Beijing boasts a warm temperate semi-humid and semi-arid monsoon climate with an average annual temperature ranging from 10℃ to 13℃. Particularly, November marks the start of turning cold with the temperature ranging from 10℃ to 15℃ during the day and dropping to about 0℃ at night, which demonstrates the transition from autumn to winter.
When embarking on your journey through the vibrant and bustling streets of Beijing, there's one piece of advice that can significantly enhance your travel experience: embrace the convenience of e-payment methods. In a city where ancient traditions seamlessly blend with modern innovations, opting for electronic payments is not just a practical choice but a gateway to a smoother, more enjoyable exploration of this dynamic metropolis. Alipay is one of the many e-payment options widely used in China.
Please find the following instruction for setting up Alipay:
Popular as a gourmet paradise, Beijing offers cuisines from all over the world as well as the following iconic local specialties:
1. Beijing Roast Duck: As a time-honored popular cuisine, Beijing Roast Duck can date back to the Southern and Northern Dynasties (from 420 to 589) when it was on imperial court menus. The delicacy is made of superior fat duck meat which goes through grilling over a charcoal fire. It boasts rosy skin and rich but not greasy meat. Together with being crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, the nutritious roasted duck has been quite popular amongst all age groups, which makes it the most delicious food in China.
2. Beijing Zha Jiang Mian or Beijing-style noodles served with fried bean sauce: As one of the traditional foods in Beijing, Zha Jiang Mian, or Beijing-style noodles served with fried bean sauce has also been popular among diners from the outside. It is quite simple to make, mixing boiled noodles with prepared cucumber and beansprout by slicing or boiling as well as the fried bean sauce. The food boasts fantastic flavor, including chewy noodles and delicious sauce.
3. Instant-boiled mutton
Beijing is hailed as the paramount hub integrating air, rail, and road transport. In detail, it enjoys the largest airport and railway terminals in the country as well as many national highways and freeways radiating from here. The capital also boasts well-developed urban transportation systems. However, the metropolis has been held back by frequent urban traffic congestion due to its highly dense population. It is worth mentioning that the rush hours at 8 am and 6 pm should be avoided otherwise you are highly likely to come across serious delay. Therefore, we suggest that you do not take a bus or taxi at these hours for your precious vacation time.
In addition, the Beijing subway is suggested for its wide coverage and is well-reputed as the essential and most convenient urban public transport.
1. The Palace Museum: The Palace Museum, formerly known as the Imperial Palace and the Forbidden City, served as the royal court for the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Situated at the center of the urban central axis, the Palace has been acclaimed as the world's largest and most well-preserved time-honored wooden-structured architectural complexes and ranks in the list of China's national AAAAA level tourist attractions. It was honored as one of the first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level in 1961 and one of the World Cultural Heritages in 1987. The Palace Museum is 11km away from the venue and can be reached by public transport with an estimated time of about 55 minutes.
2. Badaling Great Wall: Hailed as one of the grandest fortresses in the world, the Badaling Great Wall mixes towering and steep mountains and an appealing green landscape. Situated at the northern end of Guangou Ancient Path, Jundu Mountain, Yanqing District, Beijing, the historical relic serves as a major section of the Great Wall, a great defense project in ancient China, and a pass of the Ming Great Wall. Militarily, the grand building has been valued as an essential outpost for Juyong Pass. In this aspect, there has been an ancient proverb: The critical strategic value of the Juyong Pass isn’t credited to itself but to the Badaling section. The Badaling Great Wall is 57km away from the venue and can be reached by public transport with an estimated time of about 2 hours and 42 minutes.
3. Summer Palace: Situated in the western suburbs of Beijing, the Summer Palace was formerly known as Qingyiyuan or Gardens of Clear Ripples and served as an imperial garden in the Qing Dynasty. Based on Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, the large-scale landscape garden was modeled after the West Lake in Hangzhou together with inspiration from the architectural design of the garden on the Yangtze Delta. It has been reputed as one of the best-preserved royal palaces and hailed as the Royal Garden Museum. The Summer Palace is 12km away from the venue and can be reached by public transport with an estimated time of about 56 minutes.
4. National Museum of China: The National Museum of China, or NMC for short, sits at the heart of Beijing, in the east of Tiananmen Square, in the south of East Chang'an Avenue, and opposite the Great Hall of the People. The grand museum represents China's supreme historical, cultural and artistic institution that collects, researches, displays, and interprets representative artifacts of China's fine traditional culture. It serves the goals of the preservation of national collective memory, the inheritance of national cultural essence and the promotion of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. On the whole, the NMC works as a living room of national culture. The National Museum of China is 15km away from the venue and can be reached by public transport with an estimated time of about 1 hour and 7 minutes.
5. Universal Beijing Resort: As a widely anticipated theme park, the Universal Beijing Resort encompasses a large-scale Universal Studios, Universal CityWalk Beijing and two hotels. The popular tourist destination mixes with the elements of Chinese culture for a distinctive tourist experience. In detail, it offers 7 scenic spots, 37 rides and entertainment facilities and landmark attractions, 24 performances, 80 food and beverage outlets and 30 retail outlets. The Universal Beijing Resort is 15km away from the venue and can be reached by public transport with an estimated time of about 1 hour and 7 minutes.
6. Temple of Heaven: The Temple of Heaven served as a special altar for emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to worship the God of Earth, and pray for rain and a fruitful new year. Reputed as a national time-honored building, the historic relic takes the forms of a circle in the north and a square in the south, which stands for a dome-like heaven embracing the vast earth. It is divided into the Inner and the Outer Altar, comprising well-known structures such as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and the Echo Wall. The Temple of Heaven is 19km away from the venue and can be reached by public transport with an estimated time of about 56 minutes.
7. Prince Kung's Palace Museum: Situated in Qianhai West Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, the Prince Kung's Palace Museum serves as the prince's grand mansion and witnessed the historical vicissitudes from the prime to the decline and fall of the Qing Dynasty. That’s why the mansion is acclaimed as the mirror for half of the history of the Qing Dynasty. Reputed as a relatively well-preserved palace complex across the country, the mansion boasts over 30 distinctive, well-distributed, and magnificent buildings. It falls into the residence in the south and a garden in the north. The Prince Kung's Palace Museum is 9.6km away from the venue and can be reached by public transport with an estimated time of about 43 minutes.
8. Beijing WTown: Located on the northeast side of Miyun District, Beijing, Beijing WTown serves as an ancient-town-featured scenic area based on a time-honored village. Surrounded by waters, it features the magnificence of the ancient towns of northern China and the exquisiteness of the water towns of southern China. The resort has a lot to offer such as hot springs, fine food and the Simatai Great Wall, which makes it a perfect vacation spot in the suburbs of Beijing. Beijing WTown is 132km away from the venue and can be reached by public transport with an estimated time of about 4 hours and 43 minutes.
9. National Stadium, also known as the Bird Nest: Situated on the north of the urban central axis, National Stadium served as the main stadium of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. After holding diversified international competitions, it recently has emerged as a new landmark of Beijing by virtue of its high-end fantastic appearance. National Stadium is 0.9km away from the venue and can be reached by a 15-minute walk.
10. Shichahai: Shichahai consists of Qianhai, Houhai, Xihai and their adjacent areas. It boasts widespread stunning lakes and a well-reputed historic district that embraces former residences, princess mansions, and other ancient monuments. The region offers local folks distinct and popular foods. In addition, here sits Houhai Bar Street which has emerged as a long-standing hotspot to enjoy Beijing nightlife. Shichahai is 10km away from the venue and can be reached by public transport with an estimated time of about 43 minutes.
