Travel Guide - Beijing, China (Other popular attractions)

Other popular attractions in Beijing

Summer Palace 颐和园 (Yíhé Yuán)
UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List in 1998. It declared the Summer Palace as "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value." It is a popular tourist destination but also serves as a recreational park.[1]

Entrance Fee: RMB 40 (low season) / RMB 50 (peak season)
Please note the entrance fee is not included the admission to some specific scenic spots inside the Summer Palace.
Transportation: By bus (refer to the Beijing bus website)

Beihai Park 北海公园 (Běihǎi Gōngyuán)
Beihai Park located in central Beijing, is one of the oldest and well-preserved imperial gardens in China. There are pavilions and towers surrounded by the beautiful scenery of landscapes and lakes.

Admission fee:
April to October – RMB10/adult
November to March – RMB5/adult
Transportation: By Bus or just walk from the entrance of the Forbidden City to the North Gate. It takes around 30mins on foot.

Olympic Green 北京奧林匹克公園
The Beijing National Stadium 国家体育场 (or Bird's Nest 鸟巢) hosted the main track and field and football match, and final competitions for the 2008 Summer Olympics, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Just opposite to Bird’s Nest, there is the Beijing National Aquatics Center 国家游泳中心 (or Water Cube 水立方. This center was used for swimming, diving and water-polo games during the Olympic Games 2008. After the games, the center has turned into a large water recreational center open to the public. Its appearance seems the structure of "H2O" - the semi-transparent "bubbles" spread out all over its surface with a shape.

Entrance Fee: Water Cube RMB 40; Water Cube RMB 60Transportation: By Subway
Subway Line 8 (Olympic Special Line): get off at Olympic Sports Center Station,get out of the station from Exit B1 (northwest exit) or Exit B2 (northeast exit), and walk north.

Sanlitun 三里屯 (Sānlǐtún)
Sanlitun is an area of the Chaoyang District in Beijing. It currently houses many bars and clubs popular with both expatriates and locals as well as international band-name stores. The Ya Show (雅秀) market is also in the area, a popular indoor market for tourists wishing to buy counterfeit garment. There is a food mall on the top floor also.

Useful links:
Official website of Beijing subway - http://www.bjsubway.com/
The website of Travel China Guide -
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/
The website of Summer Palace - http://www.summerpalace-china.com/en/index.html
The website of Beijing bus - http://www.bjbus.com/home/index.php
The website of Beihai Park - http://www.beihaipark.com.cn/en/about/index.htm
The website of Beijing National Aquatics Center - http://www.water-cube.com/en/
The website of National Stadium - http://www.n-s.cn/en/

[1] Refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace