The Forbidden City in Beijing – houses the Imperial Palace. Take a guided tour and find out more about the imperial history of China. One of the world’s largest squares, Tiananmen Square is also situated close to the Forbidden City.

Shichahai Lakes – the three lakes, Qianhai, Houhai Xihai, in Beijing surrounded by lively restaurants and bars. You can hire a rowing boat at the nearly Behai Park and enjoy Beijing’s beautiful surroundings.

Temple of Heaven – built for ceremonies to praise Heaven and the Emperor, the Son of Heaven.

Beijing’s National Stadium (The “Bird’s Nest”) – admire this fantastic Olympic arena built for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Hutongs (Beijing’s traditional narrow streets) – take a cycle rickshaw through the narrow alleys in Shichahai and see the old side of China.

Great Wall of China – take a day trip and experience the feeling of walking on part of this ancient wonder of the world. About 1 hour 45 minutes by taxi from Tian An Men Square.

Ming Dynasty Tombs – 60 minutes from Beijing. This gigantic cemetery where 13 emperors from the Ming Dynasty are buried can be reached on a day trip from Beijing.

Chengde – a city with an ancient imperial summer palace, where visitors can enjoy genuine Chinese and Tibetan architecture. 4 hours from Beijing.

Beijing has a broad variety of shopping options, and clothes are particularly inexpensive. There are also plenty of local handicraft stores to choose between. Be aware, however, that antiques labeled as “genuine” rarely are.

Nanluoguxiang located in Beijing’s Dongcheng district, nearly a kilometer of fashion and design stores, as well as other shopping alternatives all with a genuine hutong (narrow lane or alleyway) feel. Other shopping centers worth visiting are Xidan and Wangfujing – both offering stores and malls with clothes, accessories, electronic goods and much more as well as high-class shopping and luxury restaurants.

Xiushui (Silk Street) is a shopping center with stores where you can find cheap goods for sale in Beijing. However beware that many items may not be genuine.

Hongqiao (Pearl) Market – pearls and other beautiful jewelry are the primary offering here, but other items such as clothes, toys and electronic devices are also available. Panjiayuan Flea Market is another market where you can find art and antiques plus any other kind of shopping you could wish for.

Electronic – in Zhongguancun electronic market in Beijing there is an endless range of electronic devices and tech gadgets to buy, but be aware of the varied quality of the products.

When it comes to Chinese cuisine, visitors to Beijing can find just about everything on offer, featuring a wide variety of tastes, textures and colours. It is common in Beijing to eat snacks sold at street stalls, so do what the Chinese do: take an evening stroll and try a little of everything as you walk along. For those brave enough to try something different, how about fried scorpion or grilled millipede?

Beijing roast duck (Beijing kaoya) – small slices of crispy duck dipped in hoisin sauce and usually wrapped in a pancake.

Mongolian/Beijing Hot Pot – a simple fondue with meat or seafood, cabbage and noodles.

Beijing Zhajiangmian – pork, noodles and vegetables served with zhajiang, a salty fermented soybean paste.

Spring rolls (chūn juǎn) – these come in all kinds of different forms and with a variety of fillings.

Jiaozi – dumplings filled with pork, cabbage or scrambled eggs that are then fried to create a wonderful crispy skin.

Chao Ge Da – a kind of fried pasta snack.

Chao Gan – a snack of stir-fried liver boiled with offal, garlic, soy sauce and starch.

Guang Chang – a pork sausage snack that is steam cooked, sliced and fried.

Tea is often served to you with food, but you can of course order water, soda, beer or wine as well.

Subway – Beijing’s subway system is fast, reliable and inexpensive.

Taxi – using a taxi in Beijing is simple and very good value. Write down your destination and make sure the meter is running. Beware of private taxis.