BEIJING - China's Capital (Please READ Page 1 Before Posting Queries)

[Anthony852]

This is a very good information to all who want to visiting China in their upcoming plans. I've also a plan to go there with my family and enjoy the natural beauty,

[regie101]

I will need to rearrange the entire itinerary.

First, I don't think there are Peking Operas inside the Egg. They are usually performed in opera houses.

Read my comments about Silk Market on Page 1. Parang Greenhills/168 lang yan.

There's no need to cram a lot of things in Day 1 because your last day is still empty.

The FC is massive. 1 hour is absolutely not enough.

Day 1: Tiananmen -> FC -> National Museum -> Temple of Heaven -> Qianmen -> Egg
Day 2: Mutianyu -> Beijing Zoo/Tianyi Market (to kill time) -> Olympic Park by 7PM -> Optional Sanlitun after
Day 3: Leave Red Lantern at 8AM. 6 hours for Tianjin is enough. Do not buy a return ticket because you might decide to go back earlier. Culture street only needs 1 hour at most.
Day 4: Summer Palace -> Beihai/Jingshan -> Houhai -> Nanluoguxiang
Day 5: Shopping (Depends what you want to shop)

Pwede din Sanlitun before Olympic. But if you will arrive Beijing around 5pm already on Day 2, get dinner first then go to Olympic. I doubt you need the whole day for Mutianyu.

okay noted on these commoner. thanks sa pagrearrange ng itinerary. sorry kung obvious n inde pa aki nagresearch at nagbasa ng todo about beijing. salamat ulit ng marami

[Darkcloud001]

flight leaves 7:30pm later guys! Excited for this! Salamat sa lahat esp. commoner

[patheticbaka]

^^ Darkcloud001, mukhang sabay tayo ng flight! 7:30pm din today ang alis namin! hahahaha

boss commoner, salamat sa help! malapit ko na maayos ang itinerary namin... hahaha medyo inayos ko na.

quick Q lang ulit guys, yung bus ba to mutianyu ba na 867 does it alight directly sa great wall (i mean no need to take another ride pagreat wall)? and on the way back kung saan kami ibababa, dun din ang sakayan to dongzhimen?

and worth it ba na DIY lang if i am with my mom and younger sister? i've read na it's doable but my worry are my companions dahil sa akin lang sila aasa for directions.

thanks!

[fashionmum]

Beijing Trip Report

Day 1:
Arrived Beijing at 1am. Immigration was a breeze. Weather was fine. Exchanged 200USD inside the airport near the baggage carousel. Rate is 1 usd= 6.159rmb, with processing fee of 58rmb.
There are better rates sa banks outside (or even in the hotel) as I was told.

Went out to the taxi queue. Taxi driver asked for 300rmb but we insisted on paying by the meter..because I read taxi to our hotel should only cost usd around
100-120rmb...ended up paying 140rmb. Bring or show a map/address with chinese translation to the driver...it helps because our driver did not know our hotel (that's what he said). We booked at Four Points by Sheraton, Haidian.

Woke up @10am..went to Beijing Zoo via taxi.
Entrance paid was 40rmb(20 each) only. I guess they did not charge us for our kid.
The zoo is quite huge...and am surprised to see that it was well kept.
Went to see the giant panda...my daughter was so happy to finally see a real-life panda(mission accomplished!). Even got to record the panda scratching his butt...hehehe

When we were about to leave the zoo to go to Olympic park..it started to rain...
We waited outside the zoo entrance for the rain to stop...and when it did, we went down to the subway station to grab a bite. We found shops and had KFC. Went back up and went inside the building beside the zoo entrance. Para siyang st francis mall tiangge setup. Went around but did not buy anything. Alongside the building is Yoshinoya.

Waited for a cab for like 30 mins... madalang huminto ang taxi. Pero madaming private cars ang humihinto sa amin...and it seems nag-aalok sila ng ride (Chinese kasi hindi namin maintindihan). We just ignored them.

My impression of China has really changed because of this trip. It is at par with HongKong and Singapore, I must say. Skyscrapers everywhere, roads are wide and the streets are clean. Downside is, very few speak and understand English.

DAY 2:
Our tour guide contacted us last night to pick us up at 7am. Malayo daw kasi yung hotel namin so, she has to pick us up earlier.
We availed of the tour package from asiatravel.com for $15 each. So, 45$ ~280rmb total.
She dropped us off at McDonalds at Chinatown to have some breakfast while she fetched the others joining the tour. An Australian family of 4 joined us in the tour.

So, 7 lang kami sa tour.

First stop was the Ming Tombs. We just went the ChangLing Tomb museum.
Nothing much to see...just some old artifacts.

Second stop: Jade Factory. They showed us how the jade ball of happiness is made. We did not plan to buy anything so we just walked around the shop and waited for lunch.
Lunch was served at the restaurant connected to the jade shop. We were served 10 different dishes (2 vegetables, 3 chicken, 2 pork, 1beef, fried lumpia,fries, soup, rice, fruits). Drinks not included, you can buy soda for 10rmb. Food was okay, it was filling.

