JPDeM, thanks for those app suggestions. I have downloaded all of those apps. ExploreBeijing and Taxi-book look great and easy to use.

Well I have arrived in Beijing. It is cool weather but sunny and blue skies. After walking around the Forbidden City on my own yesterday, I decided I would take a group tour today. We went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven. Honestly, I got so much out of the guided tour and I really appreciated the guide's perspective as a person raised in Beijing. I like how easy it is to walk here (although I have almost been run down by cars, trucks and bikes!). My reservations about walking around alone were unfounded but at the same time, I thoroughly enjoyed the guided tour I took. All of the tips received on this forum have been very useful.

<<<I like how easy it is to walk here (although I have almost been run down by cars, trucks and bikes!). >>>

Glad you're having fun! The trick to getting across some streets is to wait until you see someone else going and then stick with them.

Sometimes advice on how to get somewhere sounds incredibly simple until you try and follow it. We were in China in 2008. Sometimes a charachter difference in the spelling of a bus stop, or an unexpected spacing in a word made things tough to follow. Or our B&B said it was three stops when it was four (not a real problem on the subway but a real problem on buses). Of course once we figured it out it all looked so simple.

I am back from my whirlwind week in Beijing. Thanks for all of the advice - I had a great time in this very interesting city. I ended up doing a combination of guided day tours in very small groups (4 people) and a couple of days touring on my own. I saw a lot of the main sites in Beijing including the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Lama Temple, National Museum, Temple of Heaven, the Zoo, and of course the Great Wall. I thought the tours were very educational, plus I enjoyed meeting other travellers. I enjoyed walking for miles on my own and just exploring the various hutongs and parks. I feel sure there is much more to see in Beijing but I am very pleased with what I managed to do on my trip.

Glad you enjoyed yourself - thanks for letting us know!