Guidebook for Beijing
Food Scene
Chinese Food: This is the vegetarian branch of a large chain of Beijing restaurants. We've tried both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian restaurants in the chain and this is our favourite. Ask for their Vegetarian Kung Pao Chicken, Eggplant and Potato, and pretty much any of their dumplings!
Xianlao Manjingsu (Dongsi Branch)
Chinese Food: This is the vegetarian branch of a large chain of Beijing restaurants. We've tried both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian restaurants in the chain and this is our favourite. Ask for their Vegetarian Kung Pao Chicken, Eggplant and Potato, and pretty much any of their dumplings!
Yunnan Food: Hidden in a small hutong not far from the house, Dianshan is one of the best Yunnan restaurants in the city. Order the fried red beans, some of their fried tofu, and their mashed potato.
Dianshan Yunshui
25 Bao Fang Hu TongYunnan Food: Hidden in a small hutong not far from the house, Dianshan is one of the best Yunnan restaurants in the city. Order the fried red beans, some of their fried tofu, and their mashed potato.
Mexican Food: Some of the best tacos in Beijing! Show up before 7 to avail of their happy hour, where every drink comes with a free taco. My favourite tacos are the Hongos and Carnitas. Their Torta de Milanese is also fantastic. Make sure to order a Burro to drink, you won't be disappointed!
THE TACO BAR
Mexican Food: Some of the best tacos in Beijing! Show up before 7 to avail of their happy hour, where every drink comes with a free taco. My favourite tacos are the Hongos and Carnitas. Their Torta de Milanese is also fantastic. Make sure to order a Burro to drink, you won't be disappointed!
American: A Beijing institution, Slow Boat brews a plethora of their own fantastic beers, as well as serving up some great food. Their fryburger is definitely the star of the menu.
Slow Boat Brewery Sanlitun
American: A Beijing institution, Slow Boat brews a plethora of their own fantastic beers, as well as serving up some great food. Their fryburger is definitely the star of the menu.
Drinks & Nightlife
Bar and Music Venue: School bar is our favourite haunt. A dive bar which hosts a wide range of acts from Punk to Metal to Indie to Electronic. I've played here with my band quite a few times. All the big Beijing bands got their start here and it has become the epicentre of a lively and much-underreported thriving music scene in Beijing. Find the bar owner, Liu Hao, who speaks English, and ask him about his rock and roll days in two of Beijing's biggest punk and rock bands.
School
53 Wu Dao Ying Hu TongBar and Music Venue: School bar is our favourite haunt. A dive bar which hosts a wide range of acts from Punk to Metal to Indie to Electronic. I've played here with my band quite a few times. All the big Beijing bands got their start here and it has become the epicentre of a lively and much-underreported thriving music scene in Beijing. Find the bar owner, Liu Hao, who speaks English, and ask him about his rock and roll days in two of Beijing's biggest punk and rock bands.
A bar with some fantastic cocktails and great pizza to boot, Maomaochong is definitely one of Beijing's hidden gems. We'd recommend the Tom Collins. They have an extensive cocktail menu, and everything I've tried from there is great.
MAOMAOCHONG BAR
A bar with some fantastic cocktails and great pizza to boot, Maomaochong is definitely one of Beijing's hidden gems. We'd recommend the Tom Collins. They have an extensive cocktail menu, and everything I've tried from there is great.
Houhai is probably what most people think of if they try to imagine the Chinese bar scene and karaoke-style singing. It is a collection of gaudy, neon-covered bars surrounding a quite beautiful lake that has boating in summer and skating in winter. The bars all compete with each other for business, resulting in a dissonant cacophony of music mixing together and promoters for each bar trying to drag you inside. We recommend visiting the reggae bar in this area. The house band are quite good, the drinks are cheap, their shisha is nice and the vibe is a lot better than the other bars!
