Beijing Shi Travel Forum

Hi, I'm looking at buying a camcorder for my travels. I'm going to Beijing first and as the far east has a great presence on ebay with electronics I wondered if anyone could advise me if/where I could purchase one for good value in Beijing and whether it would be advisable? Help appreciated, thanks.

I heard of the sand storms of Beijing. Which months does that happen?

Also...late April and early May....what amount of rain (in inches if possible) does Beijing get?

Thanks.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where we can fly to from Beijing in early April for a weeks beach break and a rough idea on how much it would cost to fly there? This could be within or external to China but we dont want to go longhaul (i.e. <4hrs or so if poss)

Any help would be much appreciated.

last time i came to beijing i just shopped too much. it was great.

any suggestions before i come again what is the best way to ship my excess back home, courier, post, how much is excess luggage from there????

any suggestions appreciated.

thanks

Can anyone tell me about Beijing Grand Metropark Hotel, If you stayed there? What type of food is on there breakfast buffet? What is close to this hotel. Will be staying there in April and will have a little free time, would like to walk around and was wondering what is close by. Is it safe to walk around area in the evening? Because of food allergys will be looking to buy from a grocery store, is there one close by.

Hi all:)

I don't know if this is a silly question but I need your advice please. Is it possible to see Beijing Opera with our 3 year old daughter?

Thanks:)

Hello all nice fellow VTers:)

I'm not sure if this is a coomon question or not but I will realy appreciate your advice.

We are planning to visit Beijing for 5 days and it's our first time. How's the weather in Beijing during May? It will be three of us - I, my wife and our 3-year-old daughter.

Aside from the Great Wall and the Forbidden City (which we will definitely do), can you also please suggest a few other important must do things. I would also like to see the new architecture being built for the 2008 Olympics - are they easily accessible to visitors (at least for some picture taking)?

Thanks a lot and I appreciate all your help.

Hi all,

Thanks for all your suggestions and tips. They have been all very helpful in our trip planning for such a short stay.

I contacted Alvin Benton the driver suggested by Homanded. He's responded with a quote of 60usd for the trip to Mutianyu inclusive of highway fees and admission and drop off at airport. Sounds good to me. What do you all think? Do you think it's 60usd each person?

Mae

I am looking for a 3 bedroom apartment near UIBE in Chaoyang for 3 weeks or 1 month starting May 26, 2007.

Please let me know if there is an apartment available and email me some pictures and how much it is.

Thank you!

Our daughter is teaching english in Beijing and is off (like everyone else) the first week of May. I understand about the crowds, etc. but this is her time off... Do you think it would make alot of difference if we waited until the second week? She may be able to get some time off that week also. We will be there for about ten days. She's in Fangshan. Any suggestions from there? Thanks. I'm so excited! We've never even been out of the country!

Hi all,

I've been reading the forums for all my trip planning and have found it really helpful. This is my first post.
We will be arriving in Beijing feb 19 4pm and Leaving Feb 21 530pm. I would love some itinerary suggestions. We would like to see the simatai section of the great wall, forbidden city and tiannamen. Anything else we could fit in would be great.

thanks

mae

I will be moving to Beijing in a few days and would like to bring travel guides and maps for Beijing (and China in general). With so many books to choose from, I am looking for suggestions from others who have traveled to Beijing before. What books are a must to purchase?

Thank you for any advice and suggestions!

I'll be staying at the RJ Brown Hotel in Beijing in early March. I understand that Joe at the Hotel is very good at organizing private tours to the Great Wall Sections. I am interested in the Simatai & Badaling Sections on 2 separate days. QUESTION if I wanted to go by myself and go very early in the morning prior to the masses showing up, what's a decent price to pay for a private tour? (transportation there and back, admission). I just need a rough idea to compare to other tour operators online as well as in the hotels around Beijing. My Lonely Planet guide was somewhat helpful. I could also take a city bus if it left early enough? And only if there were buses returning back from these sections as well...Thanks!