Third Stop: Badaling Great Wall. Paid additional 80rmb each for the 2-way cable car ride. It was scorching hot, so climb was a challenge. Some areas are really steep that you really need to hold onto the railings. That part of the wall was crowded..but the view from above was just breathtaking. We did not stay much longer as my daughter is feeling nauseous(she's afraid of heights) and she did mark the wall! . I think we spent only an hour at the wall and waited for the rest of the crew to finish.

And yes, on our way to the Great wall we saw an abandoned amusement park..which she said was supposed to be Disneyland...but because of some problems(the farmers living there refused to relocate) it was stopped. But she said, that another Disneyland is being built in Shanghai.

Fourth stop: our tour guide asked us to choose if we will go to the silk factory or the tea factory.
But our Aussie friends asked if they can do both...and she said, we can as both are just adjacent to each other. We really do not plan to do/buy anything from there, so wherever is okay.
We actually enjoyed the Silk factory tour where they show you how they make the silk from the cocoon. It is tempting to buy the linens they are selling. But again, we do not plan to buy anything.. period!

Since the Olympic Park is just near that area(distance is like a walk from Buendia-Ayala Ave. to Glorietta), we told our guide that she need not drop us back to the hotel as we plan to go to the Olympic Park. From the teahouse/silk factory, to our right (where there is a totem pole), just cross that street and turn left..and walk straight to the Olympic Park. Took pictures of the Water Cube and the Birds Nest. Had a snack at McDonalds then went back to the hotel by taxi.

Day 3:
Woke up at 8am, had breakfast and went to the Summer Palace by taxi. Costed us 18rmb.
We did not get the audioguide and just bought the map(for souvenir). Got the 'Through Ticket' for 60rmb each. Did not bother to ask for discount as my hubby and kid is busy taking pictures already at the entrance (but i think my child could have gotten the free entrance).
We entered from the New Palace Gate. The Summer Palace is so huge. The weather was cloudy at first...so strolling and sitting by the lake enjoying the view is very refreshing. We got lost inside because we do not know how to reach the highest tower -- Tower of the Buddhist Incense. We saw a covered walkway(it is called the Long Corridor) and just followed the people walking and it led us right in front of the entrance to the Tower. It is another long walk up the stairs to the tower...so
super pagod na naman kami.

We saw a souvenir shop -- Beijing Gifts -- which apparently is just a new souvenir shop project set up by the government. They sell nice souvenir items (snack food, trinkets, paintings and other handicrafts) in nice packaging also. And the prices are not expensive. We bought some snack items called tuckahopie (para syang hostia na malaki na may palaman sa loob) and some sweet potato snack. We plan to buy more pag pauwi na ng Pinas...hoping to see more branches.

Went back to the hotel and checked-out kasi we will transfer to Novotel Xinqiao.
On our way to the hotel, we passed by The Egg, and Tiananmen Square.
Our taxi costed us 62rmb.

We booked Novotel Xinqiao via asiatravel.com for 2nights inclusive of buffet breakfast.
There is free wifi in the hotel so we can do a lot of research.

We were choosing of either going to Wangfujing or Qianmen at night..but we are all so tired so I suggested we just go for dinner at Da Dong restaurant in Jinbao Place.
Just infront of the hotel is the entrance to Chongwenmen subway station. The station is an interchange for Line 2 and Line 5, so it is very convenient. We went off at Line 5 - Dengshikou station and and exited across Regent Hotel. We walked to our right going to Jingbao Street. In the corner is Legendale Hotel and beside is Jinbao Place. 5th floor is reserved only for Da Dong restaurant.

It was a full house, and we were asked to wait at the bar for at around 45 mins to be seated. We enjoyed the ambiance and the open kitchen where they roast the duck. It was a 'show' that kept us entertained plus there are free drinks (cucumber water, juices, and some wine).
We ordered half roast duck, chef's special spicy shrimp with peanuts and yang zhou rice.
The chef prepared and sliced the duck infront of our table..our order came out only a handful..hahaha..because the duck is so lean..and the meat is i think only half an inch to its bone..
wish we could have ordered more! The waitress showed us how to prepare the pancake/bun with the roast duck and condiments (of cucumber, melon, onion,
leeks, hoisin sauce, sugar, etc.). The roast duck is divine..my daughter(who is very picky ) loved it. There was free soup, sorbet and lychees for dessert. I'll give our Dadong experience 5 out of 5 stars.

Day 4:
Today, we were supposed to go to Tianjin..but my husband asked me what's there to see..and I told him some european architecture..and he was not interested so we decided to just forego Tianjin.
Had breakfast at 8am in the hotel. Breakfast food was okay but not great. Had congee and eggs, and fruits.

We went to Tiananmen/Forbidden City. Transferred to Line 1 to Tiananmen East and followed the subway exit to Tiananmen (not Tiananmen Plaza because it will
lead to the Square which is across the street). Took pictures at the entrance with Chairman Mao then headed inside to the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City. Paid only 120rmb, 60each(my kid free again). There is a student discount, just show the id.

Went and took pictures of the temples. After the Hall of Harmony(ies), we got tired and decided to go out. We went back to the Meridian Gate but there is no exit sign. There is a sign for "East Gate" but we are not sure if it is the exit, we followed the east gate arrow but still feeling lost..went back and asked the guy at the Meridian gate storage room where the exit is...and he said just follow the "East Gate". So we did and finally we exited to another area (east side of the wall i think).

