Hi all

Need some help..I may be headed to Beijing (first time) for about 2 weeks in January 10-25th leaving just before Chinese New Year on the 26th. sort of excited by this last-minute nature but have some questions.

I am setup at friends house in Beijing so thats why I'll probably base myself there.

I enjoy visiting historical sites but also combining that with going out to restaurants and bars.

I prefer not to rush during my travels so I was thinking 9-10 days beijing maybe 2 side trips (2-3 days) to other places/cities.

Is there enough to do in Beijing for 9-10 days? considering cold weather and time of year?

Any 2-3 day side trips from Beijing that you can recommend?

Given Chinese New Year on the 26th I understand hotels, transportation can be very crowded. when does that busy time start? or when should I avoid traveling?

Any festivals in Beijing for Chinese new year or do they happen on the 26th after I leave?

Thanks for your help.

2-3 days you can go to Chengde. 2-4 days you can go to Datong.

For long day trips you can go to the Western and Fragrance Hills to the west of Beijing, probably along with the Qing West Tombs.

Another long day trip can be to the Qing East Tombs. Though that may also be combined as a super long day trip or overnight trip with some eastern parts of the Great Wall. Or perhaps as a 3-4 day trip with Chengde.

> Is there enough to do in Beijing for 9-10 days?

There's enough to do in Beijing to keep you busy for a couple of weeks at the very least, year-round. A quick bit of reading is called for, and you'll find that even with ten days only spent in Beijing you'd still be far from covering everything.

The main weather problem is simply low temperatures and very dry air. So walking about is fine as long as you are suitably wrapped up for serious sub-zero temperatures. The average for January is -3C, and the average low -8C. Skin tends to dry and crack, so some moisturisers are a good idea, and some preparation against the effects of the pollution (which will likely be flu-like symptoms for a few days until you adjust).

> Any 2-3 day side trips from Beijing that you can recommend?

I imagine most people would suggest Xi'an as the obvious choice. It's another big city (and you should do some rural day trips from Beijing to get more of an idea about what the country's really like) but it has a very different atmosphere, and, of course, the Terracotta Warriors. The city itself has enough to keep you busy for another couple of days, and the surrounding countryside is strewn with Tang-era relics. Overnight train from Beijing is probably the best way to reach the city.

Chengde, not far to the northeast from Beijing can be reached by bus or train in three hours or so, and is worth two nights, although it will be bitterly cold there. This will give you an introduction to a relatively small city, and its main attractions are the Qing imperial summer resort and a string of surrounding temples in hilly countryside built to awe representatives of tributary minorities and foreign powers.

Rural day trips to be considered: Cuandixia (well-preserved and prettily located Ming-Qing-era village, about 100km west of Beijing), the Western Qing Tombs (a little over 100km southwest) or the Eastern ones (ditto to the east). Closer in, and easily reached by subway and bus, the temples of Tanzhe Si and Jietai Si. Any half-decent guide book will give you more background and practical information. If you want to be a little more adventurous, look into the old post town of Ji Ming Yi. And of course you'll want to spend half a day to a day at the Great Wall.

If, as you say, you prefer not to rush, I'd just do the one side trip to Xi'an, and spend the rest of the time in Beijing with at least three one-day trips out of town. There won't be a dull moment.

> Given Chinese New Year on the 26th I understand hotels, transportation can be very crowded. when does that busy time start?

Officially, and particularly with land transport in mind, the total period of high traffic is 60 days, but in effect it's mostly in a big clump the few days before Spring Festival (Jan 26), and then another big clump a few days later. Getting around and in the vicinity of Beijing won't be a problem, although you'll notice as the date gets closer that many shops and services may start to close as their migrant worker staff disappear back home, sometimes for a few weeks. So your Xi'an trip, if you take it by train, should probably be earlier rather than later in your trip, and you should look into ticket availability as soon as you arrive. Return tickets are now available on that route, but their supply is very limited. So usually you would buy the return part in Xi'an. But the New Year migration is mostly out of Beijing not into it, so that shouldn't be a problem. And there are always flights.

> Any festivals in Beijing for Chinese new year or do they happen on the 26th after I leave?

There's been a not very successful attempt to revive temple fairs, but otherwise other than a massive letting off of fireworks on the night of the 25th, which resembles a full-scale civil war, not much happens of note. And yes, you'll miss it.

Peter N-H

If you only visit the major sites in Beijing, 9-10 days are more than enough. But if you are interested in local people's life, like PeterN_H mentioned, you can never cover all aspects. Just pick up what really attracts you and then go.

Side trip to Chengde and Xian are good choices. However, the transportation will be very crowded before the Chinese New Year, especially for trains. For a foreign traveller, I strongly not recommend you to take trains before the Chinese New Year period. You will be shocked when you are lost in the crowds in the train stations. Travel by air are OK but the discount of airfare may not be very good in those days because most of people are going back home for the New Year preparation.

Wish you a nice time in Beijing!

xian...even hong kong for a few days

well is we're talking Xian and HK - why not talk Sichuan and Chengdu - OK its kind of gray in the city during winter - but we still see a bit of sun now and again
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Chengdu Travel Blog - http://chengdutravel.blogspot.com/

Thanks all for info and replies.

Just returned from 8 days in Beijing.

The weather was cold and dry but just had to bundle up and dress appropriately for winter. I decided to spend the whole time in Beijing area alone, there was plenty of stuff to keep me occupied for the entire time.

I was considering Xian, but after roaming around Beijing and going out for dinner/drinks the days went by real fast.

It was quiet from a tourist perspective, even when visiting the Great Wall at Baladin.