Hey Green Fairy,

I just forwarded your Beijing question to the 120 Chinese members of glocals, in hope they'll share some real local knowledge with you.

I also hope some other members who have traveled to China will see and reply to your post.

Good luck, and enjoy Beijing!

Nir
Nir Ofek, Jun 26, 2008 @ 19:16

You lucky dog...look what Beijing looks like at night:

Nir Ofek, Jun 26, 2008 @ 19:18

Hi, the picture maybe Hongkong or Shanghai, but no Beijing. Because there is no high building closed to river :)
zengj, Jun 26, 2008 @ 19:34

[quote][b]zengj (26/06/2008)[/b][hr]

Hi, the picture maybe Hongkong or Shanghai, but no Beijing. Because there is no high building closed to river :)[/quote]

Thanks Zengj. I got the pic off Google Images when I did a search on "Beijing". So if the Google results are wrong, then indeed it's not Beijing...

Since you seem to know Beijing well, any tips for LNA?
Nir Ofek, Jun 26, 2008 @ 19:38

Thank you Nir!! I hope indeed that I get some nice suggestions :D
LNA__, Jun 26, 2008 @ 19:48

September and October is always the best time in Beijing, but it is still a little bit hot. If you have 1-2 days time in Beijing, I would like to recommend you to visit follow places.

No.1 Forbidden city. pls don't at weekend, otherwise there will be millions of visitors. My last visit at there is around 15 years ago.

No.2 Sichahou lake. At a early morning, if you can find out that place, it will bring you back to a old beijing 100 years ago. There are many well-reserved Hutongs. With morden transport vehicle, you cannot find the place;)

 http://www.chinadiscover.net/china-tour/beijingguide/beijing-shichalake.htm

No.3 Temple of Heaven.

http://www.chinadiscover.net/china-tour/beijingguide/beijing-templeofheaven.htm

Good luck

James
zengj, Jun 26, 2008 @ 19:53

Some photos:

A corner of Forbidden City:

Temple of heaven, like UFO:D

Best Regards,

James
zengj, Jun 26, 2008 @ 20:11

try again:

zengj, Jun 26, 2008 @ 20:14

Thanks James for these 3 excellent ideas :) We will in fact have a total of 8 days in Beijing although we are thinking about perhaps making a 1-2 day trip elsewhere... any ideas for a trip away anyone? or other better (according to you) ideas for Beijing?

thanks again!
LNA__, Jun 26, 2008 @ 20:31

@Nir:

that picture is Hong Kong. As zengj pointed out, there's no skycrapers beside river in Beijing. On the other hand, there's no mountain in Shanghai. You can also tell from the HK new exhibition centre at the left side of the picture.:D

@LNA:

Mid-Septemper in Beijing is still very hot during daytime, but bit cool during early morning and night.

I would agree with zengj's recommendation. Apart from that, if you are fancy of nightlife (did you say you're going with your family?:P), you can go to Sanlitun. There're plenty of bars running until 4 oclock in the morning or even later.:cool:

Beijingers are very hospitable and taxi drivers are extremely talkative. If you are lucky to find a taxi driver who can speak English, you will know... Normally, there shouldn't be too much trouble to find someone speaking English, just looking for younger age people.

Things not to do...hmmm, not sure, as long as legal I guess. Usually Chinese are very tolerant, so don't need to worry about this too much. Avoiding political issues is always not a bad idea.