There is a tram ride for 1rmb to the south gate (near meridian gate) which we should have taken..because it is still quite a long walk going to the south gate.

After Forbidden City, we headed off to Line 5-Tiantandongmen station for the Temple of Heaven. To the right of the subway exit is the entrance to the Temple of Heaven. But my husband is already getting tired of the temples...so we decided to go to Hongqiao Pearl Market instead, which is just across the street.
We bought lots of souvenir items there... kids shirts for 20rmb, adult shirts for 30rmb, magnets for 4rmb, souvenir plates for25rmb, silk fans for 15rmb. Ate at KFC near Hongqiao Market.
Went back to the hotel for some rest.

We went to Wangfujing Street at night. Wangfujing is like Orchard Rd in Singapore/ Temple Street in HK, ..there are plenty shops around. The road is actually closed to traffic..so you can walk around the area freely. We went through the Snack Street alley..there you can see stalls selling exotic snack food like starfish, scorpions on sticks, etc. We did not have the guts to buy and eat...we just took pictures. went around and through the alley where there is a long stretch of souvenir item shops. Ate at KFC again.
We saw another 'Beijing Gifts' shop inside a mall but it is already closed as it was already past 10pm.

Day 5:
We decided that this day is a rest day. We had breakfast at the hotel at 8.30am..and just stayed in our room till 2pm. Checked-out and left our luggage at the hotel's storage room.
We went to Qianmen, which is just 1 stop from Chongwenmen station (Line 2). I liked Qianmen more than Wangfujing (it must be better at night, i think). It reminded me of Senado Square in Macau. There are plenty of international brand shops. Got to buy sale items at Uniqlo(Disney kids shirts at 39rmb, adult long sleeve blouses at 59rmb) and H&M. Ate at McDonalds.

Went back to the hotel at around 530pm and headed to the airport at around 7pm. Taxi costs 90rmb to the airport-terminal 2. Had dinner at one of the Tea
Houses on the 3rd floor. Went inside the checkin counters at 830pm...but still the counters are closed. They opened at 10pm.

During our stay, minsan lang umulan..nun lang 1st day....all the rest was either fair or very hot. Especially sa Great Wall...kung saan wala ka malililiman...I suggest you bring hats/caps and lots of drinking water.

Touring Beijing is quite easy, subway is easy to follow. 2rmb lang each trip...better know pala which subway exit you should go out kasi you might end up at the wrong side of the road. Better know the landmarks near the subway exits. Kasi pagbalik namin ng hotel..lagi kami nalalayo...Exit to Novotel Xinqiao is Exit A2.

In the hotel pala, they have this small card where it says, "Please take me to"..then the list of tourist attractions in english and chinese. very helpful yun. You can just check and show it to the taxi driver.

Overall, this trip is well worth it! Another checkmark on my bucketlist. Would love to visit Beijing again
Thanks to all PEXers especially to commoner who gave valuable tips.

Xie Xie!

[ianers_ianized]

Read my latest blog post of my winter trip to China - Winter Sonata in China

[emelye20]

got our visas last friday! yehey!

excited na for our trip to beijing.

question: does anyone know about tibet cafe and how to get there? would like to try the milk tea sana.

thanks!

[spez]

Beijing Trip Report

Day 1:
Arrived Beijing at 1am. Immigration was a breeze. Weather was fine. Exchanged 200USD inside the airport near the baggage carousel. Rate is 1 usd= 6.159rmb, with processing fee of 58rmb.
There are better rates sa banks outside (or even in the hotel) as I was told.

Went out to the taxi queue. Taxi driver asked for 300rmb but we insisted on paying by the meter..because I read taxi to our hotel should only cost usd around
100-120rmb...ended up paying 140rmb. Bring or show a map/address with chinese translation to the driver...it helps because our driver did not know our hotel (that's what he said). We booked at Four Points by Sheraton, Haidian.

Woke up @10am..went to Beijing Zoo via taxi.
Entrance paid was 40rmb(20 each) only. I guess they did not charge us for our kid.
The zoo is quite huge...and am surprised to see that it was well kept.
Went to see the giant panda...my daughter was so happy to finally see a real-life panda(mission accomplished!). Even got to record the panda scratching his butt...hehehe

When we were about to leave the zoo to go to Olympic park..it started to rain...
We waited outside the zoo entrance for the rain to stop...and when it did, we went down to the subway station to grab a bite. We found shops and had KFC. Went back up and went inside the building beside the zoo entrance. Para siyang st francis mall tiangge setup. Went around but did not buy anything. Alongside the building is Yoshinoya.

Waited for a cab for like 30 mins... madalang huminto ang taxi. Pero madaming private cars ang humihinto sa amin...and it seems nag-aalok sila ng ride (Chinese kasi hindi namin maintindihan). We just ignored them.

My impression of China has really changed because of this trip. It is at par with HongKong and Singapore, I must say. Skyscrapers everywhere, roads are wide and the streets are clean. Downside is, very few speak and understand English.

