2-3 days in Beijing - or alternatives?

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<p>Will be traveling to Shanghai for business in Shanghai one week (extending through Friday) then have to be in Tokyo the next week (either Wed or Thurs, not sure). </p>

<p>I have recently been to both Shanghai and Tokyo (and Kyoto too) so have little need to tour any of those places. So I thought I’d do a quick trip to Beijing over the weekend (never been) What are the must-sees? (I mean, I know the obvious, but how you would plan the itinerary?)</p>

<p>Alternate suggestions to Beijing?</p>

<p>I’ll be by myself and am an intrepid traveler. Willing to pay for guide if worthwhile.</p>

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<p>Considering you’ll be in Shanghai, I’d first consider visiting Hangzhou and/or Nanjing as they’re closer geographically and have many worthwhile sites to see in their own respective rights. </p>

<p>Also, if you’re traveling within the next week or so, you may be hitting a major transportation logistical nightmare as Chinese New Year is coming up and is such a major family holiday you may be scrambling for seats on flights and trains/buses within China. That is…assuming they’re still available. Something to consider.</p>

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<p>Thank you - this trip is mid-end February so well past the new year.</p>

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<p>If you do go to Beijing, I recommend a visit to the Summer Palace - actually a huge park with temples, gardens, dragon boats, great bridges, history, and a fantastic Long Corridor. We were there for four days last year due to DH’s consulting (introductory visit) and the Summer Palace was my favorite place. We also toured the Great Wall, Forbidden Palace, Tianamen Square, the Temple of Heaven, and the 789 Art District. We were a group of six visitors with a bus and driver, translator, and organizer (or as I called him, our guy in China).</p>

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<p>My business goes til Friday pm. Any experience with sleeper train cars vs taking an early plane the next morning, to maximize my time?</p>

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<p>I want to be able to easily hop from this destination out to Tokyo, so that is a consideration too.</p>

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<p>The air quality in and around Beijing may be unacceptable to you in Feb.
PM’d you.</p>

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<p>Would I expect it to be any worse than when I was in Shanghai this past Nov?
I can’t imagine that air quality would prohibit me from walking around / touring the city. I don’t have asthma or respiratory issues and am in good health.</p>

<p>Update: I have to leave for Tokyo on Monday, so I really have maybe just 1.5 days (arrive super early on Saturday, all day Sunday, then leave Mon for Tokyo). I really want to maximize my time. Am I better off staying within Beijing and foregoing the Great Wall?</p>

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<p>In February I would stay in the city of Beijing. There is so much to see right there and the Great wall is in the mountains and if there is snow or ice it would be incredibly hard to climb and with the pollution, you also won’t see very far. When I look at our pictures of Beijing, it’s incredible how all of them have a hazy quality because of that. We used a guide, Qing, who started this travel site: [Testimonials</a> - Discover Beijing Tours](<a href=“http://www.discoverbeijingtours.com/Testimonials/]Testimonials”>http://www.discoverbeijingtours.com/Testimonials/)</p>

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<p>Shopping: Wangfujing Street and Xidan Str. two major shopping areas.
Historic places: Chang’An Str., Tian’AnMen Square, Forbidden City, these are together.
Cultural visits: Beijing University and Zhongguancun Science & Tech area, the university campus is large and has historic interests; nearby streets deal heavily in electronics products and the Summer Place is nearby if you got more time.
Feb. in Beijing is still cold, spending too long in the open is not that convenient.
I dont think it’s a fabulous idea to use traditional sleeper train in your situation, but there is likely better train today.</p>

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<p>What are your reservations about the sleeper train? Is there a safety issue for a Caucasian woman traveling solo?</p>

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<p>We did the sleeper train from Xi’an to Beijing and enjoyed it. As long as you can get a private compartment, it’s a great option.</p>

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<p>That could be overwhelming considering all there is to see in Beijing and moreso in the surrounding area. Add to that the severe cold in Feb and pollution issues Beerme mentioned earlier and you may set yourself up for an overwhelmingly exhausting 1.5 days. Especially if you have to follow up with another business trip. </p>

<p>If you do go to Beijing, plan ahead to decide which fewer things to see in greater depth and which you’re willing to forgo if there’s not enough time, weather won’t permit, etc.</p>

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<p>When we visited Beijing the air quality was terrible. Shanghai not so bad.
We flew from Shanghai to Beijing. I would book a tour guide for the day. If you only have 1 full day you should not plan on the Great Wall. With a guide and driver you will get around much quicker.</p>

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<p>The air in Beijing tends to be much worse than Shanghai. On a short trip I’d do the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square right across the street, and maybe the Summer Palace which is really quite lovely in a park-like setting. I might also try to squeeze in a hutong tour to get a taste of old, and rapidly disappearing, Beijing. And if I had time I might shop for silk or tea; various online sites can tell you where to do both.</p>

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<p>If I have only one day in Beijing, I will doing the following:</p>

<p>Start in the morning at:

  1. Tiantan (Temple of Heaven)Park. Enter from the South gate , walk straight north; exit the park at the north gate.
  2. Take a quick cab ride (or a 20-30 min walk) to Qianmen Street, which was the old Beijing street market. Unfortunately, it was completely torn down and rebuilt in a fake classic style. It is still good place for lunch and window or souvenir shopping.
  3. Walk north onto the Tiananmen square (for the history buffs, the national museum is on the east side of the square, but should be reserved for another trip).
  4. Tiananmen. If it is open, one should definitely get up there.
  5. Forbidden city.
  6. Jingshan Park. The entrance of the park is right across the street from the north entrance of the forbidden city, where you exit after entrance from the south (from Tiananmen). Though a lot of history happened in the park, there is not a lot to see in the park itself. But the view from the top of the hill in the park can be breathtaking, on days the smog is not too bad. It provides a birds-eye view of the forbidden city, and on a good day one can see the layout of entire old Beijing city, especially along north-south axis.
  7. A short cab ride to Wangfujing, the shopping district, for dinner.</p>

<p>There is definitely a lot of walking in this itinerary and can be quite tiring, but all these places are right next to each other (except 1.Tiantan and 7. Wangfujing, which are about one mile away) and they all have English signs, guide is not needed.</p>

<p>The great wall is doable for a half-day trip, but you need to hire a driver/car. Check with the hotel, which maybe able to arrange it.</p>

<p>Edit: On second thought, the weather in February can be brutally cold and windy in Beijing, so a long day walking outdoors may not be practical.</p>

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<p>Thanks. I think I’m going to get a guide, and forego the Great Wall.</p>