Beijing hotels

Travel in Beijing—City Guide

Beijing, capital of China, is a world-famous historical city with many cultural heritage sites, such as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Badaling Great Wall, the Summer Palace and many other famous sites.

Beijing is also a modern city, the world's first to host both the Summer and the Winter Olympic Games (to be held). Young people find their most-dreamed-of destinations in Beijing, such as Sanlitun, 798, Peking University and Tsinghua University.

In this magic city, visitors can find Peking Opera and Rock 'n' Roll, quadrangle courtyards and high-rise buildings, historical sites and futuristic buildings— yesterday and today co-existing in harmony, making Beijing a destination in China that no traveler could afford to miss.

The Over 3000-Year-Old City of Beijing

Beijing has sixteen districts offering a variety of sights and sounds. Located in the Dongcheng District are the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven and other historical places; and Xicheng is the political center and the new financial center. To the northwest of downtown area is Haidian District, where gardens and universities gather, including the famous garden of Yuanmingyuan, the Summer Palace, Peking University and Tsinghua University.

In the two suburban districts of Yanqing and Huairou, there are the Badaling Great Wall and the Mutianyu Great Wall. All sixteen districts—from the Chaoyang District to Shijingshan—offer interesting places for tourists to explore.

Don't Miss the Following Destinations in Beijing

The magnificent and venerable Forbidden City has always been the center of Beijing. It was the palace of the emperors, surrounded by tall towering walls. Inside the walls, there are six city gates, connecting the outer and the inner city. If you climb to the top of the Jingshan Hill in the early morning, you will have the entire Forbidden City in front of you, including resplendent rooftops and long, winding corridors—a celestial beauty beyond words.

There is an old Chinese saying:  who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man. In fact, the Great Wall in Badaling is the best representative of all sections, so it is definitely worth going to. The walls wind through beautiful mountains, flourishing trees, much like a Chinese dragon. Walking on the Great Wal will give you a vast and majestic view.

“Sanlitun” in Chinese means a place only “1.5 km” away from the inner city of Beijing.  Fine foreign restaurants and dazzling music in live Jazz bars can be found everywhere. Willow trees stand on both river banks along with countless creative restaurants and cafes that attract tons of travelers. If you want to live like a modern Pekingese, you should come to Sanlitun.

Travel Tips

The best viewing place of the world class royal garden at the Summer Palace is on top of Wanshou Hill. Looking down, you will see over 3,000 exquisite garden structures within the royal garden. You can easily be occupied and forget time when looking around. By Kunming Lake, a world-famous corridor featuring over 8,000 color paintings on beams resides there, making it the best place to take an idle stroll.

Every morning, visitors from all corners of the globe gather in Tiananmen Square to watch the Flag-Raising Ceremony, and the crowded audience itself has become a tourist spot. In the center of the Square stands the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, the Great Hall of the People in the west, and the National Theater in the southwest. Chang'an Street and Wangfujing are also within walking distance. All these destinations are great choices for travelers on their first visits to Beijing.

In Haidian District, there are over 70 universities, including Tsinghua University and Peking University (founded in 1912 as Yenching University) can be found. In addition, Zhongguancun, China's Silicon Valley, it is now the largest e-commerce center in the world, and for tech lovers, it is a place that they cannot miss.

To Live Like a Local, to Feel the Pulses of the City

Staying in different parts of Beijing will allow you to feel the different pulses of the city. In Nanluoguxiang, you can hear authentic Beijing drums accompanied with storytelling singing. In the quadrangle courtyard, you will feel laid back and relaxed. In luxury hotels around CBD areas, you can see the entire city.... try to explore different locations and savor the mix of modern and ancient aspects of the city.

The bustling Sanlitun in downtown Beijing is undoubtedly a good choice to accommodate for first time visitors. Here, they can enjoy Beijing's bustling city environment and find themselves close to all tourist attractions in the city.

If you want to visit the best universities in China or former Olympic venues, Haidian District is the place to go. During the day, you can visit the Water Cube or the Bird's Nest to feel the Olympic spirit. At night, you can take a walk by the lake in the Peking University campus and reminisce about your own college experience!

Beijing Capital Airport can easily be reached by buses and the subway. A hotel near the airport will simplify your return journey and provide shuttle buses to and from key hubs such as Xidan, Gongzhufen, Zhongguancun, Wangfujing, Shijingshan, and so on.

To Shop by Street and Alley, to Bring Home Pieces of Beijing

With prosperous markets, Beijing has several business areas, such as Wangfujing, Qianmen, Dashilar, Xidan and Sanlitun. In these places, you will not only find delicate crafts like cloisonne, lanterns, and painting pots, but also luxury brands and trendy designers’ works.

There is an old local saying: "Go to Tianqiao to see performances and go to Dashilar to buy things" Dashilar is a famous old street full of time-honored brands in Qianmen area. You may pick up your favorite silk cloth at Ruifuxiang, try on some hats at Majuyuan, or buy a pair of hand-made Neiliansheng shoes with thick soles ...Countless traditions and handcrafts will guide you through the old days in Beijing.

With five shopping malls, Sanlitun is a legendary destination for shoppers. Here, well-known brands from all over the world attract consumers with shining logos and enticing store displays.

Needless to say that Zhongguancun is a paradise for lovers of electronic devices. Here, you can get great deals on a wide range of dreamy electronic products, from full-frame cameras to handheld games from overseas.