DAY 2:
Our tour guide contacted us last night to pick us up at 7am. Malayo daw kasi yung hotel namin so, she has to pick us up earlier.
We availed of the tour package from asiatravel.com for $15 each. So, 45$ ~280rmb total.
She dropped us off at McDonalds at Chinatown to have some breakfast while she fetched the others joining the tour. An Australian family of 4 joined us in the tour.

So, 7 lang kami sa tour.

First stop was the Ming Tombs. We just went the ChangLing Tomb museum.
Nothing much to see...just some old artifacts.

Second stop: Jade Factory. They showed us how the jade ball of happiness is made. We did not plan to buy anything so we just walked around the shop and waited for lunch.
Lunch was served at the restaurant connected to the jade shop. We were served 10 different dishes (2 vegetables, 3 chicken, 2 pork, 1beef, fried lumpia,fries, soup, rice, fruits). Drinks not included, you can buy soda for 10rmb. Food was okay, it was filling.

Third Stop: Badaling Great Wall. Paid additional 80rmb each for the 2-way cable car ride. It was scorching hot, so climb was a challenge. Some areas are really steep that you really need to hold onto the railings. That part of the wall was crowded..but the view from above was just breathtaking. We did not stay much longer as my daughter is feeling nauseous(she's afraid of heights) and she did mark the wall! . I think we spent only an hour at the wall and waited for the rest of the crew to finish.

And yes, on our way to the Great wall we saw an abandoned amusement park..which she said was supposed to be Disneyland...but because of some problems(the farmers living there refused to relocate) it was stopped. But she said, that another Disneyland is being built in Shanghai.

Fourth stop: our tour guide asked us to choose if we will go to the silk factory or the tea factory.
But our Aussie friends asked if they can do both...and she said, we can as both are just adjacent to each other. We really do not plan to do/buy anything from there, so wherever is okay.
We actually enjoyed the Silk factory tour where they show you how they make the silk from the cocoon. It is tempting to buy the linens they are selling. But again, we do not plan to buy anything.. period!

Since the Olympic Park is just near that area(distance is like a walk from Buendia-Ayala Ave. to Glorietta), we told our guide that she need not drop us back to the hotel as we plan to go to the Olympic Park. From the teahouse/silk factory, to our right (where there is a totem pole), just cross that street and turn left..and walk straight to the Olympic Park. Took pictures of the Water Cube and the Birds Nest. Had a snack at McDonalds then went back to the hotel by taxi.

<snip>

@fashionmum,

Nice Trip Report!

Para akong na-dejavu a.. almost same ang IT natin with a few mix and match and minor differences.. hehe

Pareho tayo nagtravel with 1 kid.. daughter din ba? how old na sya? sa amin 10 years old..

Mas matagal lang kayo 5 whole days kayo, kami mga 3 full days lang (2 full days plus 2 half-days)

Question lang.. is the Beijing Zoo a whole day affair? Parang Ocean Park or Disney Land na full day kelangan?

Mura nga ang entrance.. galing na kasi kami sa Chimelong Safari in Guangzhou (na waaaayy more expensive ang entrance fee.. haay, if i had to do it again I'd have skipped Guangzhou altogether... medyo gumastos kami dun di naman ganun ka worth it...)

Sayang Day 2 nyo.. wala nga daw makita sa Ming Tombs.. pwede sana nag Badaling GW + Summer Palace kayo, naka 2 in 1 na sa IT nyo... pero good nakapunta kayo sa Olympic on the same day.. kami di namin natuloy...

Just curious.. any reason why nagtransfer kayo ng Hotel? hows Sheraton? more expensive ba?

Mas ok talaga sa Novotel no? love that place.

Also, did you try the bakery beside it? ang bango at masasarap mga bread nila dun.. talo BreadTalk.. hehe

[fashionmum]

@fashionmum,

Nice Trip Report!

Para akong na-dejavu a.. almost same ang IT natin with a few mix and match and minor differences.. hehe

Pareho tayo nagtravel with 1 kid.. daughter din ba? how old na sya? sa amin 10 years old..

Mas matagal lang kayo 5 whole days kayo, kami mga 3 full days lang (2 full days plus 2 half-days)

Question lang.. is the Beijing Zoo a whole day affair? Parang Ocean Park or Disney Land na full day kelangan?

Mura nga ang entrance.. galing na kasi kami sa Chimelong Safari in Guangzhou (na waaaayy more expensive ang entrance fee.. haay, if i had to do it again I'd have skipped Guangzhou altogether... medyo gumastos kami dun di naman ganun ka worth it...)

Sayang Day 2 nyo.. wala nga daw makita sa Ming Tombs.. pwede sana nag Badaling GW + Summer Palace kayo, naka 2 in 1 na sa IT nyo... pero good nakapunta kayo sa Olympic on the same day.. kami di namin natuloy...

Just curious.. any reason why nagtransfer kayo ng Hotel? hows Sheraton? more expensive ba?

Mas ok talaga sa Novotel no? love that place.

Also, did you try the bakery beside it? ang bango at masasarap mga bread nila dun.. talo BreadTalk.. hehe

My daughter is 7 yrs old.. And just a little over 1.2m ang height...so napapalampas pa ng free entrance.