Happy travelling!
yang, Jun 26, 2008 @ 20:43

Hi LNA, 8 days are relative too long for a Beijing tour. From Beijing, you can take 3-4 hours train to a place called Chengde, where was a famous imperial summer villa.

http://english.cri.cn/4406/2007/08/22/[email protected]

 

If you want to spend more time on the nature landscape, maybe you can flight to Huangshan:

http://www.anhuicits.com/back/images/10000099a.jpg
zengj, Jun 26, 2008 @ 21:04

BBC recently had a documentary program called "Wild China". Although it's mainly about wild life in China, it can still shed light on where to go. China is too big and has a lot of varieties. 10 people may come up with 11 ideas. So it's really up to your personal taste. Or you could give us some rough idea on your preference. For example, whether you'd like to visit natural scene or cultural sites or metropolis or a little bit of everything.
yang, Jun 26, 2008 @ 21:05

Hi,



There are heaps of day trips you can do from Beijing, we booked them at the airport as we arrived. I am not sure if we overpaid or not but they were really good. We did the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall etc all on day trips. They picked us up from the hotel, lunch was included and they delivered us back to the hotel. I think they were worth the money.



It depends on what you want to do (ie cultural - the Great Wall, shopping, Beijing Zoo etc) but when I was there we went to the Silk Alley Markets about 3 times in a week! We loved them and it was massive it took all three times to get through them all and both my friend and I had to buy an extra suitcase to take back th stuff we bought to Guangzhou! A local may be able to tell you more, and I dont know how busy they got we always went in the afternoon after sightseeing (so maybe thats why it took 3 goes!)



[url=http://www.world66.com/asia/northeastasia/china/beijing/shopping][/url]



I really loved China and very nearly extended my trip indefinately there.. have a great time. :hehe:





aus_girl1, Jun 26, 2008 @ 21:07

Hi,

My name is Leon, I am from Beijing. The mid-September is the golden season in Beijing. The sky is very high and blue. The best place I would recommand is "Hou Hai" -- It's a beautiful lake in the central area which surrounded by a lot of historical buildings and bars.

I have the map of Beijing, if you are interested, maybe we can make an appointment and I will show you the details. [email protected]

Good luck,

Loen
Zhe Nie, Jun 26, 2008 @ 21:20

Good time to go in september. In case you are looking for a place stay, please try this

http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/China/CH5.htm

Some travel and shopping info for you as well. But you need to send me an email, I will send you the attachment.
GVAInfo, Jun 26, 2008 @ 21:23

Hi, there.

Glad you are going to Beijing. I have lived Beijing for 4 years and ready to go back very soon. And I myself have also stayed in Lund of Sweden for one month, and visited many places in Sweden including the capital. Your country impressed me a lot, and i am very happy to offer you something as much as i can.

Mid-September is pretty cool in Beijing, maybe hot in day time, but way better than July and August. But one-two day in Beijing is far from being enough. Anyway, if i were you, since i have only one or two day, i would like to arrange a tour like this:

Day one:

morning, summer palace,

afternon:forbidden city-tiananmen square

Nighttime: make a tour to Shichahai lake, a small lake surrounded by excellent restaurants and bars, many many many foreigners like there. For the restaurant, i strong recommend Ba Guo Bu Yi (”b‘•zˆß) near the lake. It's a Sichuan style restaurant and the cuisine is fabulous. Believe me, it's not a tourism restaurant. it's one recommended by a native. i am a big fan of it.

Day two:

Morning, morning the Heaven Temple

afternoon: Beihai Park, Bell and drum tower, hutong tour nearby.

Nighttime: visit Chang'an opera to watch a Beijing opera, and try to Beijing roast duck in a restaurant, best in Quan Ju De. It's a little bit expensive though. It's a very old restaurant, and also attracted many foreigners.

If you have some time, try some shopping in Wang Fu Jing street, not far away from Tiananmen. I will not recommend you to visit the great wall, since it's outside the town and it will take one day totally.

Security in Beijing should not be your concern, just watch out some pocket-pickers. Traffic in beijing is also easy, we newly set up some new metro lines just for the olympic games. but prepare a handy dictionary, since not too many chinese speak english, but you will survive cuz they are all willing to help you. You should also know that Beijing is a city of 13 million people. Dont expect that city to be quiet. It's very crowded and people are everywhere, especially in the tourist spots. And for many western people, pollution is one concern. The sky in Beijing is not as clear as Sweden, that's for sure. But that's Beijing, a develping city with quick step. Besides the annoying side, you will find way more beautiful things there.  

for other information, plz check:http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/China/Beijing_Shi/Beijing-1024960/TravelGuide-Beijing.html

it's a website about how to visit Beijing by some foreign visiters. Hope you have some fun there. If you have any other question, dont hesitate to let me know.

