The following are a few dos and don’ts for Beijing tourists.

Bargain
We Chinese people like to bargain when shopping. If you come to China, you would probably need to bargain sometimes. Most markets, like Silk Street, Yashow Market etc, you need to bargain will the selllers, while in most department stores and shopping malls, you don’t need to bargain because they sell goods on fixed price.

Drinking Water
Remember not to drink water from the tap in public places and hotels. If the water is drinkable, there will be a sign, otherwise, do not drink it. You can buy the bottled drinkable water in the supermarkets or grocery stores. Make sure you take enough water with you during the tour, for the water selling in the scenic sites is more expensive than in grocery stores.

Public Restrooms
Take enough toilet paper or tissue paper with you during the trip. There is no toilet paper in restrooms in China. Although most hotels offer toilet paper, you will need it at any time during the tour. Most restrooms are squat toilets in public places and European toilets in most hotels.

Do know local emergence phone numbers.
Local emergence numbers are 110 for police, 120 for medical and 119 for fire.

Do bring some cash with you.
Although Master Card and Visa is available in some shops and restaurants and you can draw money from ATMs with a UnionPay sign on it, you will need to pay cash very often.

Do take care of your belongings. Pickpocketing sometimes occurs in Beijing. So you need to secure your belongings all the time especially in public places.

Do be cautious of scams.
Always take a legal taxi and make sure the driver turn on the meters.
Do not trust a stranger claim himself as a tour guide.

Do not exchange your money anywhere except a bank.

About accommodation

For tourists who would like to go sightseeing in Beijing, we suggest you choose the hotel in the downtown. Therefore, the transportation will be very convenient. Some tourists may like to choose a hotel in the airport area. Well, it is not advised to do so. Because the airport is far away from the downtown, thus it is not convenient to travel around Beijing from the airport area. If you’ve booked a tour in the travel agency, there will be additional pick-up fee if you live in the airport area.

Leave a Reply