A-Z Top 2 Countries|| Canada vs China , Part 2
You may remember part 1 of this post 'A-Z Top 2 Countries|| Canada vs China' which I wrote nearly a month ago (if you've yet to read it you can find it here). I learnt loads about Canada last time and would definitely LOVE to visit one day. China is a completely different country to Canada with different cultures and traditions so lets find out some more.
Because China is such a vast country I have decided to just focus its capital city Beijing, read on to find out loads of exciting things to see and do in Beijing, and if you have been to Beijing I would love to get an idea of what its like please let me know.
China||The Facts
China is located in Asia. It is a communist country. The capital city of China is Beijing, but it isn't the largest that is in fact Shanghai (some often confuse this with being the capital). China is the worlds most populous country in the world it currently has a population of 1.38 billion people. It is the second largest country by land area (approx 9.6 billion sq km). China has had the largest economy in the world for the last 2,000 years and it is the largest importer and exporter of goods in the world. To say China is a powerful country would be an understatement, that is why visiting the country is so fascinating and exciting.
As mentioned above Beijing is the capital of China, it is one of the most populous cities in the world. (21,150,000 people currently live here) It is home to the Beijing Capital International Airport and is the second busiest airport in the world. Beijing is home to Seven UNESCO World Heritage sites- 'The Forbidden City', 'Temple of Heaven', 'Summer Palace', 'Ming Tombs', 'Zhoukoudian', 'Great Wall of China' and the 'Grand Canal'.
Beijing has so many amazing landmarks. It is known for its amazing modern architecture, impressive sky scrapper buildings as well as its ancient sites which strike a perfect balance between the old and the new. Some famous landmarks you can visit include The Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, Ming Tombs, Temple of Heaven, Badaling, Old Summer Park and many many more!
The hotel has a 24 hour fitness centre which is free for all guests, it has a great view of the city skyline. Hotel Éclat also has a private pool and terrace area outside.
(Room prices start from £213.00 per night for a deluxe king room sleeping 2 adults).
As well as Hotel Éclat there are loads of great luxury 5 star hotels in Beijing, most can be found in the centre of the city (usually in the business district- Chaoyang District). Here are a few others you may wish to consider on your city trip to Beijing.
Shangri- La Hotel,(£110 per night)
Regent Hotel, (£105 per night)
Four Seasons Hotel, Beijing (£192 per night)
Waldorf Astoria (£207 per night)
What to do||Sightseeing
So you may remember I mentioned a few of Beijing's landmarks earlier on well know I am going to talk about each one in detail so here are my top Landmarks to visit in Beijing.
#1 The Great Wall of China and Badaling
No list of attractions in China would be complete without this one. You may remember my post last week about the wonders of the world. The Great Wall of China and Badaling was featured on there if you want to read all about it you can do so here. It will tell you everything you need to know about Badaling and how you can book tours to walk The Great Wall and for how much.
#2 Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is located in the central of Beijing, It was originally was the Chinese Imperial Palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty (1420-1912). It is now the palace museum. The museum today has over 14 million visitors a year and is one of the most visited museum's in the world. It has an astounding 980 interior buildings so of course getting round all of it is a bit of a challenge. If you can waste a whole day here of your holiday I would definitely recommend it. Sites like Tour Travel China offer great tour packages to suit all budgets, you can even squeeze in a few extra attractions for the price of one tour. See the website for further details.
#3 Ming Tombs
The Ming Tombs are found approx 30 miles north west from Beijing City (at the foot of the Tianshou Mountain) here you will find mausoleums of thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). This area is the best preserved tomb area where the most emperors are buried. At present only 4 tombs are open to the public you have the Sacred Way, Changling Tomb, Zhaoling Tomb and Dingling Tomb.
The tombs are very easy to get to depending on what mode of transport you wish to take. The easiest by far is the subway. The Ming tomb metro station is 2.5 miles away, and starting from this year you can take a direct shuttle bus to the site as well.
To enter the tombs there is an admission fee. All info can be found here.
#4 Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven is another popular tourist destination in Beijing. It can be found in the south of the city. It believed to be first constructed in 1420 during the reign of the Ming emperor Yongle. The temple covers an area of 273 hectares. In 1998 the temple was placed on the World Heritage list by UNESCO. The northern part of the temple is round and the southern square, this apparently symbolises the ancient Chinese belief that Heaven is round and Earth is square. It is cultural museum of offering sacrifices to Heaven.
Admission during high season is 15/35 Chinese Yuan and 10/30 Chinese Yuan in low season. The nearest subway is Tiantandongmen which is on Line 5.
It is open everyday to the public between 6am and 8pm.