Yeah, halos pareho nga tayo ng mga napuntahan....we wanted to go to all the places in our orig iti...kaso sa pagod at init ng panahon...mas okay na sa amin ang magrest...we ( me&hubby ) is not in our best form na rin e

We only spent 2-3 hrs sa zoo. We went straight to the giant panda. Then konting ikot...we did not go to the other animal attractions...kasi feeling namin same lang ng ibang zoo.

I just redeemed my spg points kaya sheraton kami for 3 days...it's more of a business hotel and malayo sa center. But we enjoyed our stay there since we were upgraded to the excutive floor and may access kami sa lounge so nakaka free breakfast and snacks kami.

Novotel xinqiao's location is the best! Super convenient dahil sa subway stn right infront.
Room was okay. Medyo maliit and the bed was quite hard...manipis at mababa. Pero okay lang.

Yup, we did try the bakery once lang for breakfast kasi bread lang gusto ng daughter ko. And binaon pa namin yung tira for our flight back home.

Super enjoyed our trip...and feeling ko i did a good job on the budget.

[Darkcloud001]

guys, kakabalik ko lang from Beijing. Hangover pa! Sa dinadami dami ng napuntahan ko, this particular trip was the best of them all. Super enjoy talaga.

Will definitely post my trip report and thank u sa lahat ng tumulong sakin dito sa thread esp. commoner.

I've never felt so sad in leaving a foreign country to go back home. At home na at home na talaga ako dun eh hehe.

Basta I love love love Beijing! Will definitely be back!

[gamtam]

Will try to give back naman to the thread in helping others... by no means expert na kami, Commoner is still the resident expert of course






First, as commoner said,

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z5zm7-cowi.../dontpanic.jpg

1 month to go pa nga.. kami nga 1 week lang nag prepare..hehe

1st things first.. clarify your PLANE TICKETS.

July 5, 7:35pm departure in Manila, arrival is 12:05am
July 9, 1:00 am departure in Beijing, arrival 5:30 am MNL


Are you leaving July 5 (Thu) and arriving July 6 (Fri) in wee morning? You will now just waste 1 day hotel.. tutulog na lang kayo.


Are you then departing Beijing July 9 (Monday) at 1:00 am meaning you only have

July 6
July 7
July 8

so 3 full days.

Do you have kids in your group of 10? Senior Citizens?
Your group will probably be checked in at the hotel past 1:00am already. (assuming no flight delays). Probably sleep 1:30am na. Can you guys wake up and be ready for tour early, around 7:30am? Thats your Day 1.

Maybe Tianmen Square, Forbidden Palace in the morning, Beijing Zoo in the afternoon, Wanfujing at night.


Day 2.
You can go to Great Wall (Mutianyu or Badaling) then Summer Palace then Wanfujing or Qianmen and even Olympic Village if you still have the energy.

Day 3 - practically full day then straight to airport instead of straight to bed.
Dami pang ibang mapuntahan... pick your poison Mix and match na lang, interchangable ang most of the IT except for Great Wall and Summer Palace na away from the city.

I suggest you finish your shopping by the time you checkout (2pm if late checkout is allowed) so you can pack your luggage already, leave them at the concierge, then spend the rest of the afternoon and evening sight seeing (ie., Sanlitun or Olympic Village at night). You can leave for the airport as late as 10pm and have plenty of time for your departure. (not like here in Manila you need 3 or 4 hours before your flight to be at the airport)

Perfectly doable. Depending on your group's stamina of course..

You have a hotel yet? I recommend Novotel Xinquiao.

As Commoner suggested, hire a Van for 10 people. I think mas makakatipid kayo and more convenient.

As per commoner's suggestion, I let go of the first land arrangement. I had time yesterday to speak with Travel China Guide, 364usd/pax yung binibigay sa min, Crowne plaza accommodation. Today I read page 1 and googled Beijing and found http://www.beijinglocaltour.com

Here's the itinerary given to me without hotel accommodation yet:
Number of Person: 10
Hotel: Not available

6th July: Pick you up from Beijing capital airport, then transfer to your hotel for a good rest. Pick you up from your hotel around 10:00am for you could have a good rest first. Then visit Hutong, Tea Culture, Panda House. Enjoy Peking Duck dinner in famous Quanjude restaurant and acrobatics show in the evening. (Lunch+Dinner) 5J672/Manila-Beijing/00:05 arrival

7th July: One day private tour to Badaling Great Wall, Jade Factory and Summer Palace. Have your dinner around Donghuamen Snack street. Then transfer you back to your hotel, you could have some shopping around here. (Lunch)

8th July: One day private tour to Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heave, Chinese Traditional Medicine Culture and Lama Temple. Enjoy Beijing Mongolian Hot Pot and Kungfu show in the evening. After the show, drop you off to Beijing capital airport, see off. 5J673/Beijing-Manila/1:00am departure on 9th July. (Lunch+Dinner)

Tour charge: US$206 (RMB1280)/person
Total charge: US$2060 (RMB12800)

Service package includes:
1. Entrance tickets.
2. All transportation, transfers and tours with private guide and car or van.
3. English-Speaking tour guide.
4. Meals are offered outside the hotel or as specified in the itinerary.
5. Airpot pick up and drop off service.
6. Deluxe private car or van.

