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

Travel Guide - Beijing, China (Major attractions in countryside)

Major attractions in countryside of Beijing

The Great Wall of China 万里长城 (Wànlǐ Chángchéng)

The Great Wall of China is one of the Eight Wonders of the world and was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. It starts at the Jiayuguan Pass of Gansu Province in the west and ends at the Shanhaiguan Pass of Hebei Province in the east.
Badaling section is one of the most gorgeous and magnificent part of the Great Wall in Beijing. Just close to Badaling, there are is a big Great Wall Museum and the Great Wall National Theater. The theater offers you a chance to get a full view of the Great Wall.
Many tourists choose to take the cable car up to the mountain, and then walk down the Great Wall to save their time and energy.

Transportation: By Bus No. 919 to Badaling Great Wall
To get to Badaling Great Wall, visitors can take Bus No.919 at Deshengmen Gate德胜门
The no.919 bus station is located north of the gateway of Deshengmen Gate.The no.919 bus is in green color. It costs CNY 12 per person by cash and CNY 4.8 by using the public transportation IC card. It runs non-stop between 06:30 and 18:30 from Deshengmen to Badaling Great Wall, and returns from Badaling Great Wall to Deshengmen from 12:00 to 17:00. Please do not take private buses or coaches.

How to go to Deshengmen Gate德胜门?
Take subway line 2 to Jishutan积水潭 and look for exit NE (Northern-east).

Badaling Great Wall
Admission fee: CNY 45 (Apr. 1 to Oct.31); CNY 40 (Nov.1 to Mar.31)
Cable car: CNY 40 (single way); CNY 60 (round trip)
Opening hours: 06:30-19:00 (In summer); 07:00-18:00 (In winter)


The Ming Dynasty Tombs 明朝十三陵 (Míng cháo shí sān líng)
13 Ming Dynasty Emperors were buried in this Ming Tombs, which were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in August 2003. As Ming Dynasty Tombs are located at countryside and are relatively near Great Wall, you can visit both in a day.

Admission Fee:
Changling Tomb: CNY 30 (Nov.1 to Mar. 31); CNY 45 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31)Dingling Tomb: CNY40 (Nov.1 to Mar. 31); CNY 60 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31)
Opening Hours:
Changling Tomb: 08:30 to 17:30; Dingling Tomb: 08:30 to 18:00

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 Ming Tombs - http://www.mingtombs.com/
The website of Beijing bus - http://www.bjbus.com/home/index.php

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