Beijing in seven days
By FlipNomad
for Yahoo! Travel
Beijing, China's capital city and one of
the most populous cities in the whole country is also China's center of culture
and major tourist attractions. There're so many places to see and experience in
Beijing that a week is barely enough to see everything. I got the chance to visit
Beijing on my last trip to China and enjoyed visiting the following places:
Great Wall at Yellow Flower City
The
Great Wall of China would undoubtedly be the most famous tourist destination in
Beijing due to its rich history, immense size and the magnificent view that it
offers once you get to climb it. The most famous and visited
part would probably be at Badaling but there's a variety of other accessible and
less touristy areas that you can go to. I arranged a tour with my hostel to go
to Yellow Flower City instead since there're less people that go there.
Summer Palace
One of the most picturesque places that I've
seen in Beijing is the Summer Palace. The natural landscape, the hills and the
open water plus the manmade structures such as the numerous temples and
pavilion makes the Summer Palace one of the most relaxing parks that I've ever
visited.
Tiannamen Square
This is the third
largest city square in the world and one of the sites that holds a great
cultural and historical significance to China. It is best known to the world as the location of the Tiannamen
Protest in 1989 where hundreds of protesters perished.
Beijing Zoo
A visit to China wouldn't
be complete without seeing the Great Panda. One of China's iconic symbol and now considered as an endangered species, the Great Panda is a protected animal
that can rarely be seen in the wild. You can however, see them at various
zoological parks such as in Beijing Zoo and the conservation centers in
Chengdu.
Yuyuantan Park
If you get a chance
to visit Beijing in mid to late April, be sure to drop by Yuyuantan Park. This
park is famous for the cherry blossoms and it is said to have around 200 cherry
trees of different species.
Nanluoguxiang
One of the nicest places
to shop in Beijing is Nanluoguxiang. This place used to be famous for its hutongs and courtyards. But now,
it has been converted into a small district full of shops, small restaurants
and bars. It is famous among young Beijingers and a good place to observe the
lifestyle of the young Chinese.
Houhai
Nothing beats the flavours of
Chinese cuisine and after a whole week of travelling to various historical
sites in Beijing, you should check out Houhai and pamper yourself with great
food. It's also a district full of pubs and bars.
These are the places that I
went to on my last visit to Beijing. I couldn't wait to go back to see more
such as the famous Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven. Going to and from one
site to another is also not a problem in this city since they're well connected
by buses and trains. Check out my tips
on travelling around Beijing for more information.
