Travel

Attractions

China's capital city, Beijing, is a must-see. As one of the world's great ancient capitals, it is home to some of the finest remnants of China's imperial past. Beijing has many places of historic interest and architectural/scenic beauty. Having such a long historical background, Beijing today has two faces mixing with ancient and modern styles. The old Beijing city was carefully designed and constructed. In 1992, Beijing recommended the "World Top Ten" after the assessment of scores of specialists and scholars:

The Great Wall: the longest defensive wall in the world.
The Imperial Palace: the largest and best preserved palatial complex existing now.
Tian'anmen Square: the largest city-center square in the world.
The Temple of Heaven: the largest heaven-worshipping architecture in the world.
The Summer Palace: the best preserved imperial garden in the world.
Beihai Park: the imperial park built earliest in the world.
Ming Tombs: the best preserved imperial mausoleum structure where most emperors were buried.
The Site of Peking Man at Zhoukoudian: an ancient human cultural site with most abundant cultural remains, where the fossil of homo erectus was discovered with traces of fire-usage.
Yunju Temple: the temple with the largest collection of stone-carved Buddhist scriptures in the world.
Yongle Bell: the bell with the greatest number of inscriptions in the world.

For more information, please visit CHINAHIGHTLIGHTS.

Transportation

As it is China's capital, getting to Beijing is made very easy and straightforward. Frequent flights link the capital to virtually every major city in the world. There are also rail links via Russia and Mongolia. Domestic flights to China’s major cities are also plentiful. Beijing is one of the major nodes in China’s rail and road networks. Using Beijing as a starting point to explore the rest of the land makes perfect sense. Transport to Beijing’s nearby attractions, particularly the Great Wall at Badaling is convenient via fast modern highways. Beijing has a very modern subway network and many buses to take you to its many attractions across the city.

Air Transport

Beijing Capital International Airport is the largest airport in China, the busiest in Asia, and second busiest in the world in terms of passenger throughput. It is located about 25 kilometers (16 miles) northeast of central Beijing. Click here for more on Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing International Flights and Procedures.

Airport to City Transport

Hotel Shuttle: The best and easiest way is to go by hotel shuttle. Most major hotels will have this service. When making a hotel reservation, be sure to ask for airport shuttle service from the airport.

Airport Taxi: The legitimate taxis form a long queue outside the Arrival Hall, but taxis move quickly so you won't wait long. At the head of the line a dispatcher will give you your taxi's number, which is useful in case of complaints. The charge will be at least 100CNY, but pay according to the meter, which includes an expressway toll of 15CNY. After 23:00, you will pay more.

Beijing Subway: The Airport Express Line runs from Terminal 3 or Terminal 2, via Sanyuanqiao, to Dongzhimen in 16–20 minutes.

Airport Shuttle Bus: The airport shuttle runs every 30 minutes from early 5:30 to 20:00, and cover different routes, including Beijing Railway Station. It costs 25 yuan (about $4).

Train Transport

Although not in Central China, Beijing is probably the best-served city in China with train links. See our searchable timetable for details of over 200 services to and from Beijing. China is however a very large country and that train travel is much slower than air. For example:

Beijing - Xi'an takes about 5 hours.
Beijing - Shanghai takes about 5 hours.
Beijing - Harbin takes about 7 hours.
Beijing - Guangzhou takes about 10 hours.

Train travel may be difficult for some and little English is spoken on most trainsThere are four main railway stations in Beijing that serve the four directions: Beijing Railway Station (serving the east), Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station (also called Yongdingmen Station, not to be confused with Yongdingmen Long-Distance Bus Station) and Beijing North Railway Station (also called Xizhimen Station). Many buses stop at these stations, so you need not worry about getting downtown from these places.

City Transport

Subway
Beijing's Subway has 16 lines. Beijing Subway Map and Timetables

City public buses run from 5:30 till 23:00 daily. Taking buses in Beijing is cheap, but less comfortable than a taxi or the subway. The flat rate for a tram or ordinary public bus is 1 yuan. Buses equipped with air-conditioning or of a special line are charged according to the distance. Few foreigners like getting around by bus, because it is always crowded, especially during rush hours (6:30-9:00 and 17:00-19:00). Some recorded announcements give the stop's name in English. Having your destination in Chinese characters will help. When squeezing onto a crowded bus take care of your wallet, etc.

