Travelling in an exotic city can be new, adventurous, strange and exciting. Beijing is a city ready to welcome friends all over the world. Here are a few tips about travelling in Beijing. Hope to make your tour a little bit better.
View the page How to Plan Your Trip in Beijing.
Visa
Are you planning your tour in China? Any foreign passport holders require a visa in advance of travel to China. An “L” Visa is issued to foreigners who comes to China for travel or visiting family members. Click here to view How to Get a Chinese Visa.
Good news for tourists who have wanted to come to Beijing but don’t bother to get a Chinese visa: A 72-hour visa-free for foreign visitors from 45 countries who have outbound air tickets and visas to a third country, starting January 1st, 2013. The move will bring much convenience for people who want to have a short stay in Beijng. Tourists holding third country visas and plane tickets can apply for a transit without visa (TWOV) at Beijing Capital International Airport from Jan 1st, 2013. The 72 hours will be calculated starting from the moment visitors get their transit stay permits instead of plane arriving. Foreign visitors are not permitted to leave Beijing for other Chinese cities during the 72 hours.
Customs
For passengers coming to China, the luggage they carried will be checked by the customs. There are some regulations and limitations about what you can bring and the quantity of your items. You should declare accurately to the customs if your items exceed the limit. >>Read more
Accommodation
When you come to Beijing, where to live seems to be the top priority. You can stay in the hotel which have the licensed permits to take foreign tourists or you can stay at your friends’ or relatives’ home. No matter where you stay, you should always bring your passport with you.
If you want to stay in the hotel, you’d better book it online ahead of time. When you arrive at Beijing, you could immediately check in with your passport. Click here to book hotels. View hotel star rating in Beijing.
If you want to stay at your friends’ or relatives’ home, you should register at local public security bureau or Housing Committee Ju Wei Hui in the residential area which you will stay.
Chinese Money
China’s legal currency is Renminbi (RMB), officially CNY (China Yuan). Its symbol: ￥; Monetary unit: Yuan (元) and Fractional units: Jiao (角) and Fen (分).
1 Yuan = 10 Jiao
10 Jiao = 10 Fen >>Read More
Electricity
Electricity in China is 220 Volts, 50AC. Plugs can be three-pronged plug or two-pronged plug.
Water
Bottled mineral water can easily be bought in all stores and street kiosks for CNY3. And sometimes hotels provide it free of charge. Furthermore, potable water is only available in a few 4 to 5 star hotel, while water in thermos flasks in rooms is usually non-potable tap water.
Laundry
Laundry services are available at most hotels, usually via the floor attendants. One-day dry cleaning and ironing services are offered at better hotels. Quality of service and price vary. Coin-op laundromats which are popular in the US are hard to find here in China. But you can still find nomal laundries in most residential areas.
Banking
China’s banking services and facilities are improving, but they are probably unlike what you are used to. Patience will go a long way to get what you need to accomplish. In some places you’ll need to stand in line; in others you take a number and wait to be called. Expect only limited services in English. >>Read More
Post Office
Letters posted within the city need a stamp of 0.6 Yuan and letters posted within the country need to stick a stamp of 0.8 Yuan. According to the different region and weight every international airmail letter costs more than 5.4 Yuan. Letters posted to Hong Kong or Taiwan needs about 2.5 Yuan. The International Post Office located on the east side of JianguomenBei Da Jie, operates a receiving and posting international and domestic letters, parcels and express mails, making out invoice, cash draft and telegram drafts, domestic and international telegram etc. >>Read More
Newspaper, Radio and TV
The English-language China Daily (published seven days a week) and Beijing Weekend (published every Friday)is available in all leading hotels. Most bookstores sell the magazines Beijing Review, China Pictorial, and China Today (published in various languages),as well as the English-language Women in China.
An informative English monthly is Beijing This Month, distributed free at the beginning of every month at most star-rated hotels, the Capital International Airport and major universities. Business Beijing, the sister magaine of Beijing This Month, is also published around the 1th of each month. To subscribe to the two magazines, just call 67152379,67152380 or fax 67152381, for information.
Hotel shops also stock a wide variety of newspapers, magazines and books from Hong Kong, Japan, Europe and the United States.
China Radio
International broadcasts to the world around the clock in 39 languages and four Chinese dialects. 91.5 Easy FM features 12 hours of English broadcasting and Western music. This station also has news updates every hour on the hour for five minutes. Another English language and music radio program is 91.5 joy FM from 21:00-23:00.
Most large hotels in Beijing can receive more than 100 channels from both home and broad. The CCTV NEWS English Channel is broadcast in English all day. You can learn more about China in a global view. CCTV2 and 4, as well as BTV1 also have English news programs in the evening.
Telephone Calls
International calls
If you want to make an international phone call, you need to know International Call Prefix of your country,and the country code of which you want to connect, the city code and the phone number. That’s International Call Prefix+Country Code+City Code+local number. The country code of China is 86. The city code of Beijing is 010 when dialing from other cities in China, drop the first 0 when dialing from abroad.
If you want to make a phone call from your country to China, you should dial International Call Prefix+Country Code+City Code+local number.
Domestic Long-distance Calls
Direct long-distance calls (DDD) can be made from most hotels to some 2,000 localities throughout China. Visitors should dial the domestic prefix 0, plus area code and the number. Hotel service charges are the same as for international calls.
Most post offices also provide this service. Alternatively look for roadside kiosks with the IDD and DDD sign. If your call isn’t urgent, phone between 21:00 and 07:00-not only is it easier to get through but calls are half the daytime price.
Phone cards
Magnetic phone cards and IC phone cards for IDD and DDD are available in major telecommunications offices and large hotels. China phone cards are specially issued to offer DDD and IDD services in any direct-dial phone around the city. Charges for calls within Beijing are 0.5 yuan per three minutes, and there is no half price for long-distance calls.
Users may buy the cards at the Beijing Long-Distance Phone Service at Fuxingmen. Be careful, phone cards issued by Beijing Telecom can only be used in phones in Beijing. Phone cards issued by the Post Office telephones. Cards issued by China Telecom can be used anywhere apart from the post office.
Read Useful telephone numbers in Beijing for your reference.
More Beijing Travel Tips:
Dos and Don’ts for Beijing Tourists
Tips for Tourists First Time in Beijing
Beijing Tourist Information Center