Beijing Hotel Reviews

We visited the wall twice first, visit was at Mutianyu which I would recommend, there were very few people on the wall and it was nice and peaceful, whereas when we visited Badaling, it was the exact opposite, you could not get moving for the amount of people there. We were dissapointed when we visisted the Forbidden City parts of it were closed off, the same when we visited the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace is a must to see. I recommend the Outback Steakhouse in the Beijing Hotel at the bottom of Wangfujing Street for a meal.

For first timers, I found Beijing very manageable - and easy to get around. The Novotel has a postcard with top Beijing attractions in their stationary folder. Just take this with you, and use it to show the taxi drivers where you want to go. I found the taxis mostly reasonable . . . except one who rushed up and solicited my business at the Summer Palace. I should have known better . . . his meter was set on fast. The ride back cost 2x what the ride out had cost . . . and even then it was only $12. But, beware. Best day was Prince Gong Palace and the Lonely Planet recommended walk back along the lakes . . . a real delight. Don''t miss Mao. The line moves fast . . . and the bag checking across the street seems to be safe and quickly returns your possessions to you. Have fun.

While in Beijing I went to the Forbidden city (60Y), Temple of Heaven (35Y) & the wall at Badaling (300Y for a 9 hr tour, which included lunch and a trip a Jade and cloisonné factories which were interesting and no real pressure to but). The former two were being restored at present (August 2005) so there was scaffolding up but they were still both very impressive. The Wall at Badaling was also wonderful but very very busy and lots of tourist traps on the walk up to the wall! As it says in all the guide books if you can get a tour it might be quieter and better to go to another area unless you like crowds then choose Badaling!

Yummy & cheap restaurant about 50M on the left when getting out of the hotel front entrance. Taxi to airport about 80 yuen.

What need be said about Beijing? It''s huge, the seat of power in China (and it shows!), with history all over the city. It has many of the sights and sites travelers come to China to see: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Tian Tan (Temple of Heaven), Old Beijing, etc. etc. plus ready access to the Great Wall of China and the Ming Tombs. Six days was almost not enough! The food was excellent and quite different from the Cantonese style we are used to in the US: no rice! Beijing is Noodletown! Don''t miss the acrobats, which one thinks will be hokey but are absolutely not. It''s a hot city and you don''t look geeky when carrying an umbrella in the blazing sun. In fact, it''s a necessity. Don''t miss: Dazhalan shopping, Peking/Beijing Duck(go to the "Old Duck" on Qiamen for the full duck banquet), the Echo Wall at Tian Tan, of course Tiananmen Square and the "Maosoleum," take a tour of the Forbidden City, rent a bike and ride through the hutongs of Old Beijing. And go to the night market (can''t remember the street, but it''s well known) for Everything-on-a-Stick. Seahorse? Scorpion? Silkworms? They''ve got it all! We hired a guide who approached us outside the Forbidden City; he took us to the Hutongs and then to the Great Wall. Also: the Drum and Bell Towers for steep stairs and great relics. Taxis are cheap and distances are great, so take them everywhere.

If you come the first time to Beijing, start with sunset drinks on the roof terrace of the Palace Hotel (open to the public) from where you have a magnificient view over the Forbidden City (Anchee Min''s novel ''Empress Orchid'' provides fascinating background). Besides many, many excellent small eateries in every neighbourhood, special restaurants for me still include Courtyard, Red Capital Club and Green Tea House. Besides the usual attractions try also the Botanical Garden and the ruins of what the Summer Palace originally was. BTW, B&B is becoming increasingly attractive in Beijing - I had a very lovely experience and can surely recommend it.

I found Beijing and surrounding area difficult for independent travellers not on a tour group. A Chinese phrasebook would prove invaluable.

The best way to get around if you are in beijing for a few day is taxi. For value, beijing taxi is cheap and less hassle than subway or bus.

Beijing is for me one of the most interesting and vivid cities in China, and with the preparation for the Olympics on the way it becomes even better. One thing to keep an eye on are the taxi drivers who are even within local people''s assessment some of the worst in Chinese big cities. Make sure 1. the driver turns on the meter, 2. then, only pay what is on the meter and ask your change back, 3. get your destination written in Chinese (the hotels are very helpful on this!), 4. and in case of problems, don`t argue too much but just write down the license number and ask your hotel to report to the taxi association complaint hotline.

There are some great backpackers cafe''s in the old hutong area close to the Bell tower. We really enjoyed our time there with a coffee and some nice dessert. One bar is called Pass by bar and served great european style food. Nice pastas and pizza...They have a small outdoor area where you can enjoy a sunny afternoon in peace.

