I just booked a ticket with a stop in Beijing. On my way back I will arrive in Beijing at 11:30 (Sunday), but my flight to UK is scheduled at 1:30 (Monday), more or less 14 hours. So I was thinking doing a little bit of tourism and maybe shopping (Maybe some gadgets). But I don't know if I'm going to find all the stores closed or something like that. In that case, what else can I visit during the day? I can imagine there will be no many people who can understand english, so I don't really know what are my options.
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Don't forget to timely arrange your visa.– BernhardCommented Apr 30, 2013 at 7:48
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@Bernhard I'm spanish passport holder and according to this website travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/visa-free.htm I don't need visa for this short stay. :)– SERPROCommented Apr 30, 2013 at 9:07
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Ah, these are new rules. I also miscalculated, thought you were staying 26 hours.– BernhardCommented Apr 30, 2013 at 18:53
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1 Answer
When I was in Beijing in 2012 Sunday was not really a big deal. Maybe some shops open a little later, but generally they're all open.
I would advice against buying gadgets in general markets like the Silk Market as they're either fake or faulty. If you absolutely need to buy electronic gadgets go to an electronics store. General markets are good for souvenirs, clothing, bags, etc...
However, as you only have limited time there I would advice to go to see the city instead of buying gadgets which are the same all over the world.
Here are some things in Beijing you could see in this short amount of time:
- Wangfujing street ~1-2 hours
- Tiananmen square ~0.5 hour
- Temple of Heaven ~3 hours
- Jingshan Park ~2 hours
- 798 Art District ~3-4 hours
- Forbidden City ~4-5 hours
These are just some options you could choose in Beijing. The visit times are a rough indication on how many time you will spend there. I think that in one day you can visit one or two places listed above.
As you will arrive at 11:30 at Beijing Capital International Airport, you'll probably be in the city around 13:30. There's a subway going from the airport to Dongzhimen from where you can easily take other subways into the city. Buy a subway card at the airport and load it with some money. Taxis are mostly slower in the city because of the traffic jams.
answered Apr 25, 2013 at 12:38
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Can I buy/load the subway card with my credit/debit card? Thanks for the suggestion about gadgets.. I think I'll do just tourism..– SERPROCommented Apr 25, 2013 at 12:46
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Not that I know of. You can use a debit card to withdraw money (you'll need it anyway) and then buy/load the card at a desk. They don't speak english very well but understand what you want. On another subject: do you have a visa for China? I've never had such a long layover so I don't know if you need one to have a transit at Beijing. You'll definitely need one to exit the airport though. Commented Apr 25, 2013 at 12:58
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I think I don't need a visa from what I read here: travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/visa-free.htm About the money, how much do you recommend for such a short stay? I mean.. the places you said are free? I know the subway is quite cheap.– SERPROCommented Apr 25, 2013 at 13:16
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I see it's a new rule from 2013, so I was not aware of that. I can not recall what each entry ticket costed. A subway card is 20RMB, a subway ride is 2RMB, Temple of Heaven, Jingshan Park and the Forbidden city have an entry fee of around 50RMB. But you can ask a separate question for those once you've picked where you want to go. You can have a nice meal with noodles for 20RMB. For 200RMB you can have great Teppanyaki. Commented Apr 25, 2013 at 13:22
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1Look up the characters for different sort of meat (pork, chicken, lamb, etc...) and try to avoid those dishes. Egg and tofu is very well integrated in the Chinese kitchen so I don't expect you to have any problems. Commented Apr 25, 2013 at 13:44