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Shichahai
Houhai is probably what most people think of if they try to imagine the Chinese bar scene and karaoke-style singing. It is a collection of gaudy, neon-covered bars surrounding a quite beautiful lake that has boating in summer and skating in winter. The bars all compete with each other for business, resulting in a dissonant cacophony of music mixing together and promoters for each bar trying to drag you inside. We recommend visiting the reggae bar in this area. The house band are quite good, the drinks are cheap, their shisha is nice and the vibe is a lot better than the other bars!
Sightseeing
The Forbidden City: This is obviously the most well known attraction in Beijing. Come out on to the main road and turn right, heading south for 5 minutes until you see the Forbidden city. This is the back entrance, you will have to walk around for another 5 minutes. However the scenery is beautiful and it’s well worth it. If you’d prefer not to walk bus line 5 southbound goes here. (See map for more information) Entrance (April to October) 60RMB, (November to March) 40RMB
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Ciudad Prohibida - Museo del Palacio
4 Jing Shan Qian JieThe Forbidden City: This is obviously the most well known attraction in Beijing. Come out on to the main road and turn right, heading south for 5 minutes until you see the Forbidden city. This is the back entrance, you will have to walk around for another 5 minutes. However the scenery is beautiful and it’s well worth it. If you’d prefer not to walk bus line 5 southbound goes here. (See map for more information) Entrance (April to October) 60RMB, (November to March) 40RMB
Jingshan Park: Get here by turning right at the main road and walking for 2 minutes. The entrance will be on your left. This used to be the Emperor’s private garden, thankfully now open to the public. It’s also the highest natural point in an otherwise very flat city. Climb to the top pagoda on a clear day for spectacular 360º views of the entire city. Entrance 2RMB
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Parque Jingshan (Jingshan Gongyuan)
44号 Jing Shan Xi JieJingshan Park: Get here by turning right at the main road and walking for 2 minutes. The entrance will be on your left. This used to be the Emperor’s private garden, thankfully now open to the public. It’s also the highest natural point in an otherwise very flat city. Climb to the top pagoda on a clear day for spectacular 360º views of the entire city. Entrance 2RMB
Beihai Park: This park neighbours Jingshan, so to get there take the same route but the entrance will be on your right. The park rings Beihai lake, and is a beautiful walk in nice weather. Entrance 2RMB
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Beihai Park
Beihai Park: This park neighbours Jingshan, so to get there take the same route but the entrance will be on your right. The park rings Beihai lake, and is a beautiful walk in nice weather. Entrance 2RMB
The Summer Palace: A sprawling collection of ancient palaces and pagodas surrounding a picturesque lake in the north-west of the city, it is the largest royal park in China. You can get there on Sightseeing Line 3 or Subway Line 4. It will take about 3 to 4 hours to see the entirety of the grounds, but it is well worth the visit. Entrance 50/60RMB
Haidian
The Summer Palace: A sprawling collection of ancient palaces and pagodas surrounding a picturesque lake in the north-west of the city, it is the largest royal park in China. You can get there on Sightseeing Line 3 or Subway Line 4. It will take about 3 to 4 hours to see the entirety of the grounds, but it is well worth the visit. Entrance 50/60RMB
Tiananmen Square is just south of the Forbidden City. It is enormous, and has held up to a million people at times for various events. Entrance is free. Mao Ze Dong's Mausoleum is situated here.
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天安门
Tiananmen Square is just south of the Forbidden City. It is enormous, and has held up to a million people at times for various events. Entrance is free. Mao Ze Dong's Mausoleum is situated here.
Just south of Tiananmen is Qianmen and Dashilar, which are a warren of hutongs ranging from old and historic to newer establishments like Starbucks, Zara, etc., all keeping with the hutong aesthetics. Line 5 southbound serves here.
Beijing Dashilan
Da Shi Lan Shang Ye JieJust south of Tiananmen is Qianmen and Dashilar, which are a warren of hutongs ranging from old and historic to newer establishments like Starbucks, Zara, etc., all keeping with the hutong aesthetics. Line 5 southbound serves here.
