Overview

As befits a city with Beijing's rich and lengthy history, some of the world's most impressive attractions are to be found in this northern Chinese metropolis. There's a long list of must-sees in Beijing, from the Forbidden City to the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall. There are also modern icons like Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People. Most visitors' hardest issue is choosing what to see first.

Forbidden City

This masterpiece of imperial power epitomises the mighty eras of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The architecture, layout and beauty of its perfect design is nothing short of inspirational. Try to come early in the morning before the hoards of tourist groups descend on the site. There are 9,000 rooms in the city, and the onsite Palace Museum provides the chance to admire the collection of 900,000 relics from China's imperial past.

Tiananmen Square

The world's largest public square is considered Mao's response to the Forbidden City, capable of holding a million people when needed. It's a true icon of the Maoist era of China's modern transition, and a fascinating place just to watch the scenery pass by. There are a dozen essential attractions surrounding the square, and even just admiring the massive portrait of Mao is a highlight.

Summer Palace

This stunning piece of ancient Chinese architecture deserves its World Heritage status, and offers a genuine look inside the opulence of imperial China during the Qing dynasty of the 1700s. Ornate pavilions, perfect gardens, walkways and bridges over ponds make this a fairyland of Asian culture and style.

Great Wall

Beijing is one of the best centres for exploring the Great Wall of China, an icon of human engineering that you should not miss if you're this close to it. Stretching across 4,000 miles of undulating terrain, it took nearly 2,000 years to complete. The Badaling section is the most accessible from Beijing, and also the most crowded. Consider a daytrip to the Shan Ling, Si Ma Tai, or Huang Shan sections, which are much quieter and even more scenic.

Temple of Heaven

This distinctive temple was the exclusive centre of worship for the Ming and Qing dynasties, and remains one of Beijing's premier spiritual destinations. Built in the early 1400s, visitors are allowed to explore the four main sections: the Vault of Heaven, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Echo Hall, and the Round Altar.

Lama Temple

During the era when China's emperors were focused on Tibetan Buddhism, they built a series of magnificent temples containing five massive halls and courtyards. The design and architecture is simply stunning, and one of the best examples of this temple style in all of Asia. Buddhist monks still live and meditate in the temple, adding to the ambiance.

National Art Museum of China

China's largest art museum has huge exhibition halls that present many of this culture's greatest works of art. There's a definite emphasis on contemporary Chinese art, so if you're an art fan you won't want to miss this impressive museum.

National Museum of China

This is a one-stop cultural institute where you can admire perhaps the greatest collection of historical and cultural relics from the long heritage of China. The nation's history is traced through ancient maps, artefacts, and a great range of permanent and temporary collections.

Overview

Despite hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing is not a very sporty city. There are few spectator sports to enjoy and little infrastructure for outdoor sports. But Beijing does have excellent parks where the locals get their daily exercise, and some fantastic ice skating venues if you're here in winter. Venues like the Beijing Aquarium and zoo are also great places to take a break from the urban jungle.

Beijing Aquarium

Beijing boasts the largest inland aquarium on earth, an impressive venue if you want to see exotic sea creatures from around the world. The attractions here are many, including shark tanks where you can actually dive with these creatures, and a mammal amphitheatre featuring some impressive animal shows. The Amazon rainforest section is also quite interesting.

Beijing Zoo

This is one of the oldest zoos in existence, and focuses mainly on animals that are native to China. This is the main draw to Beijing's zoo, as it offers the chance to see creatures that are not found anywhere else in the world. The pandas are a particular highlight but the gardens and overall grounds are also very pleasant.

Milu Yuan

This park was once the exclusive hunting grounds of the Yuan, Ming and Qing emperors but today it is the best place in Beijing to check out local wildlife in its natural setting. The main wildlife attraction here is the milu deer, which was saved from extinction decades ago. Other endangered animals are also protected here.

Ice skating

Winters are brutal in Beijing, but one way you can keep warm is to strap on some skates and get out on the ice. Ice skating is a popular activity in the city, and there are several excellent rinks to skate at. Local favourites include Beihai Lake, Kunming Lake, and even the frozen moat around the Forbidden City. If skating isn't your thing, try the ice cars akin to box sleds that zip around the ice. Beijing's largest skating rink is Le Cool.

Kite flying

This traditional sport has been a favourite with the Chinese for over 2,000 years, before kites even appeared in the West. Though they can be used to fight, peaceful kite flying can be enjoyed at Tiananmen Square and Ri Tan Gongyuan Park. Kites can be purchased at many markets and shops around the city.

Football (soccer)

Football has finally caught on in China, and Beijing has one of the nation's better teams, Beijing Xiandai. They play their home matches at the Workers' Stadium from April through November, and the games are passionate and great fun to watch.

