Beijing 7 days - what to do?
 

We will have a full 7 days to spend in Beijing, beginning May 28th. We intend to spend a day at the Great Wall and a day or two exlporing Tainanmen square, the forbidden city, and maybe Summer palace. What else is a "do not miss" in the Beijing area?

I'd be interested in suggestions, too, since I just put together a tentative itinerary for the same timeframe.

Hi

My wife and I want to China a couple of years back and we stayed about a week in Beijing. I have posted a trip report with lots of pictures from our stay on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com. Maybe you can find some useful information there :-) Have a great trip...get in touch if you have questions or comments.

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

The Hutongs are a must do...eating Peking duck in an authentic restaurant once at least...if you want to do The Wall in an offbeat way take a look at www.wildwall.com, we went and I really enjoyed it - or you could go stay 1 night at the new Commune hotel, again gorgeous

Don't forget the Temple of Heaven - it's one of Beijing's main sights. And the Lama Temple - definitely don't miss this one. The Buddha in the last temple will absolutely take your breath away!

As for suggestions not included in most tour books, I'd recommend spending time in the shopping area just south of Tiananmen Square just to experience the sights and sounds of a bustling local neighborhood. A visit to the Russian area near Ritan Park is also very interesting -- it's like taking a side trip to Moscow -- and don't forget lunch or dinner in one of the Russian restaurants there. A ride on the Number 13 Line (above ground subway) will take you into the northern suburbs and give you a glimpse of another lifestyle for Beijingers -- miles and miles of brand new look-alike high-rise apartment buildings, sprawling villas, and old dilapidated brick communes. Total ride takes about an hour and costs next to nothing, but do it in mid-afternoon when the trains are less full. The Back Lakes area is also near the top of my list. The park-like area gives you a chance to watch the locals at play in the daytime, boating, fishing, swimming, exercising, etc. And in the evening, there are numerous brightly lit restaurants, cafes and bars. The Drum Tower is very close by, as are a number of hutong through which you can wander on your own without a guide. And one last suggestion, which may seem kind of stange to some, is the Military Museum. It gives a good perspective on China's place in the world through the ages -- as the downed American U2 spy plane sits along side of captured weapons from whole list of nations. The huge white statue of Chairman Mao surrounded by lilies at the front entry is worth a photo or two itself. And if you have any time left, just get off at any subway exit and walk around the neighborhood where you find yourself -- there is always something interesting to see. I've been to Beijing twice and can't wait to go back again!

the temple of heaven and the summer palace were the two things we liked the best on our trip...even better than the forbidden city...

is the possibility of heading to Xian doable? Not too sure how far it is from Beijing, i think the train is too long a journey, any thoughts on a flight? Good prices/flying time? We would like to see the terra Cotta warriors if it is a worthwhile trip.

thanks everyone so much for your tips, they all sound great and will help us with our itinery!!

I will thank everyone, too, since I'm piggy-backing on this thread!

OJudy, thanks for some "off-the-beaten- path" info. My husband might be interested in the Russian neighborhood since he visited that country when he was 16. Gard, I've checked out your website before, which is pretty cool. You've taken some amazing trips!

knuk, you and I must be on the same wavelength because my husband and I considered flying to Xi'an, too, but we didn't think we could fit it in. Now I'm wondering what others will say...

Dongyue Temple: this is Taoist and an attractive place, plus fascinating tablaux ("department for supressing schemes", "department for 15 kinds of violent death").

Fragrant Hills (Xiangshan) Park. Nice views and interesting temples (one with 500 buddhas).

Beihai and Jingshan Parks (the latter has spectacular views over the forbidden city).

If you want to get out of Beijing for a couple of days, consider Chengde (magnificent palace and temples) and only a few hours by bus or train.

What about the underground city??

I am not familiar with the underground city - what is it and is it worth a visit?
Sheryl, do you feel like sharing some of your itinerary plans? We would love to hear what your plans are. Seems we are attempting to play a similar trip.

Sure! Here's what's on our itinerary:

-Tian'anmen Square/Bei Hai Park
-Summer Palace/Old Summer Palace
-Temple of Heaven/Museum of Ancient Architecture
-Forbidden City/Jin Shan Park
-Great Wall at Simitai
-self-guided hutong tour/Drum and Bell Towers/Lama Temple

I'll add the Russian neighborhood that OJudy suggested, as well as some of the other suggestions. Hopefully, we'll be able to do everything, but we'll be dealing with serious jet lag, so we'll do what we can.

Oops, forgot to mention that the hutong walking tour will be in the Back Lakes area.

I heard the underground city got nothing to see, so I didn't do it last September.

Sheryl
Old Summer Palace got nothing to see. Strongly recommend to skip it.

also, there will be a lot of walking for Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven and probably Simitai (depending which section and how far you go). So, prepare for it and try to arrange the itinerary to get more rest between the sights. I remember last time, after going to Forbidden CIty, we took 2 leisure days before going to Great Wall.

sheryl, i was in beijing last october, we loved it. i think your intinerary looks good. don't forget to do some shopping though,,,

Don't forget to check out www.cyclechina.com for interesting day trips in and near Beijing, taking the boat from the city to the Summer Palace along the canal, wandering aimlessly with a camera and phrase book and going for foot massages at TaiPan (behind the canadian embassy in the back corner of the parking lot of "BEST SOUP" restaurant.)

I just want to thank everyone for all of your every helpful advice. We have discovered lots more things to do while in Beijing especially some that are a little bit off the beaten path. Sheryl, if you are back from your trip before May 26th, let me know how you made out. I would love to hear highlights of your visit if it is before ours.

Thanks to all for now - I suspect I will post a few more specific questions before out trip gets underway

Thanks again to everyone, too, especially for the comments on my itinerary. Now on to Tokyo...

knuk, we will actually be in Beijing the same week as you, so maybe we'll run into you somewhere :-)

Posting, so I can find this again. :)