When is the best time?
In term of weather, the March, April, September, Novermber, October besides the first week. In term of cost, from Novermber to March,
What do you need to prepare before come to Beijing?
Secure Visa: The visa is required for some countries such as UK and USA, please refer to the Chinese Embassy or Consulate to obtain visa. For transit, the visa is not needed, you just need to carry your passport to apply for a entry permit at the border inspection counter at the airport, train station or port. Please check here to get the information of transit visa free policy.
Weather:
Food: if you are vegetarian or have allergy, please prepare a notice in Chinese or ask the hotel staff write one to show to the restaurant staff.:
Hotel Booking: You will find so many hotels in Beijing. The Wangfujing Area provides various options from 3 star to 5 star, from conventional to traditional courtyard hotel. And Wangfujing area bears a tag of commercial center with many brand shops, shopping malls and restaurants as well as the hotel center where you find about 20 4 or 5 star hotels. In addition, here is close to the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. Those sites are normally the first places to visit.
Traffic:
Phone: check the settings with internet server to make sure you can use internet with you SIM card.
Where do I visit?
There are so many places to see. It depends on your preference and how much time you have.
1. For short layover (for instance, your vacation is to Thailand but need to transit in Beijing and have few hours. Or few hours before or after business meeting)
You may visit the Forbidden City with 3-4 hours, visit the Mutianyu Great Wall with 6 hours, visit both in about 8-9 hours.
2. For 1 day (for instance, before or after the business trip)
a) There are several options depend on your preference. The typical trip that cover two main places is the trip to The Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Mutianyu Great Wall.
b) If you just want to visit the Great Wall, then you may check followings: The Mutianyu Great Wall or the Jinshanling Great Wall.
3. For more than 1 day
Learn as much Chinese(Mandarin)as you can before you come.
Have the name and address of wherever you're going each day written down in Chinese characters before you go out. And always bring your hotel business card with you, so you can find your way home.
Try as wide a variety of Chinese food as you can. Beijing has every culinary base covered, from Peking Duck to spicy Sichuanese, so grab some chopsticks and tuck in. Oh, and don't listen to anyone who tells you to avoid the street food-terrible advice.
What to Wear
Jeans and shirt or T-shirt are fine for much of the year.Shorts are OK in summer. It gets very hot in midsummer, so don't forget a sun hat(as well as sun cream and mosquito repellent) and a lightweight raincoat for sudden downpours. Winter is a different ball game. Wear plenty of layers: thermal underwear, thick shirt, jumper, gloves, woollie hat and a decent jacket or coat-plus thick-soled shoes or boots. At any time of year, you' ll nedd shoes with good grip for Great Wall hiking.