There are quite literally thousands of amazing landmarks and attractions worth visiting whilst in Beijing. The best thing you can do to plan your trip is take a look on the Tripadvisor website where you will find so many great things to do and great tours to go on.
Where to eat||Restaurants
For a real taste of luxury in Beijing you need to get yourself to Temple Restaurant Beijing. The restaurant serves contemporary European cuisine, complete with Australian architectural design the restaurant is clean, light and modern a complete stark contrast to what the building once was. (Was set within the walls of a 600 year old temple complex)
The restaurant has undergone a recent renovation (2008) the restaurant is modern but still keeping in tune with its rich history. The bar at the entrance sits beneath ancient ceiling beams, and the dining area is sparse with towering ceilings. This restaurant is voted one of the best international restaurants in Beijing by the Time Out website.
Stand out dishes:
Grilled Veal Chop with thick jus.
Chocolate Tart or Brioche Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice cream
How to get around||Underground Dragon
Getting around Beijing seems like it would be difficult if you are a first time visitor, but it really needn't be if you plan ahead. China has one of the most largest and reliable public transport systems in the world. If you don't like the crowds make sure you do not travel in the peak rush hour times. (Usually between 8am-6pm) This is when you will see all of the commuters trying to get across central Beijing all at once, they know exactly where they need to be, you most probably don't so to be on the safe side travel outside of these times and you wont get caught up in the rush.
The Underground Dragon is one of the most easiest and efficient ways of getting around if you are a tourist. The underground is clean, cheap and easily navigated in English (names of routes are written in Chinese and English, automated voice also announces next station in English too). There is only 1 fare and to ride anywhere in the city you may 2 RMB (Yuan). Again if you don't like crowds you may want to avoid these at busy times.
There are 15 lines altogether, Line 1 is the most commonly used as this is what connects central Beijing, it starts at Sihuidong and terminates at Pingguoyuan, then entire line is approximately 31 km long (19 miles).
You may want to read this handy guide before you start your journey so you know exactly where you need to be.
So there we have a short but hopefully interesting guide of Beijing. Make sure you come back soon for the next chapter in the series this time focusing on D in the Alphabet. Can you guess the next two countries on my list?
Because China is such a vast country I have decided to just focus its capital city Beijing, read on to find out loads of exciting things to see and do in Beijing, and if you have been to Beijing I would love to get an idea of what its like please let me know.
China||The Facts
China is located in Asia. It is a communist country. The capital city of China is Beijing, but it isn't the largest that is in fact Shanghai (some often confuse this with being the capital). China is the worlds most populous country in the world it currently has a population of 1.38 billion people. It is the second largest country by land area (approx 9.6 billion sq km). China has had the largest economy in the world for the last 2,000 years and it is the largest importer and exporter of goods in the world. To say China is a powerful country would be an understatement, that is why visiting the country is so fascinating and exciting.
As mentioned above Beijing is the capital of China, it is one of the most populous cities in the world. (21,150,000 people currently live here) It is home to the Beijing Capital International Airport and is the second busiest airport in the world. Beijing is home to Seven UNESCO World Heritage sites- 'The Forbidden City', 'Temple of Heaven', 'Summer Palace', 'Ming Tombs', 'Zhoukoudian', 'Great Wall of China' and the 'Grand Canal'.
Beijing has so many amazing landmarks. It is known for its amazing modern architecture, impressive sky scrapper buildings as well as its ancient sites which strike a perfect balance between the old and the new. Some famous landmarks you can visit include The Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, Ming Tombs, Temple of Heaven, Badaling, Old Summer Park and many many more!
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| Photo Credit: Flickr |
Where to Stay||Hotels
If you are planning a trip to China you may want to already start by thinking about where you are going to sleep. There are lots and lots of great luxury hotels in Beijing, here is one that I think you will all dream about staying in. I took my findings from the Trip Advisor website where you can find the 10 best rated 5 star hotels, as voted by the people that have actually stayed in them. All of the hotels on that list are ultra modern with very impressive exteriors, but the one below particularly stood out for me (mainly because it reminds me of the Shard Building in London, although definitely not as tall).
'Hotel Eclat Beijing'
You will be absolutely memorised if you are lucky enough to stay here in this 5 star hotel. Not only is it a very trendy hotel but it also has inside the same building shopping centres/boutique shops, restaurants and food courts, offices and lots of contemporary art pieces to look at. The building is called Parkview Green Shopping and office complex and can be found amongst the bustling Beijing business district in the centre of the city, Chaoyang District as its formally known.
It is also located a 5 minute walk from 'Shi Mao Tian Jie' and is 10 minutes from Dongsaqiao Subway Station. If you have a car you can reach the Yong'anll Subway Station which is on Line 1 and will take you to all the main tourist spots in the centre of the city.