Best.
cabinjoy, Jun 27, 2008 @ 09:34

I spent six years in Beijing. Here's my suggestion. I'm sure u will love Beijing.

Day1,

The Forbidden City, near the Tiananmen Square (at least half a day of visit), then go to Wang Fu Jin Street for shopping and specialty food.

Day2,

The Great Wall, which will cost all almost a whole day.

Day3,

The Summer Palace, which will be beautiful in mid September. If u have time on that day, u can go to Huan Ming Huan, which is not far away from the Summer Palace.

Day4,

The Temple of Heaven and the Yong He Gong Lama Temple near it. At night you can go to San Li Tun, street of bars near Houhai Lake, which is not far away from the Temple of Heaven.

Day5,

Peking University and Tsing Hua University, the most famous universities in China, which have large and beautiful campus.

Day6,

Olympic sites, if u r interested.
Benben, Jun 27, 2008 @ 11:09

Still me, a typying mistake. Should be "Yuan Ming Yuan" on Day3.

Benben, Jun 27, 2008 @ 11:12

Thank you so so much to everyone that has given me ideas on what to do in Beijing!!! I am even more looking forward to going there now with all these suggestions in my bag :D

regarding the possible 1-2 days trip out of Beijing, I am not sure exactly what we would like to do. i guess we are open for many ideas. the main thing would be that it is quite easy to get there or that it is such an excellent place that we want to go there no matter what :P

thanks again, helena
LNA__, Jun 30, 2008 @ 21:36

Hi Green Fairy,

I just spent 8 days in Beijing in May. I haven’t read other people’s suggestions, so there will surely be duplicates in my recommendations:

1. Temple of heaven – at least 3-4 hours. It is set in a big park, a great place to picnic and people watching after visiting the Temple

2. Summer Palace – a day trip, but can easily add a couple of parks and or top universities if you have time.

3. Acrobatic performance at night – a must. It is best to go to Da Dong for Beijing Duck dinner – the service and ambience is much better than Quan Ju De, although the service style is bit westernized and not traditional, but it will be a good experience that you will not regret. It is walking distance to the acrobat performance.

4. Hou Hai – an area with a nice lake, bars, restaurants and shopping for products with Chinese flair and dinner at Silk (spelling may be off - a few door down from Starbucks). Behind the Hou Hai area are the traditional HuTongs which requires a few hours to browse (old fashioned Beijing style residential houses).

5. Forbidden city, a quick walk through of Chairman Mao’s mausoleum (you don’t stop, just walk right through – if you are interested), the People’s Hall, Tian An Men Square, and the museum on the east side; Qian Men area – south of Tian An Men Square

6. One thing definitely keep in mind when visiting the Great Wall is – DON’T go to Ba Da Ling (there are several parts of the great wall that you can visit and the closest and most touristy one is Ba Da Ling). It was a painful and disappointing experience. It is best that you visit Si Ma Tai location which is further. It is best that you find a few people to hire a car and driver together (800RMB for the day = 125CHF)

7. Other locations I’m sure you will find in your tour book, so I’ll not mention. I’m not sure if you should spend 2 days outside of Beijing because Beijing is so big and has so much to see, 8 days is definitely not enough.



Best of luck and enjoy your trip.

mashulee, Jul 14, 2008 @ 12:42

Thank you Mashule,

I think you might be right regarding that 8 days in Beijing is not enough and we will probably stay the full time there with only daily excursions elsewhere.

Regarding the acrobatic performance that you mention, could you please add some information on where and how to see this?

Thanks again for all your tips especially regarding the Great Wall!

