot or via pillion passenger
(Locations). The perpetrators are invariably 20's
male itinerants. They are only after cash, plus anything
readily saleable (Jewellery and designer items etc).
The rest (Your: Passport, credit cards, house keys,
purse with personal photos, important papers, etc)
will be dumped in the river. Be careful!
3. Pickpockets do exist. They are
rare, and if affected, you have probably been very
stupid ... see 1 above
4. Obviously the normal precautions
apply anywhere in the world. Don't have unprotected
sex. Call a friend if you think you are in trouble
- including us. Don't ever try to apply the rules
of your society to Chinese culture. Dial 110 for Police
assistance.
5. Don't treat Chinese peoples, or
their Culture and Customs with disrespect. 999, 999
out of every 1 million are very honest and extremely
hardworking. It is their pleasure to know you
Summary:
Beijing is fantastic, but there is too much emphasis
on sight-seeing, sales opportunities, and little regarding
nightlife, unless you push the clock and do it yourself
after tour hours. I cannot complain about any of the
food, but I would have preferred options to sample
menus elsewhere. Beijing does boast some of the best
Internationally renown restaurants in the world -
including excellent French and Ukrainian cuisine,
as well as Beijing Duck and other Chinese delicacies
Conclusion:
Dedicate one day to The Forbidden City, at your own
pace. Do adjacent Parks on foot, and end at the Nightlife
area. Dedicate another day to The New Summer Palace,
and have time to spare. Hire a Taxi or Private Driver
for The Great Wall. Combine The Great Wall and New
Summer Palace into one day if you are pushed for time
and need to save a full day. Do Beijing nightlife,
restaurants, and Acrobatics show. There are also a
few hidden gems such as Tobacco Street
It is the ordinary people that make Beijing such a
great city
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This
information is as supplied by the Chinese Embassy in
UK, as dated 20th June 2008, and/or other reliable sources.
Please check this information yourself as it may alter
without notice, and whilst we try our best to ensure
it is correct, please do not hold us responsible for
any errors - this is intended as a simple guide only |
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