Traveling to Beijing Feb 25 thru March 2 could anyone give me an idea of the average temperature that time of year?

Hi,

Can anyone please tell me the name of a bus company with service between Beijing and Shanghai. It seems like a service did start recently but we are unable to find any names, fares or timetables.

Thanks for any help.
Sincerely,
Norm

Hi all,
Just a quick question to find out what price is per night if I'm looking at staying in backpacker accomodation in Beijing? Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,

James

I am considering staying at this hotel, mostly because of the location. Have you stayed there?

I also understand it's state-owned. If true, what effect does this have on the experience?

Is it the 3rd or 4th of March? I was told Sunday. Where is the best place to view lanterns by day and also by night if I want to photograph some? I will also visit the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Forbidden City. If I only have 1.5 days to see it all (Beijing city) at a super-fast pace, is this enough or can I squeeze in more? (I am also visiting Simatai & Badaling on 2 separate days).

I bought a Beijing transportation IC card as I heard that I could take buses and subway lines at cheaper fares with this card. However, I am not aware of exact discount ratio. It seems that it differs from the routes. Can anyone tell me about the fare rule of Beijing public transportation system in case of using IC card?

I am arriving in Beijing March 2. I will stay 4 nights, then take a LONG train to Kunming and stay 3 nights, then take another LONG train to Guilin and stay 2 nights, then take a train to Hong Kong (transfer in Shenzehn?) for 2 night stay. QUESTION: Can I get by with less than $100 US a day in each of these towns (hotels are already paid for)? I'm fairly certain I won't need lots of RMB on the long-distance trains, but I'm in China for photography, not massive shopping. I also take cheap transport everywhere (buses or subway, sometimes taxi's if I really really need to be somewhere). Suggestions?

does anyone know of a site where i can book a hotel at the great wall simatai and the easiest way to get there from beijing i did go there before but cant remeber how i got there i think it was 1 bus and a taxi which the bus conductor called for me. but we were stuck getting back. also i did stay at a small hotel there but cant remember the name

The schedule of my connecting flights are quite close to each other. Can anyone advise me the approximate number of minutes to reach terminal 2 from terminal 1 of Beijing airport? Thanks.

I plan to be in Beijing about March 1, 2007. I wish to visit the National Stadium and the Aquatics Centre to be used in the 2008 Olympics. I know that they are within walking distance of each other in the northern part of Beijing, on the south end of what the map calls 'Olympic Green'. On the map, it looks like they could be reached from the airport, but perhaps the road is incomplete.
Am I correct?

If I start from downtown, what subway station is closest to this site? What is the approximate cost of a taxi from the subway to these two sites?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Jack

Jack

let's make a deal. i'm in beijing and want it for my trip next month. thanks

I'm visiting Beijing in March and from what I have read it seems the HouHai lake area offers the most attractive atmospheric nightlife. Somewhere I read there is a lot of 'Western rave techno music' around HouHai lake, is this true? I actually quite like techno and wondered if anyone could suggest anywhere good? Do bars stay open late?

I have heard that there are three ways to travel from Beijing to Chengde.
1. By train
2. By bus
3. By Iveco
Does anyone know the preferred form of transportion to get there? I have heard that Iveco is good. Has anyone taken that method? Where do they leave from in Beijing? Thanks for the help.

Hello,
I would like to discuss with people from Beijing interested in visiting out of path our French Riviera. I have lived in this area for more than 7 years and would like to exchange travel tips for my region against travel tips in Beijing area.
looking forward to discuss !

Hi
Please, somebody tell me the must see in beijing, I will be 5 days,and I want to visit the most important things
thanks

I go to beijing in January, I would like to know how to go to the Great Wall from Beijing, thanks

I am coming to Beijing in March, to work for 4 months at the Peking University Software School. It is located on Jinyuan Road in Daxing. I am familiar with the inner city of Beijing, but have never been to Daxing or anywhere in the southern suburbs. Is anyone familiar with the area? Are there supermarkets nearby that sell international food? Restaurants? Anything else of interest?