It is also located a 5 minute walk from 'Shi Mao Tian Jie' and is 10 minutes from Dongsaqiao Subway Station. If you have a car you can reach the Yong'anll Subway Station which is on Line 1 and will take you to all the main tourist spots in the centre of the city.
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| Photo Credit: bookings.ihotelier.com |
Inside the hotel it is very unique, every floor is different and decorated with different amazing art collections worth thousands of pounds, including pieces by Salvdor Dali, Andy Warhol and Zeng Fangzhi (the owner of the Hotel is an Art collector). Rooms are actually located ABOVE the 15th floor and there are 100 rooms in total, so although it is quite a small hotel compared to some of the more well know chain hotels, the best thing about this place is everyone gets an amazing view of the city at no extra cost.
Unlike most 5 star luxury hotels, here you receive a lot of complementary bits include drinks, snacks, an array of breakfast options and complimentary morning newspaper's for your convenience. There is free wi-fi throughout the entire building. In the rooms there are 3D LCD TV's with Blu-Ray DVD, Ipod docking stations, massage chairs and Bang & Olufsen audio systems. The bathrooms are very spacious as well and include separate rainforest showers, bath tubs and 'exclusive' Miller Harris London bathroom toiletries.
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| Photo Credit: luxurytravellersguide.com |
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| Photo Credit: agoda.com |
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| Photo Credit: Booked.net |
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| Photo Credit: asiatophotel.com |
As well as Hotel Éclat there are loads of great luxury 5 star hotels in Beijing, most can be found in the centre of the city (usually in the business district- Chaoyang District). Here are a few others you may wish to consider on your city trip to Beijing.
Shangri- La Hotel,(£110 per night)
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| Photo Credit: booking.com |
Regent Hotel, (£105 per night)
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| Photo Credit: booking.com |
Four Seasons Hotel, Beijing (£192 per night)
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| Photo Credit: Four Seasons.com |
Waldorf Astoria (£207 per night)
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| Photo Credit: cpp-luxury.com |
What to do||Sightseeing
So you may remember I mentioned a few of Beijing's landmarks earlier on well know I am going to talk about each one in detail so here are my top Landmarks to visit in Beijing.
#1 The Great Wall of China and Badaling
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| Photo Credit: places-to-visit-in-china |
#2 Forbidden City
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| Photo Credit: livescience.com |
#3 Ming Tombs
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| Photo Credit: hungarian.cri.cn |
The tombs are very easy to get to depending on what mode of transport you wish to take. The easiest by far is the subway. The Ming tomb metro station is 2.5 miles away, and starting from this year you can take a direct shuttle bus to the site as well.
To enter the tombs there is an admission fee. All info can be found here.
#4 Temple of Heaven
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| Photo Credit: trinnsmattblogg |
Admission during high season is 15/35 Chinese Yuan and 10/30 Chinese Yuan in low season. The nearest subway is Tiantandongmen which is on Line 5.
It is open everyday to the public between 6am and 8pm.
There are quite literally thousands of amazing landmarks and attractions worth visiting whilst in Beijing. The best thing you can do to plan your trip is take a look on the Tripadvisor website where you will find so many great things to do and great tours to go on.
Where to eat||Restaurants
For a real taste of luxury in Beijing you need to get yourself to Temple Restaurant Beijing. The restaurant serves contemporary European cuisine, complete with Australian architectural design the restaurant is clean, light and modern a complete stark contrast to what the building once was. (Was set within the walls of a 600 year old temple complex)
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| Photo Credit: lumdimsum |
Stand out dishes:
Grilled Veal Chop with thick jus.
Chocolate Tart or Brioche Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice cream
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| Photo Credit: thatfoodcray |
How to get around||Underground Dragon
Getting around Beijing seems like it would be difficult if you are a first time visitor, but it really needn't be if you plan ahead. China has one of the most largest and reliable public transport systems in the world. If you don't like the crowds make sure you do not travel in the peak rush hour times. (Usually between 8am-6pm) This is when you will see all of the commuters trying to get across central Beijing all at once, they know exactly where they need to be, you most probably don't so to be on the safe side travel outside of these times and you wont get caught up in the rush.
 |
| Photo Credit: unhypedchina |
There are 15 lines altogether, Line 1 is the most commonly used as this is what connects central Beijing, it starts at Sihuidong and terminates at Pingguoyuan, then entire line is approximately 31 km long (19 miles).
You may want to read this handy guide before you start your journey so you know exactly where you need to be.
 |
| Photo Credit: blog.chinatraveldepot |
So there we have a short but hopefully interesting guide of Beijing. Make sure you come back soon for the next chapter in the series this time focusing on D in the Alphabet. Can you guess the next two countries on my list?
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