This article is about the Beijing travel and you can find some useful information in it if you are planning your Beijing travel now.
If your plan for the Beijing travel is about 4 days, this travel guide can be very helpful for you.
Day 1:
Tiananmen Square – The Temple Of Heaven (Tiantan)
Recommended travel line: Tiananmen Square – Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall – Qianmen (Qian Gate) – Qianmen Dashilaer – Temple Of Heaven.
This line is called the central axis of Beijing from the ancient time and it will be a pity if you miss these attractive scenic spots of Beijing.
The Temple of Heaven is located in southern Beijing. It is included in the UNESCO world heritage list in 1998. With an area of 2.7 million square meters, it is the largest of its kind in the country. Built in 1420, the 18th year of the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle, the temple was where emperors went to worship heaven for good harvests. The temple consists of two parts — the inner altar and outer altar. The main buildings are in the inner altar, on the north-south axis. At the southern end are the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Circular Mound Altar. On the northern end are the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Hall of Imperial Zenith. The structures at both ends are connected by a 360 – meter – long walk. There is also the Hall of Abstinence inside the West Heavenly Gate in which the emperor fasted for three days and bathed before prayer. (cost 10 rmb for the entrance, 30 rmb for the all in one package.)
Some tips: (1). The office hours of the Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall are: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm (Tuesday to Sunday). You can not get in if you come here in the afternoon or night. All bags are forbidden to bring into the Memerial Hall and you will need to put them in the checkroom in the east of the Hall (the entrance to the Memerial Hall is free but you will need to pay for the checkroom service). (2). The Qianmen has been refurbished and you can find the famous restaurants like Quanjude Peking Roast Duck, Duyichu (Do It True), etc, here in Qianmen Street. ( good info for your China travel and vacations )
Day 2:
The Forbidden City of Beijing ( the Imperial Palace ).
What strikes one first in a bird’s – eye view of Beijing proper is a vast tract of golden roofs flashing brilliantly in the sun with purple walls occasionally emerging amid them and a stretch of luxuriant tree leaves flanking on each side. That is the former Imperial Palace, popularly known as the Forbidden City, from which twenty – four emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties ruled China for some 500 years – from1420 to 1911. The Ming Emperor Yong Le, who usurped the throne from his nephew and made Beijing the capital, ordered its construction, on which approximately 10000 artists and a million workmen toiled for 14 years from 1406 to 1420. At present, the Palace is an elaborate museum that presents the largest and most complete ensemble of traditional architecture complex and more than 900000 pieces of court treasures in all dynasties in China.
Some tips: (1). The admission fee is 40 RMB (Nov.1 to Mar. 31), 60 RMB(Apr. 1 to Oct. 31), (you can get 50% off if you can show them your student ID),the Openning Hours are: 8:30 am to 4:20 pm (Oct.16 to Apr. 15),8:30 am to 5:00 pm(Apr.16 to Oct. 15). Usually it takes 3 hours to visit the whole Forbidden City. (2). You can visit the Wangfujing or Xidan if you have time in the second day. Wangfujing is mainly for the travellers and Xidan is the place for the Beijingers to do the shopping. ( helpful China tours and vacations info )
Day 3:
The Summer Palace and Yuan Ming Yuan Park.
The Summer Palace -Museum of Chinese Gardening.
The Summer Palace, is the best-kept existing royal garden in Beijing. With a concentration of the best of ancient buildings as well as styles of gardening, it is a virtual museum of traditional Chinese gardening.
Yuan Ming Yuan Park: Yuan Ming Yuan, before its destruction, was referred to as the “Garden of Gardens”, since it was a combination of gardens of different styles, Chinese and Western. Yuan Ming Yuan consisted of three gardens. Yuan Ming Yuan (Garden of Perfect Splendour), Chang Chun Yuan (Garden of Eternal Spring) and Qi Chun Yuan (Garden of Gorgeous Spring). They covered 350 hectares.
Day 4:
The Great Wall and the Olympics stadiums.
The best choice for the 1st time travellers to Beijing is the Badaling Great Wall. You can take the Line 919 city bus to the Badaling Great Wall ( from the bus station named Deshengmen ). It takes about 2 hours to climb the Badaling Great Wall. (to get more info about Great Wall travel, China trips and vacations, you can visit Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM )
In my point of view, you do not need to pay the fees (80 rmb) to get into the Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) or Water cube. (cost 50 rmb for the Bird’s Nest and 30 rmb for the Water cube) You can have a very good view of these Olympics stadiums from outside. I paid 50 rmb to get into the Bird’s Nest and found out it was just a stadium, nothing specail, 🙁
Author: Shane Lee.