:P
LNA__, Jul 14, 2008 @ 14:27

Take a bus to Jinshanling and walk on the wall for a day. Unrestored.



Then take train to Xian and go to Muslim market, Pagodas and Warriors.



You are going at a good time of year.



Have fun, let me look to see if I still have my notes on bus and train city codes.



Nicole-
sunsh9, Jul 25, 2008 @ 06:40

There's a small but very dynamic company, Bridges to China, and one of the owners is from near Lausanne, Vancouver and Beijing, Liam Bates. He'll be in Switzerland in late August for 10 days. They do a lot of really interesting day trips with small groups, mainly young people, and he'll have lots of ideas. He's taking 3 people from Geneva around Tibet at the moment, back in Beijing next week. Site: www.bridgestochina.org. His blog which lists good places to salsa in Beijing! (but I just looked and the Chinese addresses have turned into question marks :-(: ChinaGold, http://bridgestochina.org/chinagold/ and if you google YouTube Liam Bates China martial arts you'll see some fun wushu (Chinese kung fu, the official sport).



My own experience, and I've published a book on China, is that Beijing is amazing but it's important to get out into the countryside, and there is a lot to see and do. Spending some of the time with someone fluent in Mandarin can be really good.
Ellen, Jul 25, 2008 @ 09:36

Hi there, I am in Beijing now, and will be here till 2009. Let me know if you need any info/help while in China.



Best

Sylvia
SylviaS, Aug 3, 2008 @ 08:50

Hello,



I do not know if too late but this picture is from Hong-Kong.



I took almost the same but in very bad quality.... :



http://voyage.cleanobjects.com/Albums/12_HongKong/slides/DSCN1595.html



salutations



Ruben



[quote][quote]



Hi, the picture maybe Hongkong or Shanghai, but no Beijing. Because there is no high building closed toriver :)[/quote]



Thanks Zengj. I got the pic off Google Images when I did a search on "Beijing". So if the Google results are wrong, then indeed it's notBeijing...



Since you seem to know Beijing well, any tips for LNA?[/quote]

ruben, Aug 23, 2008 @ 21:26

Try Jinshanling. Unrestored part of wall - you can walk...er climb like a kitten.. to the next town. Transport to Jinshanling by public bus and then pray for ride back. ;) Let me look to see if I have the notes of mandarin script for the bus ticket. Fun times! Maybe fly to Xian to see the warriors. I took overnight train, it would be quick one for you though.



Have fun.

Nicoel
sunsh9, Sep 1, 2008 @ 06:08

oops, forgot I replied earlier...hee hee, guess I had too much fun in China!
sunsh9, Sep 1, 2008 @ 06:10

Thanks everyone for all the great tips which i'm sure will make the trip so much better :D

One week more to go before we set fot in Beijing, so if there are any last minute tips out there they are very welcome otherwise I will let you know how much fun we had once back in GVA.

cheers, :alien:
LNA__, Sep 5, 2008 @ 20:16

Several things in Beijing we found very ver interesting after spent 3 weeks there in August:

1. Rent a bike for the period you are there. 10 RMB per day after 7 days.

The bike lanes are wide but not many bikes. Only 'poorest' people on bike in China. You can travel most certral city on bike and park anywhere when you see several bikes. Don't forget to lock them together. We had bikes for 10 days in August. This is the highlight of my trip.

2. Make sure to visit 798 at Da Qian Zi

It is at NE corner of 4th ring road. We only visited there in our last day. I wish we spent more time there. It is very very different from the rest part of Beijing.

3. Go to Pan Jia Yuan (Sat or Sun), antique/Flea market (SE 3rd ring)

Can reach there by bus or bike.

4. Shopping in Hong Qiao (out side east gate of Temple of Heaven) or Ya Xu (near bar street, San Li Tung)

Make sure bargain to 50% off.

Good luck. Tell us your experiences when you are back.

Jing
GVAInfo, Sep 6, 2008 @ 22:09