When to Go

Spring and fall are the best times to visit. Summer is unbearably hot, while winter is fiercely cold. Planning your trip to coincide with one of the major festival periods (see Festivals and Events) can lead to a colorful trip, although tourist sights will be swamped.

Length of Stay

You need at least four full days to take in the highlights (the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and Great Wall). Six or seven days would allow you to experience the best of Beijing at a more comfortable pace.

What to Bring

November through March you need a coat, gloves, sweaters, thermal leggings, sturdy footwear, and lip balm. In summer, you need only loose-fitting shirts or T-shirts and thin trousers. Also bring a raincoat, sun hat, and reading material, as English-language books aren’t easy to come by.

Visas and Passports

A passport, valid for at least six months, and a visa are needed to enter China. Its embassies and consulates issue a standard single-entry, 30-day visa, although longer-stay multiple-entry visas can also be obtained. Contact your nearest Chinese consulate or embassy for up-to-date information on visa restrictions.

Immunizations

Ensure that all of your routine vaccinations, such as tetanus, polio, and diphtheria, are up to date. It is also wise to get vaccinated against hepatitis A and B, typhoid, meningococcal meningitis, and cholera. Visitors traveling from yellow-fever hotspots must provide proof of vaccination against the disease.

Customs

Visitors to China are entitled to a duty-free allowance of two 75-cl bottles of wine or spirits and 400 cigarettes. Foreign currency exceeding US$5,000, or its equivalent, must be declared. It is not advisable to take in politically controversial literature, especially if it is written in Chinese. Special invoices or export licenses are required to take cultural relics out of China.

Language

The official language of China is Putonghua, known outside China as Mandarin. Putonghua is the native language of the north, but it is used across the country for communication between speakers of several other Chinese languages. English is not widely spoken outside of hotels.

Health Matters

Take out medical insurance before you travel. Beijing has private hospitals, but they are expensive. Pharmacies (yaodian), identified by green crosses, are plentiful. They stock both Western and Chinese medicine, and can treat you for minor ailments. Tap water ought to be boiled before drinking.

Security

Beijing is generally safe, and foreign visitors are unlikely to be the victims of crime, apart from petty theft and the occasional scam. Friendly Chinese who suggest a chat over tea may be in cahoots with a bar or café and looking to land you with a pumped-up bill. Hotels are reliably secure, but managements don’t accept responsibility should anything vanish. Be discreet when taking out your wallet, and take care of your belongings at crowded tourist sites.

Local Prices

In general, prices are cheap. Admission to most sights (the Forbidden City and Great Wall excepted) is less than a dollar. If you avoid hotel restaurants,you can eat well for under $10 a head. Taxis are cheap enough to be a viable way of getting around; expect to pay the equivalent of two or three dollars or two for most short trips around town.