- Donghuamen Night Market
- Beijing Opera
- Acrobatics in Beijing
- Qianmen Street
Where to Stay: Beijing has a great number of hotels of different grades, widely distributed through the city.
Generally speaking, hotels in the downtown area near to Tiananmen Square and Wangfujing Avenue are the most expensive. The farther from the downtown, the cheaper the hotel is, that is to say, budget hotels are usually located on the outskirts of the city.
Festivals in Beijing: In addition to the national and traditional Chinese festivals, ther are also some local festivals celebrated in the city every year.
Festivals | Time | Location |
Longqing Gorge Ice and Snow Festival | From Jan. to Feb. | Longqing Gorge |
International Kite Festival | April | Western Suburb of Men Tou Gou |
Zhongshan Park Tulip Festival | Spring when the flower blossom if in its full beauty | Zhongshan Park |
Daxing Watermelon Festival | May | Daxing District |
International Beer Festival | Midsummer | Tourist Hotels around the City |
Music Festival | Mid-October to Mid-November | Theaters in Beijing City |
Red Leaf Festival At Fragrant Hill | November | Fragrant Hills Park |
Useful Information
Foreign Embassies and Consulates in Beijing: Most of the countries who have established diplomatic relations with China have set up their embassies and consulates in the city, such as the USA, UK, Canada, France, Australia and Germany.
Phone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 010-65130828/65275315
Tourism Enquiries: 010-81191011
Consumer Complaint: 12358
Local Telephone Numbers and Long-distance City Code Inquiries: 114
Beijing Capital Airport: 010-64541100
Capital Airport Shuttle Bus: 010-64594375/76
Air Ticket Reservations: 2581
Train Ticket Reservations: 010-51016666/51016688
Reporting illegal taxi driver & tour guide: 96310
Taxi Dispatching Center: 010-68373399
Currency Exchange: Usually, money can be exchanged at the banks of China or ATM machine at the Capital Airport on arrival, or at foreign-related hotels in the city. For the exchange, your valid passport may be necessary. If you need to exchange the RMB back to your currency at the end of your China trip, remember to keep your receipt, which is valid for three months!
Traveler's Cheques: Traveler’s cheques are favored by most travelers for the convenience of carrying and the advantage of safety. Some worldwide star-rated hotels and restaurants, large shopping malls and banks of China accept Traveler’s cheques from most of the world's leading banks and issuing agencies, such as Thomas Cook, American Express and Citibank.
Credit Cards: Credit cards, such as Visa, Maaster Card, American Express, JCB and Diners Club, are also accepted in most mid-range to top-end hotels (three star and up) and some department stores. However, it is still impossible to use credit cards to finance your transportation costs now.
Bank of China:
Wangfujing Branch of Bank of China at No. 1, East Chang' an Street, Dongcheng District
Qianmen Branch of Bank of China at No. 17, Xi Jiaomin Xiang, Xicheng District
Olympic Village Branch of Bank of China at the 6th Building of 3rd Zone, Anhuili, Anli Road, Chaoyang District
Xidan Branch of Bank of China at No. 130, Xidan Bei Dajie, Xicheng District
Xizhimen Branch of Bank of China at 1st floor of the first Building, Guoyinyuan, Xicheng District
West Railway Station North Branch of Bank of China at No. 6, Yangfangdian Road, Haidian District
Post Offices:
Wangfujing Post Office at No. 45, Donganmen Street, Dongcheng District
Beijing Railway Station Post office at No. 1, West Street, Beijing Railway Station
Forbidden City Post office in the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City
Xiushui Street Post office at No. 8, Xiushui East Street, Jianguomen Wai, Chaoyang District
Drugstores:
Tongrentang at No. 120, Bei Da Jie, Xidan, Xicheng District
Heniantang at the northwest corner of Caishikou, Xuanwu District
Qianzhitang at Huashi Upper 2nd Alley, Dongcheng
Yongantang Drug Store at No. 16 of Qian Jie, Beijing Railway Station, Dongcheng District
Public Toilets: With the holding of the 2008 Olympic Games, more than 5,000 public toilets were renovated into single compartments, equipped with dryers and wash basins, and opened to the public for free. At present, visitors can not only find toilets at railway stations, bus stations, tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants, KFC and McDonald's, but also at many other locations in the city by following the signs in both Chinese and English in the streets.
Further Reading
Bookstores & Libraries Cinemas & KTVs Galleries & Museums
Health Centers Schools & Communities Performances
Beijing Dining Shopping Nightlife