By Air

Direct flight
China Eastern Airlines, ex Delhi

Connecting Flights
Thai, Cathay Pacific

The Great Wall
Built in stages over 2000 years and said to be the only man-made structure visible from the moon, this is a spectacular sight that should not be missed. Stretching for a distance of 5400km, it starts at the Shanhaiguan Pass in the east and ends at the Jiayuguan Pass in the west. The section at Badaling, built in stone and brick and dating back to the Ming Dynasty, is roughly 8m (26ft) high and 6m (20ft) wide.

Forbidden City
Built in the 15th century, the Forbidden City (or Palace Museum) is a vast complex of courtyards, halls, pavilions and gardens, which was home to 24 emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It now houses a vast collection of priceless relics, including paintings, ancient pottery and bronzes, and is one of many UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city.

Temple of Heaven
Just south of Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven (located within Temple of Heaven Park), is China s largest temple complex, built in the 15th century and used for prayer by the emperor to ask for good harvests.

Lama Temple
Located in the northeast of the city, the Lama Temple, built in the late 17th century. The temple consists of a series of halls, connected by courtyards. An impressive 18m (59ft) Maitreya, carved from a single sandalwood tree, stands in the furthermost hall, which is accessible to the public.

Drum Tower and Bell Tower
The towers, which are quite different in style, offer good views across Beijing.

Beihai Park
Beihai Lake covers almost half of the 67-hectare (168-acre) Beihai Park and is a popular place for skating in winter and boating in summer. Qiong Hua Island (Jade Flowering Island), in the southern end of the lake, is reached by an arched marble bridge and is home to a Tibetan Buddhist shrine.

Great Wall and Ming Tombs
The Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, extends for thousands of miles across China, the nearest section to Beijing being at Badaling. The wall stretches between watchtowers and is wide enough for five horsemen.

The main shopping area is around Wangfujing Dajie, where there are a number of department stores, including the Beijing Department Store, which primarily caters for the Chinese market. The best clothes shops are on Dong Dan Bei Dajie, as well as Silk Alley, Xiushui Dong Jie off Jianguomenwai Dajie, which also has silk stalls. The weekend market at Panjiayuan Jiuhuo Shichang is an enormous, open-air place with great bargains on items such as jade, wood panelling, pottery and bric-a-brac.

The weekend market at Panjiayuan Jiuhuo Shichang is an enormous, open-air place with great bargains on items such as jade, wood panelling, pottery and bric-a-brac. Most shops are open daily 0900-2000. There is no sales tax in China.

The most glamorous shopping mall is the Lufthansa Centre, Liangma Qiao Lu, with its many international shops and snack bars. Another major shopping mall is the Xidan Shopping Centre, Xidan Bei Dajie, with shops selling a range of food, jewellery, electronic goods and clothes. Collectors of antiques should make for Liulichang. This market is stocks array of antiques and curios. Note that antiques over 100 years old are marked with a red wax seal and an export licence must be issued in order to take them out of the country. The weekend market at Panjiayuan Jiuhuo Shichang is an enormous, open-air place with great bargains on items such as jade, wood panelling, pottery and bric-a-brac.

Foreign visitors rarely attempt the public transport system, especially the bus system unless they have a good understanding of Mandarin Chinese. Clean, fast and efficient, the subway (0530-2300) is an appealing alternative. Taxis are plentiful, cheap and metered.

Shamiana Indian Restaurant

Asia Star Spicy

Heaven Star

Jianguomennet

Kiss Super Club