Travel Guide - Beijing, China (Major attractions)

Beijing (北京) is the capital of China located at the northern part of China. This city is the centre of political and culture and art, where you can experience the real life of Chinese in China.

Best season to visit Beijing:
Summer is from June to August, but it is considered as peak season
Autumn is from September to November, when is the best weather and fewer tourists.
Spring is too windy and dusty and winter is too cold for outdoor visit.

Avoid peak holidays to visit Beijing:
Most Chinese travel around during Chinese holidays. When are Chinese holidays in China? The 3 main peak holidays are Chinese New Year (around end of January to mid of February), Labor Day 1st May (end of April to early of May), and National Day 1st October (early of October).

Major Attractions in Beijing

Tiananmen Square 天安門 (Tian an men)
Tiananmen Square is the largest square in the world. This square was the place where Chairman Mao proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. On the north of Tiananmen Square is Tiananmen (Gate of Heaven Peace); on its east is National Museum of China where exhibits China history; Monument to the People's Heroes and Chairman Mao's Mausoleum is on its south; on its west is the Great Hall of the People, where is the meeting place of national people's congress of the People's Republic of China.
Many tourists like to watch the raising and lowering ceremony of the Chinese National Flag at sunrise and sunset. But please go there at least 30 minutes early to have a good location to watch.

Transportation - By Subway: Take Line 1 to Tian'an men East or Tian'an men West

The Forbidden City 紫禁城 (zi jin cheng)
The Forbidden City was the Chinese Imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Now it becomes Palace Museum, which opens daily.

Transportation - By Subway: Take Line 1 to Tian'an men East or Tian'an men West
Admission fee:
April 1st – October 31st: RMB60 November 1st – March 31st: RMB40

Tian Tan Park (Temple of Heaven Park) 天坛 (tian tan)
The Temple of Heaven was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship the god of heaven and pray for good harvest. In 1998, it was recognized by the UNESCO as “one of the human heritages of the world”. It is a very popular park for exercising Tai Chi.

Entrance fee: RMB10/adult
Transportation: By subway line 5 and get off at Tiantan Dongmen天坛东门

Useful links:
Official website of The Forbidden City - http://www.dpm.org.cn/
Official website of Beijing subway - http://www.bjsubway.com/
The website of Tian Tan Park - http://en.tiantanpark.com/newEbiz1/EbizPortalFG/portal/html/index.html
The website of Beijing bus - http://www.bjbus.com/home/index.php