What do you think about this tour? Among the hotels that I've asked for quotation are: Hotel Kapok, Red Wall Garden Hotel, Jade Garden Hotel, Novotel Xinqiao, and Park Plaza. But it's Sunday so tomorrow ko pa makukuha yung final quotation.

[commoner]

As per commoner's suggestion, I let go of the first land arrangement. I time yesterday to speak with Travel China Guide, 364usd/pax yung binibigay sa min, Crowne plaza accommodation. Today I read page 1 and googled Beijing and found http://www.beijinglocaltour.com

Here's the itinerary given to me without hotel accommodation yet:
Number of Person: 10
Hotel: Not available

6th July: Pick you up from Beijing capital airport, then transfer to your hotel for a good rest. Pick you up from your hotel around 10:00am for you could have a good rest first. Then visit Hutong, Tea Culture, Panda House. Enjoy Peking Duck dinner in famous Quanjude restaurant and acrobatics show in the evening. (Lunch+Dinner) 5J672/Manila-Beijing/00:05 arrival

7th July: One day private tour to Badaling Great Wall, Jade Factory and Summer Palace. Have your dinner around Donghuamen Snack street. Then transfer you back to your hotel, you could have some shopping around here. (Lunch)

8th July: One day private tour to Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heave, Chinese Traditional Medicine Culture and Lama Temple. Enjoy Beijing Mongolian Hot Pot and Kungfu show in the evening. After the show, drop you off to Beijing capital airport, see off. 5J673/Beijing-Manila/1:00am departure on 9th July. (Lunch+Dinner)

Tour charge: US$206 (RMB1280)/person
Total charge: US$2060 (RMB12800)

Service package includes:
1. Entrance tickets.
2. All transportation, transfers and tours with private guide and car or van.
3. English-Speaking tour guide.
4. Meals are offered outside the hotel or as specified in the itinerary.
5. Airpot pick up and drop off service.
6. Deluxe private car or van.

What do you think about this tour? Among the hotels that I've asked for quotation are: Hotel Kapok, Red Wall Garden Hotel, Jade Garden Hotel, Novotel Xinqiao, and Park Plaza. But it's Sunday so tomorrow ko pa makukuha yung final quotation.

It's too expensive for something with so many factory tours.

Like I said, tours are not necessary. All you need is a van that can accommodate all of you.

[Darkcloud001]

DAY 1 (JUNE 10 - SUNDAY)

- arrived 1am in Beijing, immigration was a breeze, had our hotel arrange pickup for us, driver was waiting outside, took us about 15 minutes to arrive at Happy Dragon Courtyard Hostel. Paid for the entire stay right then and there (5 nights). The room was beautiful, we had an extra bed because there were 3 of us. Went to bed early around 2:30am
- woke up 5am, had to be early since we have a long day ahead. Had our maps ready, printed our kodigo of the locations in Chinese words. Also printed our kodigo for the common words we might be using (re: sim card, subway, bus station, toilet, haha!)
- had breakfast at Golden Phoenix Bakery (fave ko to!), just outside the alley we are in, across the main road paglabas ng alley
- the Zhangzhizhonglu subway station was about a minute's walk from Happy Dragon. We bought the subway guard na refillable, I printed the pic na nasa 1st few pages ng thread na to coz they initially thought yung one-way ticket yung bibilhin ko for 2 yuan. Buti nalang I printed the copy of the card.
- 7AM: first stop was Tiananmen Square, we got off the Tiananmen West station, marami kaming nakitang tourists at sinundan namin, pero papunta pala sila ng Qianmen. So nagpicture taking na rin kami dun, after a few minutes, we crossed through Tiananmen na. After an hour, 8am, nasa Forbidden City na kami, medyo malaki pala, bought our entrance tickets, tapos around 10am, nasa Jingshan Park na kami. We went up the Wanchun Pavilion to get the view from above Forbidden City, after that bumaba na kami papuntang Beihai. 11am, napagod na kami ng kakalakad, we decided to eat at a restaurant na hindi ko alam kung ano yung pangalan basta sa labas lang sya ng Beihai. We skipped Beihai though coz nasusuka na ako sa mga parks that time.
- we tried to look for the nearest subway from Jingshan and we got lost na haha. Naglakad lakad kami for almost an hour until we arrived at the Dongsi Station. Nagtanong tanong lang sa mga locals, pointing the Chinese words for "where's the nearest subway" on our kodigo paper
- nakabalik kami ng Happy Dragon around 1pm, pahinga muna ng konti then 2pm, derecho kami ng Temple Of Heaven. TOH was huuuuuuuge and the sights were so far from each other, I had blisters on my feet sa sobrang kakalakad. Maganda rin ang TOH yun nga lang, super lawak talaga. I think we covered the entire area though.
- balik kami ng hotel around 5pm, pahinga ng konti, then we decided to have dinner in Wangfujing
- 5pm, walking around Wangfujing, had dinner at their McDonald's, bumili ng I Love China thirts sa Giordano, nakasale sila, 3 Tshirts for 150Yuan lang! Original price was supposed to be 120Yuan per shirt. Ang sarap magroam around Wangfujing, pati sa market, parang Orchard Road ang dating.
- returned back to our hotel around 10:30pm, the subway closes around this time pala.

