Beijing Travel Tips
Perhaps this is the first time for you in Beijing. Therefore, you might need to find out Beijing travel tips as well as Beijing travel guides. Here you are! All the information that you might need to know are included here.
| Beijing Travel Tips | |
| Bargaining | |
| Bargaining is essential, except in major department stores and high-end shops. Foreigners often grossly overcharged (except in heavily touristed areas), so feel free to haggle. Be friendly but firm, and have fun with it. Once you have settled on an item, walk around and see what other vendors are asking for the same thing – prices can differ sharply. Begin by cutting the starting offer in half. If you hit an impasse, pretend to walk away. If the seller is willing to meet your asking price, he or she will run after you. | |
| Communication | |
| Internet – Most hotel rooms will offer an internet connection for your laptop at a certain charges applied. Starbucks, SPR, and a number of other coffee shops and restaurants provide free Wi-fi. If you do not have a laptop, inexpensive internet cafes are also scattered around the city.
Post Offices – Airmail letters to the United States, Great Britain and Australia should take between four days and a week to reach their destinations. Mark envelops “air mail/par avionâ€Â. Stamps are sold at the post office counter; there are no machines. Envelops are often gumless, but glue is available at the post office. Telephone – China’s country code is 86 and the Beijing area code is 010 (eliminate the first 0 when dialing from overseas). When making calls from China, first dial 00 followed by the international code and then your telephone number. Phone cards can be purchased at the airport and in small shops and newspaper stands for use with public telephones. You will also see telephones in small shops and at newspaper stands that are public use for a small fee. Local directory assistance can be reached at 114. You will be transferred to an English speaking operator once they realize you are a foreigner. |
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| Drugs & Narcotics | |
| No illegal drugs, including marijuana, may be carried into or consumed in China. While foreigners will not usually be subjected to the penalties meted out to Chinese for such infractions, discovery of even small quantities of illegal drugs will doubtlessly lead to an unpleasant encounter with the judicial system, followed by deportation. If you take medicine that has an abuse potential, such as pain-killers, diet pills, or sleeping pills, be sure to keep them in the container bearing a prescription label, and if possible carry a letter from your doctor noting that they are prescribed for you. | |
| Electricity | |
| China uses a 220-volt electrical system. Although most electrical items intended for overseas travel (such as camera and laptop computer battery charges) are automatically switched between 110 and 220 volts, be sure to check the manual or look for markings on the device itself before plugging it in. Hair dryers and electric shavers intended for use in the United States are usually 110 volt only. Transformers are available, but they are either heavy or can overheat and create a fire hazard, Plugs come in a variety of shapes (usually two or three flat or round points), so a conversion plug is useful. | |
| Language | |
| Luxury hotels generally offer passable, but limited, standards of English. Few staff members at less expensive hotels will speak English. Patience is essential. Do not expect the staff to understand you, and expect to do a lot of pointing. | |
| Money matters | |
| The Chinese currency is known as Renminbi (RMB), literally means “the people’s currencyâ€Â. The basic unit is the yuan, commonly referred to as kuai. The yuan is divided into 10 jiao, also called mao and each jiao is further divided into 10 fen, but you will only see these in banks. Paper notes come in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Smaller notes are 5, 2, and 1 jiao. Coins are circulated in 1 yuan, and 1, 2, and 5 mao denominations.
Renminbi is not yet internationally convertible, so you will have to wait until you arrive in China to exchange your money. The best places to convert your dollars into yuan are at the front desk of your hotel or at a branch of a major bank, such as the Bank of China. All of these operate with standardized government rates – anything cheaper is illegal and thus risky. You need to present your passport in order to change money. Save the receipts from your currency transaction. You will need to show this to change renminbi back to your own currency when departing China. Carry as decent amount of cash with you at all times, and wear a money belt to thwart pickpockets (especially prevalent on crowded buses and in busy shops and tourist places). |
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| Opening Times | |
| Banks, businesses and government offices are officially open weekdays from roughly 8:30am to 5:30pm, with some closed for an hour or two for lunch. Many banks have branches that are opened on Saturdays and Sundays. Temples, museums, zoos and other Beijing attractions are generally open daily from 8am or 9am to 5pm. Parks generally open earlier and close later. | |
| Passports & Visas | |
| You are technically required to have your passport with you at all times, but to prevent losing it, make a copy of the page with your photo and passport number and keep it in your wallet. If you lose your passport, report it to the Foreign Affairs Section of the Beijing Public Security Bureau and your embassy or nearest consulate immediately. If you are planning an extended stay in China, it’s advisable to register with your nearest embassy or consulate. Thirty-day tourist visas (type L) are usually issued, but longer periods may be granted. You can extend our L visa twice by going to the Public Security Bureau before it expires. | |
| Restrooms | |
| Public toilets can be quite dirty and offensive. Be sure to take toilet paper with you as it’s often not available in the stalls. Most hotels, apart from the very cheapest, will provide a Western=style toilet. However, expect to acquaint yourself with the Chinese squat toilet when you are here in Beijing. | |
| Time difference | |
| Beijing is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Noon in Beijing is 11pm in New York, 8pm in Los Angeles, 5am in Paris, 4am in London, 2pm in Melbourne and 4pm in Wellington. | |
| Tipping | |
| Tipping is not common in China unless someone has gone out of his or her way. If you try to tip, the recipient may refuse, but try three times before giving up to make sure the person is not just being polite. If the person is willing to accept the tip, he or she will do so by the third offer. Otherwise politely drop the matter. Many tour guides and drivers survive on gratuities and will expect a tip. A 12 to 15 percent service charge is added to the bill in hotel dining rooms. A 15 percent service charge is usually added to your room bill, but bellboys will expect a tip for carrying your bags. | |
| Travelers with Disabilities | |
| Disabled travelers will find China inadequately equipped to deal with them. Public transportation remains largely inaccessible, and only the best hotels and restaurants are prepared to host handicapped travelers. To make matters worse, there are no sidewalks in many places, and the only way to cross large streets is via an underground tunnel or an elevated stairway. | |
| Tours might suit your interests | |
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2 Days Beijing Easy Tour Tour Code: BJPPW2003 Highlights: Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven & Mutianyu Great Wall |
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4 Days Beijing Classic Tour Tour Code: BJPPW4002 Highlights: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Ding Tomb & Beijing Great Wall |
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3 Days Beijing Authentic Tour with Hotel Tour Code: BJPPH3003 Highlights: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Jingshan Park, Temple of Heaven, Beijing Hutong, Beijing Zoo, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs & Mutianyu Great Wall |
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6 Days Beijing Deep Exploration Tour with Hotel Tour Code: BJPPH6001 Highlights: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Ding Tomb, Beijing Great Wall, Beijing Hutong, Beihai Park & Prince Gong’s Mansion |
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6 Days Beijing Marvelous Tour with Hotel Tour Code: BJPPH6002 Highlights: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Ding Tomb, Beijing Great Wall, Beijing Hutong, Yonghegong Lama Temple, Beijing Zoo, etc |
