It was Labor Day Holiday a couple of weeks back and of course what’s better than taking a short trip away from home. Leena and I had been planning to visit Beijing for some time, and the 5-day holiday gave us enough time to enjoy ourselves.
Beijing is definitely a city everyone who comes to China has to visit, particularly for its long and transformative history and culture. Continue reading and maybe you’ll be convinced to visit.
About Beijing
- Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and was once known as “Peking” (translates to “Northern Peace”).
- It is one of the oldest cities in the world, with a history of about 3,000 years.
- Beijing is also the second largest city in China, the first being Shanghai.
- Beijing has been an important center of traditional Chinese culture and learning since the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644).
- Beijing is home to 7 of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, The Temple of Heaven, the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasty, the Peking Man Site, and the Grand Canal.
- Some of the things Beijing is best known for are the Peking duck, hutongs, and historic and cultural landmarks as mentioned above.
Traveling to Beijing
For folks who already live in China, you have the option of taking a plane or a train. We decided to take an overnight slow train, where we booked a soft sleeper (shared room with a bed), and by the early morning, we arrived in Beijing. From Hohhot to Beijing, the train ride was a total of 10 hours. There are multiple stations within the city, and depending on where you’ll be lodging or for transportation convenience, I’d recommend making sure you know which station is your best option.
Train Stations & Popular Routes
Beijing has 5 main railway stations allowing passengers to travel either by high-speed train or slow train. Detailed information on the duration of trips, routes, and services can be found here.
Beijing South Railway Station: the largest train station with high-speed train routes to and from Shanghai, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Fuzhou, Nanjing, and Qingdao.
Beijing West Railway Station: high-speed train routes to and from Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lanzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Lhasa.
Beijing Railway Station: high-speed train routes available, connections to 3 metro stations (1, 2, and 5).
Overnight Train Experience
Our experience going to Beijing was very comfortable. We booked a “soft sleeper” meaning a soft bed. We shared a room with another family, one bunk was allocated for Leena and me, and the other was for the family. The train is sectioned into different compartments, and we were located where there were private rooms. Walking down the aisle, you’ll find rows of seats. Picture Harry Potter and you’ll understand the image I’m trying to explain.
Costs
The beauty of traveling with someone or multiple people is the ability to split larger costs. Below I’ve listed the larger costs from our trip and other expenses with the specific sites we visited in each section.
Train tickets
- Hohhot to Beijing: 2 people, 536 yuan (one way)
- Beijing West to Hohhot: 2 people, 330 yuan (one way)
Hotel (3 nights): 267 yuan per night, a total of 990 yuan
When to visit
We visited in May, and the weather was perfect. A moderate temperature of 15 to 25 degrees Celcius from the morning to evening. The temperature fluctuated each day, although, for most of the days, we would either wear a light jacket or keep one with us.
Where to stay
Unfortunately, the hotel we stayed at no longer is available for booking, although there are plenty of hotels all over the city.
You can easily search for hotels on Trip Advisor and tailor where you would like to stay depending on the locations of the landmarks you plan to visit.
Getting around Beijing
Transportation is plenty in Beijing and throughout most parts of China in general. Depending on how you prefer to get around you have the option of taking the metro, taxi/DiDi, or riding a city bike.
What to visit
To give you a rundown of our trip, we visited 8 different sites, all of which weren’t too far in proximity by metro. Here’s Beijing in 4 days!
Niujie District
Niujie is a subdistrict in Xicheng District, known as the largest area inhabited by Muslims in Beijing. The Muslim Quarter in Beijing is said to be the oldest and biggest Muslim district in Beijing. There are street markets, bakeries, restaurants, and an all-halal supermarket. Unfortunately, we weren’t too impressed by the Muslim Quarter, mainly because in comparison to Hohhot it didn’t give off the typical atmosphere you’d feel in a Muslim Street.
Nonetheless, the supermarket was exciting to shop in.
Niujie Mosque
The Niujie Mosque, translated to the Ox Mosque, is Beijing’s most historical and majestic mosque. It was first built in 996 during the Liao dynasty (907-1125) and reconstructed and enlarged during the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). The mosque covers an area of over 6,000 square meters and is structured in traditional Chinese architecture with Arabic-style decor.
The prayer hall covers an area of 600 square meters and has the capacity for a few thousand worshippers.
The entrance fee for locals is 5 yuan, non-Chinese passport holders pay 10 yuan, and for Muslims it’s free. Similarly, the mosque visiting hours are from 8 am – 4 pm, although for Muslims, it’s open throughout the day for prayers.
