"Beijing (Peking)" a Beijing Travel Page by jono84

I went in late summer last year, soon after one of the hottest and driest summers of recent times.
Autumn is the best time to visit, if you looking for a reasonably cool, bearable climate.

Be advised, in terms of big cities this is the king kong. Although seemingly better planned with a glance at a city map, it inevitably is a sprawling mess of the old and the new. But this is what makes the city so interesting. ...Just make sure you have a good pair of walking shoes!!

What is disappointing about Beijing is the horrible truth that most of the charming and traditional old buildings in the busy centre of the city will be lost, in preparation for the forthcoming olympics. However, this seems to be simple chinese logic. Out with the old and in with the new.
......... Im just glad i got a chance to see some resemblance of the real Beijing.

Hopefully you'll find some of my tips useful.

It is definitely worth getting an audio tour for the Forbidden City, partly because it gives a good historical lesson on each building and its past uses, but mostly due to the large distances between gates and temples; thus distracting you from the vast emptiness on each side.

It is a shame, to be honest, that it is not kept in better shape, and the furniture was not returned to restore the City to its past beauty.

To view alot of the courtyards and rooms in the north-east corner of the City, you must wear some papery blue slippers. Just a pre-reminder: don't do what i did and forget to take them off for the remainder of the day!!!