Ayun, that was Day 1, just me and my siblings, our maps, our kodigo, our subway card, nakatipid talaga!

Pics from DAY ONE :

Beautiful Beijing : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=233835dcb4

Tiananmen Square : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=81ccdd680a

Forbidden City : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=1b5ef5c986

Jingshan Park : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=b2e03d77c8

Temple Of Heaven : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=bc980d2bbd

Wangfujing Shopping Street : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=3d672fbfdd

[ianers_ianized]

DAY 1 (JUNE 10 - SUNDAY)

Pics from DAY ONE :

Beautiful Beijing : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=233835dcb4

Tiananmen Square : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=81ccdd680a

Forbidden City : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=1b5ef5c986

Jingshan Park : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=b2e03d77c8

Temple Of Heaven : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=bc980d2bbd

Wangfujing Shopping Street : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=3d672fbfdd

I enjoy viewing your pics... Great trip to China on Summertime. Naalala ko tuloy yung memorable trip din namin last Winter lang. Kakamiss ang Beijing!

[Darkcloud001]

I enjoy viewing your pics... Great trip to China on Summertime. Naalala ko tuloy yung memorable trip din namin last Winter lang. Kakamiss ang Beijing!

thanks po! pics overload nga pero thats how i enjoyed it there talaga eh.

doing Day 2 now post ko in awhile

[pavements]

May naka try na bang bumili ng gold bars/coins through ATM sa Wangfujing? Nakita ko lang sa net na merong ganun dun, gusto ko sanang i try pag punta ko

[Darkcloud001]

Trip report (Day 2 and 3) :

DAY 2 (JUNE 11 - MONDAY)









- wokeup around 7am, breakfast at our hotel, kasama na sa Mutianyu Great Wall package nila, paid 260RMB each, there were 3 of us.
- bus pickup around 8am, arrived at the Mutianyu site 11am, they gave us 3 and a half hrs to roam around the Great Wall.
- crossed via cable car, then picture taking galore na.
- we crossed this area na restriscted. narinig ko yung isang foreigner na babae talking to her friend na may nagsabi sa kanya na superganda daw ng view sa restricted area kaya sinundan namin and ang super ganda nga! Restricted kasi parang edge na at walang railings or something, so unsafe nga pero if you're careful ok talaga magpapic sa cliff at ang ganda ng view
- nag toboggan run rin kami, super saya! i really recommend this to everyone to try this one out
- had lunch at the Mr. Yang Restaurant, pagbalik namin sa baba, kasama na rin sa package
- arrived 4:30pm sa Happy Dragon

- pahinga ng konti, then we decided to go to the Egg. Ang ganda ng park! Futuristic talaga ang dating ng Egg, parang UFO
- balik kami ng Wangfujing for some more shopping, then back at the hostel na

PICS FROM DAY TWO :

MUTIANYU GREAT WALL : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...8&l=8fa4f77cd8

THE EGG (NIGHT SHOTS) : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=8d36f4128f



DAY 3 (JUNE 12 - TUESDAY)

- we decided to hire a car driver to drive us to the following : Summer Palace, Olympic Park and 798 District. Medjo di kami nakapagresearch ng bus routes at parang hindi sila reachable by subway kaya ganun nalang ginawa namin. We paid the driver 700RMB, Happy Dragon na nagprepare ng lahat.
- sinundo kami 8am, then derecho na ng Summer Palace
- ANG GANDA NG SUMMER PALACE, super fave ko, bili kayo ng map, super helpful talaga. The driver gave us 3 hrs to explore the place and I think naikot namin lahat. Ganda talaga ng lugar na to. Mabuti naman at timing rin na nakalabas kami at exactly 12, since he was expecting us that time
- we asked our driver where we can eat, and gusto namin yung sa gitna ng streets para makamura at makaexperience rin ng hawker-style ***** hehe, so dinala nya kami somewhere na di ko alam basta ang mura at ang sarap ng food, walang English names na makikita haha, turo lang ng turo dun sa restaurant at tinuturo yung pagkain ng ibang customers, then dun kami sa streets kumain, may mga mesa naman na nakasetup
- after lunch, we went to the Olympic Park. Kaya namang isubway sana but since we still have enough time, I decided to squeeze it in.
- then around 2pm, derecho kami ng 798 Art District, supercool ng place! Chillout place talaga dito. Ikot ikot lang kami, may map rin ako ng 798 that I got from this handy Top 10 Beijing Guidebook na nabili ko dito sa Pinas.
- met with the driver at around 4:30 then derecho na balik sa Happy Dragon, tipped him 50RMB kasi naman ang bait nya talaga hehe
- At night, we decided to go visit Wangfujing again pero we spent more time inside the Malls Of Oriental Plaza. Uwi balik ng hostel 10:30pm


PICS FROM DAY THREE :

SUMMER PALACE : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=77c1fd90c1

OLYMPIC PARK (I just included yung part na gabi na, pero we went there the day after for the night shots) : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=1995442510

798 ART DISTRICT : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=aeecc49cb6

[commoner]

Thanks for the trip report. Nice to see people really enjoying Beijing.

