China's capital and second-largest city (after Shanghai) is more than 3,000 years old but it moves at a dizzying pace. Beijing is home to some of the most notable attractions such as Tiananmen Square, the largest open-urban square in the world, the Forbidden City and its Palace Museum, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven and the Badaling section of the Great Wall. Chairman Mao is also here - embalmed in his mausoleum. For a visit through old Beijing, a hutong (narrow alleyways) tour in a rickshaw under swaying, red lanterns is a great way to soak up the atmosphere of this amazing city.
Beijing was busy building ahead of the recent Olympic Games. There is some startling cutting-edge architecture such as the National Stadium ("Bird's Nest") and the National Swimming Centre ("Water Cube").
For art and culture, visit the Dashanzi Art District. For shopping, head to Oriental Plaza shopping mall, Wangfujing Street and Panjiayuan Market where you can pick up almost-perfect counterfeit fashion.
This year, all roads led to Beijing. International (and domestic) flights to Beijing land at Capital Airport, China's busiest airport. British Airways and Air China offer flights to Beijing from Heathrow.
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September and October are dry and sunny with average temperatures in the 20s (Celsius) and teens. Winter is quite cold; December and January temperatures can drop below zero with cold winds off the Mongolian plains. April warms up to the mid teens. Summer is muggy and hot, and July and August can reach the upper 20s.
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Shuttle buses run regularly to the city centre and major hotels. Metered taxis are also available, but it is recommended that passengers have their destination written in Chinese to avoid confusion. Travelling time to the city is about an hour.
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Beijing has a subway and bus network. The buses are always crowded and the subway is very crowded during rush hour. Outside of rush hour, the subway is cheap and the fastest and easiest way around Beijing.
Taxis are another way to get around; they are plentiful, metered, and popular with tourists. Just make sure to have the destination written in Chinese to show to the driver.
Cycling is a great way to get around for the adventurous. Bicycles are easy to rent and there are well-defined bike lanes. If biking alongside aggressive drivers seems intimidating, just join the other cyclists and travel with them. Especially make sure to join a group when biking across a street or intersection.
Local rental of a car is now possible in Beijing, but you cannot drive outside the city limits. You can also hire a car with a driver for the day.
Beijing is so large that walking around the city is overwhelming and tedious. It is best to take a taxi or public transport to your destination then enjoy a walk around the area.
Cycle rickshaws require bargaining with the drivers, and they may demand more money upon reaching your destination.
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- Sampling the Chinese food in Beijing is an absolute must. But don’t just to stick to Western favourites (albeit also Beijing specialities) such as roast duck, dumplings or hotpot. A Cantonese proverb says that if something walks, swims or flies with its back to the sun it is edible – and you’ll find anything and everything in Beijing, especially from the street markets. Be brave and sample something you wouldn’t dream of eating back home, such as silkworms, scorpions, sparrows, pigeons or cicadas. Try the street traders at Wangfujing (which you can reach by the metro) for a taste of the exotic.
- If you’re visiting the Forbidden City (which almost every tourist will), take a detour to the roads to the north around the lakes. The houses here give a good sense of the way Beijing used to be. Rickshaws are available to hire if the walk seems too much.
- The recently opened Beijing Aquarium is the largest inland aquarium in the world and likely to be a much more enjoyable trip than the nearby zoo. Though the zoo has a good panda enclosure, most visitors from the West leave appalled at the care and conditions for the animals. The aquarium, on the other hand, almost always impresses, with lots of “hands on” exhibitions – you can touch starfish and sea cucumbers should you wish to – and performances by sea lions.
- The Underground City in Beijing is said to be better known by tourists than by Beijing residents. Built as a bomb shelter during the 1970s, it has been open to the public since 2000 and is a maze of 30km (18 miles) worth of tunnels. The tunnels were originally dug by volunteers and local citizens, even school children, on Chairman Mao Zedong’s orders and were intended to house at least 40 per cent of the city’s population if needed. Today they are an eerie reminder of the past conflict, standing deserted with more than 1,000 air raid shelters and spaces intended for shops, hospitals, schools and restaurants.
- Don’t just visit Tiananmen Square in the day. At night, the entire square is lit up and the atmosphere changes completely to the bustle of the day. Worth watching is the lowering of the flag at sunset by the army. However, don’t stay too late. At 10.30pm on the dot, the army moves everyone out of the square and locks it up for the night.
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