My family and I will be leaving for Shanghai and Beijing in a couple of weeks - there's five of us - 3 adult "children" - We are attempting to do this "virgin" trip independently. Have hired a car in both cities with a guide but we have to come up with the gameplan so to speak.

We've sort of settled on an itinerary in Shanghai but we're having problems with Beijing.

We have four full days, two with a driver and guide, and we're staying at the Peninsula. Thought we could spend one day going to the Great Wall and then exploring the countryside?? We'd also like to see the Summer Palace - does anyone know if it'll be open April 1? - we'll be there between 30Mar to 02Apr. Are both these places whole day trips? The other two days we figured will be spent exploring the city - Tiananmen Sq., Forbidden City, the Hutongs, etc.
Oh and thanks to BChen, we're also heading to Grandma's Kitchen for some Philly cheese steak!

"Philly cheese steak"? If only I'd known that Beijing offers such gourmet delights I'd have passed over the Beijing Duck in a flash.

Anyway ... the Summer Palace is worth half a day IMO. Depending on traffic it will take maybe 30-45 minutes by cab and the cab fare will be about Y45, plus or minus. The Great Wall is also typically a half-day outing, unless you want to incorporate another attraction.

You won't be running out of things to do in Beijing... The Summer Palace is definitely worth a good half-day visit, especially if you decide to walk around the huge lake in the middle of it - should be beautiful in spring time with blossoms or young leaves of willow and peach trees... As for the Great Wall, I made it to the Mutian Yu part, which is roughly 1hr north of Beijing, and comnbined that trip with a visit to the amazing Ming tombs (huge site where the emperors were buried for centuries, reminiscent of the Valley of the Kings in Egypt). That took an entire day. The hutongs in downtown Beijing are also amazing, very atmospheric. Take the subway to Heping Men and walk south on Nan Xinhua Jie towards Liulichang Xijie. The area around those streets harbours the most amazing hutongs in my opinion. And don't miss a walk around Bei Hai lake where you can also sit out on a terrace and have a drink...

One of the best things to do after an outing to the Great wall is to head back into town to TAI PAN for a foot massage! It is right behind the Canadian Embassy (Xin Dong Lu and Dongzhimenwai Dajie intersection)and near the "BEST SOUP" restaurant. They give free drinks and snacks there and do a decent job.

By the way, there is another Grandma's Kitchen right behind the Friendship store (xuishui nan jie 6503-2893). This may be a better location than the Jianwai soho one. It was slated to close but it still open. Check before you head out and reservations are essential.

and if you need some cheesecake, go to Steak and eggs next door.

Neil_Oz: I know going from the U.S. to China and looking forward to Philly cheesesteak sounds wacky! oh well, my son loves it and we thought it would be such a crack up to go in search for the perfect cheesesteak in China - go figure. As for Peking Duck - I think we have the best(!!!!) prepared Peking duck right here in Berkeley, CA!! we have friends from HK who demand to be taken there when they're in town. But then again that's not to say we won't be trying at least one whilst in Beijing.

Back to our travel plans - Thanks azucena for your input - so from what I gather, we can do the Summer Palace and a Hutong walk in one day? Then the Great Wall and the Ming tombs on another day? According to Fodors, the Summer Palace is open from April to October - does that usually mean April 1?

Bchen: The foot massage sounds great along with the free drinks and snacks - might be a good a reward for one of my kids who's not exactly an enthusiastic hiker!

Thanks again - I love this forum - my first ever, btw!......D

DMary, I've heard wackier. I must admit that after a couple of weeks in China we were about ready for some Western food - a decent coffee, for a start. By that time we were in Shanghai, though, which solved the problem. I can believe that your place in Berkeley does a good roast duck. We had some good meals in China, including some dishes that we possibly couldn't have found in Australia (on the other hand, nobody was able to match our favourite Cantonese restaurant's stir-fried kangaroo fillet).

one more thing--- how are the subways - are they well marked and easy to navigate?