Ang dami niyong beses nag Wangfujing ah, sana nag Qianmen din kayo, Sanlitun or Xidan.

[Darkcloud001]

DAY 4 (JUNE 13 - WEDNESDAY)

- woke up around 8:30am, we decided to go to The Egg first para kumuha ng day shots, after a few minutes derecho na kami ng Yonghegong Lama Temple. Paglabas ng Yonghegong subway station, may nakita kami tatlong monks, so sabi ko most likely papunta to ng temple kaya ayun sinundan namin at dun nga sila pumunta haha
- Was bored here puro incense lang lahat kaya i just took some pics then paglabas derecho na kami ng Houhai
- lakad lang kami ng lakad then we reached the Drum Tower and Bell Tower, una naming pinuntahan yung Bell Tower para timing paglabas namin dun 1:30pm at may drum performance sa Drum Tower. Magkatabi lang sila so ayun, akyat lang ng akyat
- nagutom kami sa kakalakad so we ate at McDonald's, not sure asan na kami pero we intend to go to the Houhai lake area, yung
may bridge connecting 2 lakes. Sa awa ng Diyos nakita rin nami, asking locals lang using a picture of the lake that i printed online hehe (do this! it helps!)
- after some picture taking, we decided to go to the Prince Gong Mansion, we just took the street address and asked the
locals again, kasama na yung pic ng Prince Gong Mansion. after a few minutes, nariting din namin
- ganda rin ng Prince Gong. Andaming Chinese tourists, halos walang foreigner, kami lang. After going around the place, we searched for the nearest subway and it was Ping Anli Station. Kaya ayon, paglabas, ask lang kami sa mga locals ulit "Ping Anli?" Buti naman alam nila sabay turo ng direction, ayun lakad ng lakad till we reached Ping Anli tapos balik na kami ng hostel
- 8pm, we decided to leave again to take some night shots of the Olympic Park, kasi sabi dito best seen at night, kaya nagsubway ulit kami papunta dun and yeah ang ganda nga! After an hour, medyo umulan so we decided to go back to our hostel and had dinner na rin

PICS FROM DAY FOUR :

YONGHEGONG LAMA TEMPLE : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=fe4a2a9a5e

HOU HAI : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=1cd3739e94

DAY 5 (JUNE 14 - THURSDAY)

- woke up around 6am, time to do some market shopping. Punta kami ng Underground Market, yung malapit sa Beijing Zoo. as always, printed our kodigo, googlemaps, etc. With the help of the locals, naituro rin kami sa entrance ng Zoo Market, medyo mahirap ngang hanapin, pero nakita rin namin. Ok rin naman dun pero mas masarap magshopping sa Platinum Mall ng Bangkok eh. And medyo mahal na for me,
parang presyo na rin ng usual malls sa Pinas, in my opinion
- around noon, we went to the U-Center Mall, I forgot the subway station in front of this, sorry, ok lang parang SM mall lang naman. Had lunch at KFC, then uwi balik ng hostel.
- since it's our last day, my sister and brother decided to do some baking around the hutongs, so after packing my stuff, I decided to have some "me time" and went shopping back at the Malls of the Oriental Plaza. Around 7pm, balik na ako ng hostel for some last minute packing, had dinner with my siblings on this restaurant a couple of blocks from the hostel
- we said goodbye to the girls sa reception, took some pics with them. ang bait talaga nila. My sister who is so machika actually exchanged email addresses with them since they don't have Facebook. To be honest, maiyak iyak na ako coz I really didn't want to leave. I had a great time in this place, especially sa Happy Dragon na ang bait ng mga tao talaga. I promised them I will recommend their hostel to my friends and promised to come back. Seriously, my heart was very heavy na that
time haha. Ganun talaga ang effect if I stay in a hostel compared to the usual hotels eh. Mararamdaman mo talaga iba yung treatment at mas "homey"
- Kumuha kami ng taxi around 9pm to drive us to the airport, paid him 84Yuan, tapos derecho na kami pasok ng Terminal 2 hehe
- Flight left 1am then arrived 5am here in Manila
- so that's it guys! All I can say is, sa dinami dami na ng napuntahan ko, so far, this was the best vacation I've ever had.

Maybe because it's the fact that we mostly did it ourselves, but the people, the culture, the sights, ang ganda talaga ng Beijing! Will definitely be back here!

Again, salamat sa thread na to at sa lahat ng tumulong especially commoner. Without you guys, we wouldn't have all the info we needed and wouldn't have enjoyed this unforgettable and amazing vacation! Salamat talaga!

[Darkcloud001]

Thanks for the trip report. Nice to see people really enjoying Beijing.

Ang dami niyong beses nag Wangfujing ah, sana nag Qianmen din kayo, Sanlitun or Xidan.

oo nga pero we were so tired na talaga kaya ayun Wangfujing na lang hehe. Ok lang basta napuntahan lahat ng spots na gustong puntahan.