Minibuses, running from 7:00 to 19:00, charge the flat rate of 2 yuan guaranteeing a seat. They are faster and more comfortable.

Taxis Though Beijing does suffer from congestion, its taxi drivers will find the fastest way to your destination. Bring the name of your destination in Chinese characters if your spoken Chinese is not good. Pedi-cab is a good choice for sightseeing, especially for visiting the narrow Hutongs. You will find pedi-cabs on the street. You should agree on a price with the driver before starting the journey. Legally registered pedi-cabs can be identified by a certificate attached to the cab and the driver has a card hanging around his neck.

Bicycle China used to be called the sea of bicycles and in Beijing today the bike is still a convenient vehicle for most people. Renting a bike may be a better way for you to see this city at your own pace. Bikes can be hired from many hotels for 20–30 yuan/day. A deposit will be required. You can also rent bikes at some bicycle shops for repairing bikes and inflating tires. Their charge for renting bikes there is lower as the bikes are not as new. When needed, you park your bike in a bike park, which can be easily identified by the large amount of bikes on roadsides. The charge is about 1 yuan.

Weather

Beijing Average Climate by Month

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High(°C)	1.11	3.89	11.11	19.44	26.11	30	30.56	29.44	25.56	18.89	10	2.78
Low(°C)	-9.44	-7.22	-1.11	7.22	12.78	17.78	21.11	20	13.89	7.22	-.56	-7.22
Precip(mm)	.1	.2	.4	1	1.1	2.8	6.9	7.2	1.9	.7	.2	.1
High (°F)	34	39	52	67	79	86	87	85	78	66	50	37
Low(°F)	15	19	30	45	55	64	70	68	57	45	31	19

Tours

China Horizon Travel, a travel agent recommended by the PCO of ACL 2015, provides a range of tours to explore China's capital city.

Route	Date	Time
[LT1] Great Wall of Juyongguan - Lunch - Ming Tombs (Chang Ling)	July. 26 / July. 28/ July. 29/ July. 30	08:30-17:00
[LT2] Tiananmen Square - Forbidden City - Lunch - Temple of Heaven	July. 26 / July. 28/ July. 29/ July. 30	08:30-17:00
[LT3] Summer Palace + Lunch + Beijing Zoo (Panda Garden) + Capital Museum	July. 26 / July. 28/ July. 29/ July. 30	08:30-17:00
[LT4] Lama Temple - Lunch - Hutong Tour	July. 26 / July. 28/ July. 29/ July. 30	08:30-17:00
[LT5] Enjoy Beijing Opera	July. 27 / July. 28/ July. 29/ July. 30	18:00-21:30
[LT6] Enjoy Beijing Acrobatic show	July. 27 / July. 28/ July. 29/ July. 30	18:00-21:30
[LT7] Kung Fu Show	July. 27 / July. 28/ July. 29/ July. 30	18:00-21:30
[LT8] Shicha Lake Evening Cruise	July. 27 / July. 28/ July. 29/ July. 30	18:00-21:30

Notes for LT:

»The tours fee includes transportation, lunch, admission fees and an English-speaking tour guide. The evening activity includes transportation, ticket and the guide.
»The attendees will gather at the lobby of China National Convention Center (CNCC). The gathering time will be shown on your tickets. Please be there 5 minutes prior to the departure time.
»The tickets should be purchased at least one day before the event. No refund once purchased.
»The program is subject to be changed according to the local situation.

Information for Payment

»Conference attendees can order your routes in two ways: (1) contact Mrs. Simone Zhao via email or phone; (2) order onsite at the conference venue.
»For the payment, we have two options: with cash in RMB or with credit card. 4% service charge will be added for the payment with credit card.
»If you need some tours to the other cities in China like Xi’an ( Terra Cotta Army) or Guilin ( The Li river), we can also organize private tours for you.

For more tour information, please contact

»Name: Mrs Simone Zhao
»Affiliation: China Horizon Travel
»Address: RM506, Building 2, Yongli Guoji, 21, Gongtibeilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100027, China
»Email: simone@chinahorizontravel.com
»Telephone: 0086 - 10 - 8460 6867
»Mobilephone: 0086 – 188 1105 2299
»Fax: 0086 - 10 - 8460 4528