Hello,
I will be traveling to Beijing for the first time this October for a week. I will be busy during most days with work, but I will be free in the evenings and weekends, and I am going to try to make the most of my free time while I am there. I believe that we have an organized day trip to see The Great Wall and The Forbidden City. I would also like to see the Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest), but I am still trying to figure out what to see and do while in Beijing. Suggestions would be much appreciated! I will be staying in Northwest Beijing, in the Haidian district. Also, any advice on public transportation would be very helpful.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions!
Need Suggestions For Beijing
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We enjoyed the Temple of Heaven and the Drum Tower very much. Apparently, a lot of older people spend their days in the Temple of Heaven park, as their children are working during the day. They are playing board games and dancing throughout the park.
As we approached one group of older citizens, we saw they were playing a scrabble type game. We stood at a distance and watched. One older gentleman looked up and smiled and asked, "Where from", in broken English. We replied, "The US", to which he looked puzzled. We repeated it again to which several of them replied, "Oh, America". We nodded.
The group of six continued on with their game. He motioned for us to come over. When he turned the tray around he smiled broadly, with his two front teeth missing. They had spelled out America. They all grinned. One of our best travel memories ever.
The climb to the Drum Tower is steep, but very worth it. Very impressive.
Staying out in Haidian puts you near the Summer Palace, another one of the major sights of Beijing that is a pleasure to visit. October is a lovely month for strolling the grounds there.
Where in Haidian are you staying? (Maybe this is a high tech or a university related trip?)
Taxis are plentiful and cheap -- and allow you to sightsee out the window as you go -- but Beijing traffic has become quite the challenge as you have likely heard. It is a good idea to learn to use the subway as well so that you can travel both ways. There are great English signs and announcements in the subway and it is very cheap to ride. It can get very crowded, of course.
If you have particular interests, maybe we can offer more suggestions. Beijing is so vast that it takes time to get from place to place, How much evening and weekend time do you actually have available, I wonder.
On weekends traffic is bad all day. Just hop on the subway (line 10) and this will take you everywhere. Besides the two that you mentioned you need to go to the Temple of Heaven (better in early morning), the National Museum, Lama Temple, Bell and Drum Towers and surrounding areas (Houhai), Qianmen (better in late afternoon and early evening for dinner there), go to the Sanlitun area for some shopping and western food. Panjiayuan is best visited on weekends so this is convenient. Better in the morning.
Are you coming during the October holiday? If so, be warned that the tourist sites will be extra crowded. On the other hand, the subway won't be as crowded.
During our visit last year we went to an acrobatic show one evening. We went to the Beijing Tiandi Theatre. If you enjoy acrobatics, this is an excellent show. It young [teenage and a bit older] We went from our hotel by taxi and after the show taxis were around the theatre. It's a good way to spend an evening.