HouHai Lake is a great spot for a leisurely al fresco lunch, followed by a walk around the lake. Try S'' Silk. The Courtyard restaurant serves wonderful food overlooking the moat of the Forbidden City.

Instead of going to Badaling, the most frequented site of the Great Wall by tourists, go to Mutianyu (a site just 20 minutes further away) and experience the Wall without the crowd. For a real adrenaline rush, instead of the cable car or hiking down the Wall, take a ride on the tobaggan slide!

Take the subway to the Lama temple - its my favorite place in Beijing and easy to reach (a subway station on the circle line is named Lama Temple). A good restuarant with a local flavor can be found near the new Silk Market building. At the corner where the market is located, turn right and walk past the DVD stores and you will soon come to a restaurant. They have one english menu. I had pork and tofu, and it was delicious, for 18 RMB. For good Beijing duck, try the Duck King, near the Macdonalds in front of the SciTech Plaza. Bargain hard at the Silk Market. Don''t be surprised if you pay less than 1/5 of the original asking price. Walk away a few times to get an idea of what the real price should be.

Some very good restaurants in the neigbourhood. Check the one on the mainstreet (sechuan) or/and ask the staff for local restaurants. Don''t forget the Buddhist Lama Temple. It''s one of the highlites of Beijing in our opinion. and....please say hi to the family in the small shop across the street (what a nice kid they have).

Apart form the normal tourist sites...all of which exceed expectations...you should visit the Wall at Simitai,see the Acrobats,drink in Sanlitun and eat your Duck in the Hutongs not the westernised version !

Across the street there is a small walk-in street market with a large variety of clothes, jewelry, bags, etc. If you go there, you can find some incredible deals (if you make the right offers). I bought sunglasses there. The quoted price was 130. I paid 10. I also bought a bag there for 30 that was quoted at 175 and a cell phone holder for 30 that was quoted at 195. Just make an offer and when they say no, walk away. If you go out the hotel and turn left up Xidan Bei, you can get a subway ride directly to Wang Fujing Da Jie. This is the famous shopping street in Beijing. There are many shops, as well as a small street market. At the street market, I bought two brass dragons that were quoted at 195 for one. I paid 50 for two. There is also the famous Peking Duck restaurant (Qunjudao, I believe) at Wang Fujing. The name is in Chinese, so you will need to ask. I have been there twice now and will go there everytime I am in Beijing -- It is SO good! The hotel is also very near Tianamin square and the Forbidden City. The last time I was there, I hired a taxi from Tianamin square and he took me to the great wall and showed me around for the day. It was 150 for the entire day. Near Wang Fujing is also street famous for the food vendors. There are many carts there selling assorted food on-a-stick. Wandering that street and purchasing assorted goodies is almost a full night. They have beef, goat, lamb, chicken, insects, worms, fruit and even ice cream.

An excellent location if you are a Hard Rock Cafe fan, being about 50m from the cafe.

Don''t go during Japanese Golden Week. Not because of the Japanese tourists, but because it is also a Chinese holiday. VERY crowded everywhere.

We greatly enjoyed our visit to Beijing. It is a city rich in history and culture as well as offering modern facilities and shopping to suit all pockets. It is vital when shopping to bargain and a general rule of thumb is to deduct 60 to 70% from the asking price to determine the real value of an item. In comparison to Hong Kong, Beijingers are extremely friendly and non-aggressive. Language is a major issue when moving around Beijing as few people either write or read English so its worthwhile learning some Chinese phrases and getting the hotel staff to write down the name of your destination in Chinese to show to taxi drivers etc - this will save a lot of time and stress! In large part Beijing resembles London or any other major world city and it is to be hoped that the culture and architecture of the city is not completely lost in the desirable need for development. I would recommend Beijing as a holiday destination to anyone - the Great Wall and the Forbidden City are worth the airfare themselves!

While in Beijing I visited Great Wall of China by booking a tour @ RMB 180/- per person, this included Good lunch, Tickets to Great Wall and Ming Tomb. Ticket at Harmony was expensive, so I walked to Youth Hostel in China Post Office building and found a cheap but good tour. Temple of Heavens was travelled by own, used a taxi to go to Temple. It was a good visit. Taxi''s in Beijing are cheaper. Tiaanmen Square and adjoining places like forbidden city and area around is worth seeing of your own. Forbidden city ticket counter closes by 3.30PM, so go their early. Wan-fu-jung street is close by, taxi takes 10 RMB, one can even walk back- a cool 2 Km. Overall Beijing is a happening place and one can spent 3-4 days comfortably.