Top 10 Travel Tips for Beijing, China

Heath in Wanderland, blogger extraordinaire and creator of the Top 10 Travel Tips for Kyoto, is back with another informative list for us! This time she’s taking on Beijing, China. “Beijing is a fascinating place to visit, but it can be pretty overwhelming,” she writes. “It’s a large city, densely populated…because the city is so vibrant, culturally rich, and inexpensive, it draws thousands of tourists every year. There are a million wonderful things to do in this famous city, but here are the absolute musts.”

Without further ado, here is an excerpt from her descriptive list:

Top 10 Travel Tips for Beijing:

1. Make sure to reserve a bed at Red Lantern House, a wonderful hostel in one of Beijing’s historic hutong neighborhoods. This is a unique opportunity to experience local Chinese culture as well as a quickly-disappearing way of traditional living. While it may be tempting to take advantage of the low prices of the swanky hotels of Beijing, you won’t regret a truly authentic traveling experience. Red Lantern also has an in-house kitchen that serves up delicious vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals. The decor is enough to inspire you to have a kung-fu movie-marathon when you get home!

2. One of my favorite parts of Beijing were the numerous parks all over the city. Here you can take a breather from the city and watch Chinese people practicing their opera skills, dancing in large groups to beautiful traditional music, or listen to the occasional band of Chinese traditional musicians (I swear I discovered the Chinese version of the Buena Vista Social Club). My personal favorite was Beihai Park, a lovely and enormous park with a huge lake strewn with people in paddleboats lazily taking in the sights. There are many colorful temples, as well as good spots to sit and have a snack. Also of note is the famous Temple of Heaven Tiantan Park. This is the best place to watch the Chinese practice tai chi. Don’t be afraid to ask them to show you some of their moves! Watching this elegant practice is truly inspiring.

3. You can’t go to Beijing, or China for that matter, without visiting the Great Wall. This pilgrimage, which usually features on people’s “List of Things To do Before I Die,” is a wonder to behold. On a fairly clear day, you can see the wall snaking away for miles on end. However, there are different areas of the wall to choose from for your venture. I suggest the section at Mutianyu, which is lest touristy than other sections but not too much of a laborious hike or long drive from Beijing. For those who don’t feel up to the walk, you can take a chair lift up and toboggan down. But the walk gives you that sense of accomplishment when you get to the top and it deserves a well-earned photo. When you head back down, there are a number of souvenir vendors, snack stalls, and a restaurant. Make sure to bring water up the wall with you or you will be charged 500 times the regular price by local entrepreneurs!

4. Tiananmen Square is a must-see, but you have to go both in the day and at night to truly appreciate it. At night, it’s a sobering reminder of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the lights lining the surrounding pagodas and walls draw festive evening crowds. During the day, wait in line reading your Little Red Book (the stares from Chinese tourists are worth it) as you wait in line to see Mao at the Mao Mausoleum. If you go before the Olympics, you can see the countdown and the crazy Olympic characters that are housed in the square. Don’t forget to get your picture in front of the Mao Portrait!

5. Make sure to visit what are arguably two of China’s most famous sites: the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. Despite the crowds and the lines, these are two attractions you should be sure not to miss. They are astounding beautiful architectural masterpieces. The Forbidden City has many buildings and you can appreciate them from the outside and, if you’re up for it, check out some of the interiors. Spend as much or as little time as you like! (more…)

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Be sure to read Heath in Wanderland’s entire Top 10 tips list, and also check out her travel blog to read about her other adventures. It’s filled with thoughtful reflections, compelling stories, and all kinds of travel tips.

To share your own set of travel tips, visit this topic on our Forums or send an email to: carrie@realtravel.com.

Useful links:

Beijing Travel Guide
Beijing Travel Blogs
Beijing Travel Information
More Top 10 Lists

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