Travel Special: Beijing Travel Itinerary

I was quite blessed to have been able to visit Beijing this month of November and got to stay for about 5 days. I really had fun going around and checking out the different places to eat, see and experience the culture that many who have told me in the past is typical chinese culture. I'll be writing a full article on my experiences within Beijing and a bit of Shanghai within the week, but for now I would like to share our itinerary to help those that have decided to pay Beijing a visit.

Here is what we did for the entire week:

Start day one at Tiananmen Square. All tours of Beijing logically start there at the center of town. Get to Tiananmen Square early to watch the flag raising then walk around and ponder all the history that happened there. Next walk one kilometer north to the Forbidden City. It is also called the Imperial Palace Museum. Spend the rest of the day there touring its four gigantic halls and reviewing the history of every Chinese dynasty.

At night pay a visit to the Night Market in Wangfujing street which showcases a long stretch of malls featuring many different fashion brands and local products. Also check out the Night Hawkers which is just adjacent to the Night Market. They'll be selling all sorts of food including those that would be considered eccentric for the tourist as you'll get to see scorpions, starfishes and more on a barbecue stick. 

Climb the Great Wall of China on day two. Take Bus 919 Fast from Deshengmen to the Badaling stop. The ride costs 12 yuan and takes about one hour. Hike up and down the Great Wall for amazing views and a pretty good work out. There are many amenities right on the wall. There are places to eat, shop and relax so you can spend all day there. You can also ask your hotel room if they can set up a tour for you and usually they'll have a tour company in mind. We got ours for RMB 280 which includes the buffet lunch. Prepare also for a fee to use the cable car and Toboggan otherwise endure the very long and arduous climb up and down the stairs.

Spend day three at the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. Board bus 744 on the south side of the road outside the south gate of Taoran Pavilion Park. Ride the bus 15 minutes to Tiantan West Gate and walk south 400 meters to the Temple of Heaven. The complex was a religious center for emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Spend the morning there then head to the Summer Palace. The imperial court used to go there to escape the summer heat. The palace rivals any in the world with ornate gardens, temples and pavilions.

There are lots more to see as one goes around Beijing, but I'll find time to show you all that in the next article of Beijing. For now I do hope this helps you decide in what to do and where to go in Beijing.

Happy Traveling

Till Next Time...

-Metz-