Nanluoguxiang is the most famous shopping street to visit for domestic tourists, and is also very popular with foreigners too. It is an 800-metre long, fairly narrow street, packed full of shops selling things from trinkets and every kind of souvenir you could want, to designer clothes and boutique items. There are many food and beverage stalls along the street. You can buy ice cream, frozen yogurt, mojitos, pastries, etc. as well as stranger items like squid on a stick! Entrance is free and highly recommended. The street’s north entrance leads on to Guloudongdajie (Gulou East Street).
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Nanluoguxiang
Nanluoguxiang is the most famous shopping street to visit for domestic tourists, and is also very popular with foreigners too. It is an 800-metre long, fairly narrow street, packed full of shops selling things from trinkets and every kind of souvenir you could want, to designer clothes and boutique items. There are many food and beverage stalls along the street. You can buy ice cream, frozen yogurt, mojitos, pastries, etc. as well as stranger items like squid on a stick! Entrance is free and highly recommended. The street’s north entrance leads on to Guloudongdajie (Gulou East Street).
Most tourist guides will recommend you go to the Badging Great Wall as this is the closest section of the wall to the city, however the Mutianyu section is far, far less crowded and much more beautiful. You can get there by a bus leaving from Dongzhimen Bus Station , then change to a bus in Huairou to take you the rest of the way. The bus costs about 15-25RMB one way. Taxis in Huairou will try to take you while you wait for the bus. They are safe to use but will overcharge you. If you decide to take one try to bargain for somewhere around 50rmb to take you the rest of the way. Tell them not to wait there for you, as it is easy to find returning taxis and buses. The day should be 250rmb/pp.
Mu Tian Yu Chang Cheng
Most tourist guides will recommend you go to the Badging Great Wall as this is the closest section of the wall to the city, however the Mutianyu section is far, far less crowded and much more beautiful. You can get there by a bus leaving from Dongzhimen Bus Station , then change to a bus in Huairou to take you the rest of the way. The bus costs about 15-25RMB one way. Taxis in Huairou will try to take you while you wait for the bus. They are safe to use but will overcharge you. If you decide to take one try to bargain for somewhere around 50rmb to take you the rest of the way. Tell them not to wait there for you, as it is easy to find returning taxis and buses. The day should be 250rmb/pp.
Lonqing Gorge is a sparkling green river running through a valley, surrounded with towering mountains on either side. You can get here by taking a bus from Deshengmen, which you can get to on Bus Line 5. You can take a boat along the river, stopping at pagodas and temples. You have the option to zipline or bungee jump at the end of the river. A trip here should cost about 250RMB per person for the day.
Longqingxia Scenic Area
Lonqing Gorge is a sparkling green river running through a valley, surrounded with towering mountains on either side. You can get here by taking a bus from Deshengmen, which you can get to on Bus Line 5. You can take a boat along the river, stopping at pagodas and temples. You have the option to zipline or bungee jump at the end of the river. A trip here should cost about 250RMB per person for the day.
Shopping
Wangfujing is a large area with several huge shopping malls to the east of the Forbidden city. It’s a good spot to go for to shop for designer goods, but the prices are similar to those in other countries, so don’t expect anything cheaper than back home! It’s night market is the real gem of the area. A crowded, narrow collection of streets that sell a bizarre collection of snacks, including scorpions, spiders and various grubs and insects! It’s a good place to test how strong your stomach is! You can get here on bus line 58.
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Wangfujing Street
Wang Fu Jing Da JieWangfujing is a large area with several huge shopping malls to the east of the Forbidden city. It’s a good spot to go for to shop for designer goods, but the prices are similar to those in other countries, so don’t expect anything cheaper than back home! It’s night market is the real gem of the area. A crowded, narrow collection of streets that sell a bizarre collection of snacks, including scorpions, spiders and various grubs and insects! It’s a good place to test how strong your stomach is! You can get here on bus line 58.