Want some great reasons to visit Beijing? Aside from being the capital of China, this place is a fusion of old meets new. Home to both ancient and modern marvels, great food and all the cheap, warm beer you can drink. If this interests you then read on for my Beijing travel guide after our take on a tourism ad 😉 👇
Great Wall
Obviously this one is a given! No trip to China would be complete without a visit to this historical landmark. Especially since 10 of the best parts of the wall to visit, are all between one and half to three and half hours drive from Beijing.
I recommend doing some research before hand. This way you can try and avoid the most overcrowded sections and work out what part you want to visit. Some parts are alot steeper than others, so take that into account whilst planning!
This link has some great info on all the different sections.
Aside from just walking along the wall in your normal get up… why not get dressed up? Makes for some out of the ordinary tourist pics!
Summer Palace
Is a beautiful place to escape from the craziness of Beijing. Stroll through the peaceful gardens, chill by the lakes or visit the palace and admire the architecture.
Three quarters of the area is covered in water. You can hire your own boat or hop on the many chartered boats available.
Summer Palace is located 15km northwest of Downtown Beijing.
It is easily accessible by bus, subway or taxi – if you can flag one down!
For more, check our our blog on Summer Palace
Wangfujing
Whether you want high end brands, large department stores, retail chains or market stalls Wangfujing has it all!
This shopping street is one of the largest in Beijing.
Even the side streets have plenty to offer with lots of local food and market vendors.
For the more adventurous, make sure you take a wander down Snack Street and sample some of the unique snacks on offer.
Forbidden City
Is located in central Beijing, with main gate and entrance across the road from Tiananmen Square. There are three other entry points around this moated fortress.
This huge palace complex is the largest in the world and there is alot to explore once you’re through the gates.
Lotus grow freely on top of the water ways and there are plenty of Fu dogs protecting the palace and surrounding buildings.
If you exit through the Gate of Divine Prowress walk across to Jingshan park where you can walk up to this lookout.
From here you can view all of the Forbidden city (and the rest of Beijing – smog permitting!) from above.
Yunaan Food
While most of the food we had in Beijing was amazing. The best was defintely when we ate with our friends from Yunnan – a province in Southwestern China.
They really know how to create some great flavours while cooking! I had never tried this type of food before and I was blown away with the taste. It’s that GOOD.
If you ever come across a Yunnan restaurant, do yourself a massive favour and eat there.
Happy Valley
Ok so this is a little biased. I love theme parks and Gerard used to work here so I had to put it on the list!
Aside from thrill seeking rides, Golden Mask an out of this world theatre show and slam dunk shows. Which if you’re lucky you might be able to participate in!
They also had live skate and BMX shows – check out Gerard in action!
If you want to see what it was like living and working in a Beijing theme park, check out this video 👇
Pandas
Although Beijing Zoo on the whole was pretty disappointing. Seeing these guys in their home country was not.
Houhai Bar street
Lots of restaurants and bars surrounding Shichahai lake.
The area is always bustling. But really comes alive at night, which is why it’s a popular night spot.
Honourable mentions
The above places and things were my favourite parts of Beijing. But I do have some other honourable mentions..
Salitun another great bar street and place for shopping.
Plenty of restuarants, even international cuisines and lots of night clubs. Latte being our favourite one.
Hutongs these traditional courtyard residences are lovely to wander through and get lost in. You’re bound to find something interesting down these narrow alleyways.
One more thing.. the locals will either love you or ignore you. There really isn’t any in between. It’s pretty common for Westerner’s to have trouble flagging down a taxi. Although fake taxis are always willing to take you for a higher fee. Don’t be surprised if you get children and adults alike asking to take pictures with you. Especially at all the tourist hot spots. You might even find yourself getting mobbed sometimes ha ha.
Hope you enjoyed my travel guide to Beijing. It really is a great place to visit! ✌
