Visiting Beijing

Beijing is definitely one of the most visited cities in the world. Millions of visitors flock to Beijing every year with the sole intention of visiting the capital, an eclectic blend of old and new. Beijing is a city that never sleeps; there is always something to do no matter what hour of the day it is or what your interests are. There are hundreds of tourist scenic spots and historical sites – some walkable, some a little far from the city center; it takes time to experience everything that the city has to offer. If you are only able to spare a few days, economize by witnessing the top ten attractions of Beijing. In doing so, you will have experienced at least the essence of Beijing, whether your stay lasts for a few days, or even just a weekend.

Language
Currency
Credit Cards
Time
Electricity
Visa
Telephone
Transportation

Mandarin is the official language in the Chinese capital and is understood by most Chinese people. A large number of local young Chinese speak fluent English. Employees at star-rated hotels speak English. Pinyin, the Chinese phonetic system, helps to speak mandarin in a more accurate way that Chinese people understand. The local dialect in Beijing sounds quite close to mandarin because mandarin is based on the northern language in China.

Renmibi (RMB) is the local currency in China. The basic currency unit is yuan, known popularly as "kuai" in colloquial language. One yuan equals 10 jiao or 100 fen. There are 8 paper notes in circulation: 100 yuan, 50 yuan, 20 yuan, 10 yuan, 5 yuan, 2 yuan, 1 yuan and 0.5 yuan (or 5 jiao).

Visa, MasterCard and American Express are the most common. Cards can be used in most mid to top-range hotels, Friendship and department stores, but cannot be used to finance your transportation costs.

GMT+8, Beijing Time is the benchmark time for all the regions and cities across the country, which actually covers four geographic time zones.

The electric current in China is 220 volt. Hotels generally provide power outlets accommodating both straight two-pin plug and triangular 3-pin Chinese plugs.

A tourist visa is mandatory to enter China and can be obtained at Chinese embassies and consulates worldwide. A passport needs to be carried all the time, since it will be required when checking in at a hotel, buying a flight ticket or changing money. It is strongly recommended that you apply for your visa in good time as the process may take several weeks subject to administration procedures in your country.

Telephone codes
Country code: +86
Beijing code: 010. Drop the first zero when calling from abroad. When making local calls in Beijing you can drop the 010 altogether.
Outgoing international code: 00 + country code
Directory inquiries: 114. If you start speaking English, you will be transferred to an operator who speaks English.

Beijing, which means «Northern Capital», is very well served by its international Capital Airport. Transport links to and from the city are equally well covered by either the train (Airport Express) which connects with the metro system or by taxi. It is recommended to only use the taxis from the official airport taxi rank.
Taxi fares from the airport to the area around CAFA average approximately 70 Yuan (Chinese RNB or approximately USD 11). Travel time is approximately 20 minutes to cover the 20km distance outside the rush hour.
Taxi fares between the congress venue (CAFA) and the city centre are approximately 40 yuan (approx USD 7) and, take about 30 minutes.
The Beijing metro is modern, clean, efficient and very safe. A single adult fare costs 2 yuan (approx 0.40 USD). All the metro signage and announcements on the trains are clearly given in Chinese and English.

Beijing Tourism Promotion Video
copyright: Beijing Toursim Administration

For more information about visiting Beijing, please visit
http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/

Temple of Heaven