Summer Palace
Located in the Haidian District of Beijing, is the gorgeous Summer Palace.
The Summer Palace was built during the Qing dynasty and was reconstructed twice, due to European invaders, and now it’s labeled one of the World Heritage sites. The palace consists of numerous gardens, lakes, palaces, and temples. We were only able to get to 3 of the 9 attractions, although we appreciated that we toured the area leisurely. This gave us the opportunity to relax, take many photos, and actually enjoy the scenery.
The weather was a bit foggy, so trying to get a good shot of Kunming Lake and the bridge wasn’t all that appealing. Otherwise, the whole entity of the palace was breathtaking. We had moments of just sitting and taking in all the nature and it was worth every second.
*The entrance fee is 60 yuan (about $9) for an all-day pass and access to all the attractions.
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is one of the largest squares in the world. It was originally designed and built in 1651 and covers an area of 100 acres. As shown from the image above of former President Mao Zedong, the gate was once the main entrance to the Forbidden City.
This particular space represents a significant meaning in Chinese history. Tiananmen Square was a place students held rally demonstrations, and the two notable events that affected the country and people were the May Fourth Movement (1919) and the Tiananmen Square incident (1989).
Some of the nearby landmarks and museums in this area are the Forbidden City, the National Museum of China, the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, and the Great Hall of the People.
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum was constructed between 1406 to 1420 during the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644). It was the Imperial Palace during the Ming and to the end of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) and housed 24 emperors and their families. The palace served as the ceremonial and political center of the ancient Chinese government until it later became a museum in 1925.
The architecture was mainly what caught my eye. The buildings’ rooftops were coated in gold and the structure was of course Chinese style. The entirety of the palace is also grand in size (720,000 square meters), and it was amazing to see how much land was covered by tourists.
The entrance fee is 60 yuan from April to October and 40 yuan from November to March. Tickets must also be purchased in advance.
Drum & Bell Tower
The adoption of drum and bell towers all throughout China began during the Han Dynasty, as a way to distinguish morning and dusk (morning bell and dusk drum). The Beijing Drum and Bell Towers were built in 1272 during the reign of Kublai Khan and were rebuilt during the Ming and Qing dynasties. They were used to tell time until 1924.
The entrance fee for both the Drum and Bell Tower is 30 yuan. Opening hours will be from 9 am – 5 pm. If you’re interested in witnessing or hearing the drum performance it happens every hour starting from 9:30 am and ends at 4:45 pm.
I’d say the Drum and Bell Tower were quite simple, yet worthwhile places to visit. For both towers, we had to walk up some very steep a** stairs that made us feel like we were out of shape and going to fall backward.
Nanluoguxiang Street Market
Anything that says street market or food has already won my heart.
A street full of food. Every city in China I’ve had the pleasure of visiting has a pedestrian street full of street food and delicacies. Unfortunately, due to time, we didn’t get the chance to walk far enough to enjoy the numerous food stalls. Next time, right?
The moral of the story, spend a chunk of time eating good food wherever you are! Also, it was comforting to find a couple of halal vendors, although there weren’t a variety of choices other than your typical Lanzhou noodles.
Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest)
Constructed in 2003, the National Stadium is a multi-use sports venue that officially opened in 2008, and hosted the 2008 Olympics and eventually the 2022 Olympics. The stadium has a capacity of 80,000 and is open to tourists. Much of the space is now used for sporting competitions and recreational activities.
All around the Olympic Park, you’ll find people walking, enjoying the open space, and touring the stadium and nearby attractions (such as the National Aquatics Centre).
Main highlights
- I wouldn’t say this was exactly a highlight, but more so an experience. We missed our train back to Hohhot and lost our hard sleeper seats and ended up having to purchase “standing tickets” for a 13-hour train ride. Alhamdulilah we managed to find one seat and took turns sitting, while the other sat on the floor. It was a lot.
- Narrating a love story of two people on the train.
- Leena and I sharing a moment at the Niujie Mosque.
Takeaway
It’s been the most unexpected experiences that have taught me the most about myself, the things I love, and my capabilities. I’ve learned not to have a lot of expectations when I go into things, or simply try not to think too much about what could or can’t happen. Especially in a new place. Most things turn into memorable stories, and one’s that allow me to look back and feel content. So, I say thank you infinite times to life and its ability to throw things at me – literally and figuratively.
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