To be a Truly Happy Foodie in Beijing

Quanjude Beijing roast duck, Beijing noodles with mince sauce, traditional snack “donkey roll”(fried chop rice cakes), Luzhu (intestine Soup) that was already popular during Emperor Guangxu’s reign…In Beijing, you might encounter good tastes that have been there for hundreds of years when you pass by a small corner.

Do you want to eat authentic Beijing cuisine? Qianmen Street is somewhere that you cannot miss.  Both domestic and foreign tourists love the roast duck from the famous restaurant called Quanjude, the local life at Lao She Tea House, and the boiling hotpots at Donglaishun restaurant. You should also try delicacies including Liubiju’s pickles and sauces, traditional yogurt, Daoxiangcun bakery, Duyichu dim sum and other wonderful foods waiting for you to explore.

Gui Street is the most famous "late night cafeteria" in Beijing. Every night after 10 o'clock, this short street is lined with lit red lanterns outside of each restaurant, luring foodies in with irresistibly good scents of barbecue, spicy crayfish, and grilled fish.

In Beijing, you will be overwhelmed with the numerous options of local and international cuisines. For example, the '3D Meal' at Char Dining Room & Lounge in the InterContinental Hotel, Topwin Center in Sanlitun, gives the eyes and stomach and pleasant and perfect adventure. On the same floor, you can eat at the Ying Chinese restaurant. Here Chinese and Japanese cuisines are perfectly merged.

To Go Into the Alleys and Get Closer to Beijing Culture

Beijing dialect is an indispensable part of Beijing's local culture. Even Pekingese would say “vulgar” or “talkative” to describe how local people talk. The well-known Chinese filmmaker Feng Xiaogang vividly portrayed a local Pekingese with the dialect in the movie Mr. Six.

In Beijing, local people would recommend tourists to go watch the Peking Opera at the Chang'an Theater. In addition to it, the Mei Lanfang Theater, Huguang Guild Hall, Zhengyici Theater, or Liyuan Theater are also suitable. Peking Opera is still as fascinating as it was in the old times as it captures the essence of Chinese culture.

798 was once an area of abandoned factories and workshops, but now it has become an important tourist spot and national contemporary art center. As a new landmark of Beijing's urban culture, 798 also bears a new cultural concept, “the 798 lifestyle”, which the locals are truly proud of.

To Go Deep into the Night from Jazz to Electronic

Beijing nightlife thrives in Sanlitun with places like the D LOUNGE, serving Chinese and foreign guests, the PARLOR, known for its molecular cocktails, the Lantern Club, where the world-renowned DJ Zhang Yu resides, Beer Mania, run by an IT engineer from Belgium. You can also have a glass of malt whiskey in the open-air lounge of the InterContinental Hotel, Topwin Center in Sanlitun. While enjoying your drink, you can view the neon lights turning night back into day....

Bars around the Yonghe Temple are distinct and worth visiting: enjoy the School Bar, a secret base for electronic enthusiasts; Más Bar, a cocktail bar from California; the Morocco-style Cuju Bar (named after the old Chinese game, Cuju, which later developed into soccer); or appreciate live performances within Beijing’s unique Hutong club, the Dusk Dawn Club.

Even after feeling exhausted dancing all night at D LOUNGE or SPARK CLUB, you can also join another huge crowd at Tiananmen Square for the Flag-raising Ceremony held at dawn.

A Modern Business Hub

Beijing Central Business District, known as Beijing CBD, is a nest for a number of headquarters of Top 500 companies, such as Hewlett-Packard, Samsung, Toyota, and GM. It is also the area where the famous Chinese Television Station, Phoenix Television, People's Daily and other media companies locate.

China National Convention Center is located to the north of the Bird's Nest and Water Cube, and it was once the largest international broadcasting center in the history of the Olympic Games. After the Olympic Games, it has now become the fast-growing exhibition hall brand in China and even in Asia. If you are doing business here, it is recommended that you stay at Beichen InterContinental Hotel, the luxury hotel in National Convention Center.

The Financial Street is the first large-scale specially planned financial area in Beijing. The People's Bank of China, China Banking Regulatory Commission, China Securities Regulatory Commission, financial regulatory authorities, and many large domestic and international financial institutions as well as sate-owned enterprises are all gathered here. Every day, this area experiences many transactions that come and go throughout the entire financial district.

How to Get to the City

There are two airports and three train stations. 30 km from the downtown area, Beijing Capital Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, carrying the most flights inbound and outbound. Nanyuan Airport is located in South Fourth Ring Road, with civil aviation services only open to China United Airlines.

Beijing Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, and Beijing North Railway Station are all railroad hubs. Beijing Railway Station is conveniently located in the Beijing Dongcheng District and inside the Second Ring Road. Beijing West Railway Station carries large passenger traffic and is located near Lotus Lake East Road and West Third Ring Road in Fengtai District. Beijing South Railway Station is located in Fengtai District and has the largest passenger flow in Northern China.

Large bowl of tea, Douzhi (a ground fermented bean drink), sugar-coated haws, and donkey rolls are what defines Beijing's unique tastes…

Experience the Beijing culture through Beijing dialect, cross talks, Peking Opera, and 798.

The Imperial Palace, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, Xiangshan Hill, Houhai, Zhongnanhai, Qianmen, The Old Summer Palace, Sanlitun ... ... pulled together, all of these names make up Beijing.