Lonely Planet Beijing

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• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781786575203
• eBook ISBN: 9781787010505

#1 best-selling guide to Beijing* Lonely Planet Beijing is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Scale the Great Wall, sip a cocktail in an historic alleyway, or go ice skating with the locals in Houhai; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Beijing and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet Beijing Travel Guide: Full-colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, hutong, architecture, religion, literature, visual arts, music, cinema, Peking Opera, festivals, cuisine, shopping Free, convenient pull-out Beijing map (included in print version), plus 30 colour maps Covers Chaoyang, the Forbidden City, Xicheng, Dongcheng, Sanlitun, Beihai Park, Wudaokou, Haidian, Dashilar, the Temple of Heaven and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Beijing, our most comprehensive guide to Beijing, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled. Looking for just the highlights of Beijing? Check out Pocket Beijing, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip. Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet China guide for a comprehensive look at all the country has to offer. About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. The world awaits! Lonely Planet guides have won the TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Award in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times *Best-selling guide to Beijing. Source: Nielsen BookScan. Australia, UK and USA eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedd

Forbidden City & Dōngchéng Central

Sights

Eating

Drinking & Nightlife

Entertainment

Shopping

Activities

Forbidden City & Dōngchéng Central

Neighborhood Top Five

1Forbidden City Marvel at the might, splendour and sheer scale of the world’s largest palace complex and the place 24 consecutive emperors of China called home.

2Tiān’ānmén Square Place yourself at the symbolic heart of the Chinese universe with a visit to this quintessential Běijīng sight.

3National Centre for the Performing Arts Enjoy a show or just stare open-mouthed at the sci-fi architecture itself.

4Jǐngshān Park Rise early to get the most out of this area’s wonderful imperial parks.

5National Museum of China Peruse the galleries of the city’s best museum with exquisite ceramics, calligraphy and artifacts.

Explore Forbidden City & Dōngchéng Central

The most historically significant part of Běijīng, Dōngchéng Central comprises much of what was once the Imperial City, at the heart of which lay the Forbidden City, from where emperors ruled China for more than 500 years.

The hútòng (narrow alleyways) fanning out to the north and east of the Forbidden City were where the members of the imperial court once lived, and are fascinating places to explore on foot or by bicycle. You can even base yourself here by settling in to one of this area's charming courtyard hotels.

You’ll need at least a couple of days to visit all the best sights in this history-rich neighbourhood; figure on half a day for the Forbidden City alone.

Food options are strong, with cuisine from across China well represented, as well as street markets and some of the capital's more unusual fine-dining establishments. Nightlife is relatively thin on the ground, though.

Local Life

AFood Tuck into authentic Běijīng grub at Zuǒ Lín Yòu Shè or Yuèbīn Fànguǎn. The street-food markets near Wángfǔjǐng may be fun, but locals find them touristy and overpriced. Enjoy your barbecued skewers from a hole-in-the-wall hútòng joint instead; spot the red neon 串 sign, and you’re good to go.

AParks Jǐngshān Park and Zhōngshān Park are two of Běijīng’s most colourful – and locals, particularly the elderly, love to spend their mornings in t...

Table of contents

• Table of Contents
• Welcome to Beijing
• Beijing's Top 13
• What's New
• Need to Know
• First Time Beijing
• Getting Around
• Top Itineraries
• If You Like...
• Month By Month
• With Kids
• Like a Local
• For Free
• Eating
• Drinking & Nightlife
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Neighbourhoods at a Glance
• Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
• Drum Tower & Dongcheng North
• Temple of Heaven & Dongcheng South
• Beihi Park & Xicheng North
• Dashilar & Xicheng South
• Sanltun & Chaoyang
• Summer Palace & Hidian
• The Great Wall
• Day Trips from Beijing
• Sleeping
• Understand Beijing
• Beijing Today
• History
• Historic Hutong
• Arts
• Architecture
• Religion & Belief
• Transport
• Directory AZ
• Language
• Behind the Scenes
• Beijing Maps
• Our Writers