Soon I will be in Beijing for a 6 night stay with a Saturday arrival. I was thinking about just going for a stroll and heading to a street market for dinner the Saturday night.
Sunday I was thinking about going to the Temple of Heaven and then the Pearl market. Is this attraction open on Sunday? Are all the major sights really busy on a Sunday?
I read that the Oriental Plaza has good food stalls - true?
I will be staying at the Capitol Hotel in the central part of Beijing and am led to believe that the Oriental Plaza is fairly close - true? And has good food stalls.

I will post questions for the following 4 nights at a later date.

Thank you.

Deborah

Yes, the Temple of Heaven is open on Sundays, and yes it's really busy.

Much better to go on a weekday.

Can't help you with food stalls at the Oriental Plaza. Eating out in China is a bit of a challenge if you want to get away from hotel dining rooms where the food is likely to be terrible, and aren't in the big money league.

There are fast food chains selling chinese style food.

We ate at the Oriental Plaza a few weeks ago and it was cheap but good. The Oriental Plaza is in Wangfujing Street which is a rather large shopping mall.I have put some photos of the food we ate on this page http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/baf50/fa3c0/2/
There are plenty of food halls and other cheap restaurants in the street.

When you go you need to buy a voucher and then use it at the particular food "stall".You can then redeem what is left.

We were able to buy two reasonable meals and a large bottle of beer for under 60 Yuan -less than US$10

Temple of Heaven open until 6m every day,all the sights are open everyday,but for this season not crowded in the sights.Oriental Plaza near the Wangfujing Street,you can find anything what you want at this shopping street.

The BEST thing to do on a Sunday, especially if you like to shop, is visit the Dirt Market, aka Panjiayuan. IMO, it's Beijing's most colorful market - with vendors offering all and sundry items of Communist kitsch, minority textiles, "antiques," arts and crafts, etc. etc. And, the weekends offer the greatest selection of vendors. Go early for the best deals.

Petitepois, I was hoping that you would post a reply since you do live there and are in the know. I had heard from one of my customers that the dirt market was a must so I am happy that you mentioned it.

Will I be missing something special if I don't go to the Temple of Heaven?

Here is my plan;
Saturday May 26 arrival - stroll - eat
Sunday May 27 - dirt market, pearl market - dinner, food stalls at Oriental Plaza
Monday May 28 - Sunrise at Tianamen Square. Breakfast somewhere close - Grand Hyatt Hotel?maybe? Then the visit the Forbidden City. How much time should we give ourselves at the F.C.? Do we need a full day? Can we do the Temple of Heaven afterwards?
Dinner and Opera - Is the dinner/opera together possible?
Tuesday May 29 - whole day at Summer Palace. I was told that a full day is necessary - true? Dinner at Moments - read this is really special - opinions? Here in Mexico one starts to celebrate ones birthday on the eve so I would like someplace wonderful. . .
Wednesday May 30 - My 50th birthday - I will be standing on the Great Wall probably at Mutianyu to celebrate!
Dinner - peking duck - not sure where - Quanjude?
Thursday May 31 - stroll, shop, eat, check out the Qian Men bike shop on Zihingche Shangdian - suppose to be really big and I ride so I think that it could be interesting.
Dinner - any suggestions for last night in Beijing? Then maybe late night bowling at the 100 lane bowling alley at Gongti Yibai.
June 1 - off to Xian but those questions will be posted later.

Thank you

You will love the Dirt Market, out of all of Beijing's markets it feels the most authentic (no fake handbags there!) and is the only one still outdoors.

Don't worry, you definitely have time for the Temple of Heaven!

On Monday - you could squeeze in a visit to Mao's mausoleum before proceeding to the Forbidden City. I recommend the FC audio guide with Roger Moore as narrator. Depending on your level of interest, the FC could take 45 minutes or all day. I recommend half a day, then break for lunch, then a visit to the Temple of Heaven, which, even though it's undergoing renovations (and so is the FC, by the way) is really still quite spectacular.