Dining and shopping

Beijing is widely regarded as one of China's, if not Asia's, premier cities to dine out in. There are thousands of places to eat. Most of them are excellent, while some of them are simply superlative. From humble street stalls selling steaming noodles late into the night to exclusive Chinese fusion restaurants where you probably won't even be able to get a reservation during your visit, there's something for everyone in Beijing.

Although Sichuan style fare is the hottest genre of Chinese cuisine in Beijing these days, visitors can find most other styles of Chinese cooking as well as top-notch cuisine from Europe and other regions of Asia. Perhaps the most famous dish from Beijing is Peking roast duck, which should be tried at least once. When you do try this delicacy, however, this is one experience worth splashing out on at one of the more established restaurants in the city like Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant or Bianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant.

The hot pot is another speciality in Beijing, allowing customers to cook their meat by themselves at their table. Shark fin soup and abalone is a major, if somewhat controversial, delicacy readily available in Beijing restaurants. Most of the luxury hotels house fine dining restaurants, but the Chaoyang district and Sanlitun Pub Street are also lined with good cheap eateries.

The trend for shopping in Beijing is unmistakably focused on Western-style mega-malls, department stores and dedicated shopping streets. Weekends and evenings unleash a flood of consumers into the shops so if you want to enjoy your shopping experience, consider planning it during the day hours.

Thankfully, there are still plenty of traditional Beijing market areas where you can find a shopping atmosphere that you'd expect to see in one of China's oldest cities. Open-air markets and street-side vendors offer goods at much lower prices than in the modern stores and give you a more memorable experience. Visitors can find good deals on silk, cashmere, traditional art, Mao memorabilia, and antiques. Just remember that that China is the world's nexus of fake goods so purchase carefully and don't expect bargains on rare things.

Beijing's premier shopping district is Wangfujuing Dajie, east of the Forbidden City. The street has been transformed into a pedestrian shopping and dining strip and is the trendiest spot in town. Dong An Plaza and Oriental Plaza are good for mall shopping, while Liiulichang in the Qian Men district is a step back in time. Shops here are charming and the streets lined with art galleries, bookshops, antique stores and tea shops that will bring a nostalgic tear to your eye.

Beijing is one of China's top dining destinations, so visitors will have the chance to dine at some of the world's finest Chinese restaurants during their stay. The venues tend to focus on Chinese fare from around the country, with Sichuan cuisine being a hot local favourite. There are endless humble shops and many five-star exclusive joints where you'll be lucky to get a reservation. Wherever you eat, you'll rarely be disappointed.

Overview

The most popular and convenient mode of transport to Osaka is by air to Kansai International Airport. The airport is located around 45 minutes by train from the centre of Osaka. Flights arrive from all over Japan as well as other cities across the world. Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train service is one of the best in the world and provides fast, efficient and comfortable travel from most cities within the country. Getting around Osaka is painless with a variety of public transport options including trains, buses and metered taxis.

Airports

Positioned 31 miles southwest of Osaka is Kansai International Airport, which provides the main gateway for all international connections. The airport is the second busiest in all of Japan and caters to 50 airline carriers arriving from 72 cities around the world. 

Kansai International Airport provides extensive facilities with over 35 restaurants and bars, a wide variety of duty-free shops, newsstands, wireless Internet facilities, banking and postal services as well as childcare and medical clinics. There are several nearby hotels with shuttle services that provide a convenient option for late or early flights.

Getting to downtown Osaka from the airport is relatively painless with several modes of transport available. The rail service is a popular option with trains leaving every 20 minutes into the city taking approximately 45 minutes. There are special airport express bus services that travel in between the city and airport all day long. 

Metered taxis are in abundance at the airport’s taxi stand with trips taking around 50 minutes depending on traffic. Most of the major hotels offer free pick up services, so it is worth checking when you book your accommodation.

Public transportation

Japan’s railway network is one of the best in the world with fast, clean and efficient services in between most major cities in the country. The Shinkansen bullet trains are the fastest but also the most expensive. Travel time from Tokyo to Osaka is only two hours and 15 minutes. Express trains are available as well as regular trains albeit travel times are longer. Tickets for all services can be booked in advance or at the train stations before travel.

Long distance buses are also available with services travelling from numerous Japanese cities including Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Fukuoka, Nagoya, Hiroshima and Yokohama. Buses and coaches vary in space, amenities and price with travel time taking longer than trains. Osaka is home to a large seaport that services ferries from several cities within Japan as well as Korea and Shanghai.

Within Osaka, travelling around the city is extremely easy thanks to an extensive network of trains, buses and taxis. The inner-city rail service connects all the major areas of the city together with a vast and easy-to-use network. As signs are posted in English the service is easy for foreigners to use.

Local buses, although efficient and well-routed with services to most areas, are somewhat difficult to use without a local guide or grasp of the local language. Metered taxis are readily available and provide a convenient way to travel at night. Taxis are relatively expensive and drivers generally speak little English so it is best to take an address or map to show the driver.