Where are you seeing your opera? I like the Huguang Huiguan theater, housed in a restored 19th-century Ming building. There's no dinner served here, though there is a small Peking Opera museum. 6351 8284

Tuesday - I don't think you need a whole day at the Summer Palace - maybe just one leisurely stretch from, say, 11am-3pm to wander the grounds and possibly picnic. The Summer Palace is more of an outdoor activity (the gardens are the main attraction). So, depending on how relaxed you want your morning to be, you could visit the Silk Market (the fakes are here, and also at Hongqiao Pearl Market). It will take you about 45 minutes to an hour to get to/from the Summer Palace, depending on traffic, which is MUCH worse in the late afternoon.

I've never heard of the restaurant Moments. Where is that? You might want to check out the Lan Club (5109 6012), one of Beijing's current hot spots. It's designed by Philippe Starck, the decor is the main draw, though the Sichuan fare can be very tasty, if a bit pricey (though it is your birthday!). Stay away from the fusion and seafood dishes, though. This is just a suggestion.

Wednesday - Opinions are divided on the duck at Quanjude vs Da Dong vs Made in China. Personally, I LOVE Made in China. But you can't go wrong at any of the three. Be sure to reserve in advance!!!

Thursday - dinner. If you're going to be by Gongti Yibai bowling alley, you could hop next door to Bellagio for dinner. They serve delicious Taiwanese-Sichuanese food and amazing shaved ice desserts. Beijing hipsters eat here and then go dancing at Babyface, also on the same block. 6551 3533

One other thing I wanted to add - this has been mentioned several times on this forum, but as far as I'm concerned you cannot be warned enough - BEWARE of the tea scam. This is the scam where "college" students approach foreign tourists at popular sightseeing destinations (particularly Tian'anmen), chat them up, invite them to participate in a tea ceremony at a nearby tea shop, and then wallop them with an enormous check. I only mention this because a recent visitor of ours fell into the horrible trap and had to pay RMB 4700!!! Her hotel (St Regis) helped her recover some of the money, but she still spent a lot of valuable time in the police station.

Chucho - a straight answer to a straight question - YES you will be missing something special if you don't go to the Tem[le of Heaven.

Oops - I guess I read the book wrong . . . It says "Moments" dinner on the lakes, by Candlelight. Beijing's ancient roast-meat restaurant Kaorouji now arranges what may be the most charming dining experience in the city; a meal for up to eight people served aboard a narrow canopied flat-bottom boat, staffed by a lone oarsman who guides the craft in a gentle arc around the man-made serenity of Quin Hai and Hou Hai. The restaurant is located next to Nuage at Qian Hai Dong Yan 14.
Well, that is pretty clear - why I got into my head the restaurant name was Moments is surprising.
Have you heard of this place?

Yes, I have heard of people having dinner from Kaorouji on the boats on Houhai and it sounds like a lovely experience, especially since you are going in late May. The Back Lakes are frozen right now and people are ice skating on them! In the summer evenings, you can float votive candles on the lake so that little patches of light dot the surface. The food at Kaorouji is not really my cup of tea (lots of mutton) but the experience will be romantic and memorable. Definitely a "moment!" It's possible that you could also ask for an accompanying musician to play lovely Chinese music on the guzheng (like a Chinese banjo) while you float along. Sounds like a perfect way to celebrate your birthday!

I went on an unplanned three week trip to Beijing last fall. I stayed in an apartment off Ritan park, and tried out many of the restaurants east of Wangfujing. I bought the small size Lonely Planet Best of Beijing, which is really all you need for tourist sites, restaurant recommendations, and more. It also has the names written in Chinese, which was invaluable a couple of times when I wasn't exactly sure where I was.

I went out several times with Chinese acquaintances, who chose the restaurants. When we went for Peking Duck, it was at Beijing Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant, and it was GREAT. I believe there are two locations now, and you really should reserve ahead unless you want to eat very early in the evening.

As for Oriental Plaza, I did not find the food stalls in the basement as good as the ones about a block further up Wangfujing. I forget the name of the building, but it is also at the basement level. Right hand side as you walk north.

I found the restaurants in central Beijing to be clean, very inexpensive, and for the most part, excellent.