Fast Facts

COMMUNICATIONS

IDD access: 00 + country code + area code + local number

Hotel phone service surcharge: up to 20 percent

IP cards: available for purchase everywhere, offering significant discounts on all calls, but do not use these cards with mobile phones

Local numbers: consist of a 3-digit area code followed by an 8-digit local number. If dialling China from overseas, the initial 0 is dropped from the area code.

China country code: 86

Beijing area code区号: 010

Police Dispatch匪警: 110

Phone Number Inquiries电话号码查询台: 114

Time Inquiries时间查询: 117

Fire Dispatch火警: 119

Medical Emergency急救: 120, 999

Weather Forecasts天气查询台: 121

Traffic Accident交通事故处理: 122

Express Mail Service 特快专递: 185

Bus Inquiries公交查询: 96166

Train Inquiries火车查询: 6512 9525

24-hour Tourist Hotline 24小时旅游热线: 6513 0828

Beijing Customs海关: 6519 4417

MONEY

Check ATMs for Visa or MasterCard network signage. Usually, selecting the account option from the left side of the screen will prompt the machine to switch to English. Non-signed machines will accept local cards only.

Traveller's cheques can only be cashed at major hotels and major banks in tourist centres.

Paying for items with your credit card will often result in the bank's service charges (typically 6%) being added to your bill.

Feel free to demand other bills in change if the proffered money is torn or dirty, as other merchants may not accept such.

Change is often "thrown" onto the counter rather than pressed into your hand; this is simply customary and does not connote disrespect.

TRANSPORTATION

The subway, where available, is by far the fastest method of transit in the city.

Tickets for any combination of Lines 1 and 2 cost 3 yuan per trip. Extend to Line 13 and the fare becomes 5 yuan. Any combination of Lines 1, 2 and Line 8 (an extension of Line 1 to the east) costs 4 yuan. Ticket counters can be chaotic. Keep your cool and offer exact change.

Taxi flag-fall is 10 yuan, which takes you the first few kilometres. After that, the meter advances at 1.2, 1.6, or 2 yuan per kilometre, depending on the quality of the cab. The price is clearly marked on a blue sticker, usually located on the rear quarter-glass. Be aware than 1.2 taxis will often refuse a hire to the airport.

Buses fares are cheap and the network extensive, but buses are best avoided by short-term tourists, as the signage and numbering system is basically incomprehensible to non-Beijingers, and at peak, buses are extremely crowded.

In warmer months, the best surface transport is the humble bicycle, rentable from hotels and near major tourist attractions, however you should check the terms of your travel insurance to be sure of coverage.

On foot, note that marked crossings do not denote absolute right of way for pedestrians.

PRICES (Guide downtown Beijing)

Bottle of water: 3-5 yuan

Bottle of soft drink: 2.5-5 yuan

2 apples/2 bananas/2 oranges: not more than 2 yuan

Small package of tissues: 1-2 yuan

Tourist map: 2-5 yuan

Bargaining is not a blood sport, and not all items in China are cheaper than they are "at home," especially high-tech items or global fashion brands (unless they are inauthentic). Three things remain constant: the seller will never agree to a lower price than he or she paid; someone will always be able to find it for less than you; and the old "walking away and coming back" method is known by all sellers, and factored into their negotiations.

FIVE DAYS IN BEIJING - SPRING

Spring is a wonderful time to visit Beijing's many world-famous tourist sites; so we've prepared five itineraries that you may want to rely upon to ensure that the time you spend with us this season is time well spent.

1. A Day at the Great Wall.

The Wall is not a single location! From Beijing, there are four main sections within easy reach. Badaling, the most common point of access, has its own freeway, so trips here are painless and fast, and you can easily throw in a stop at the 13 Ming Tombs, a fengshui-fan's paradise. Mutianyu is slightly more difficult to access, but features the dramatic "black Wall" rising and falling over steep terrain -- wonderfully picturesque in spring. Simatai is a full-day trip, with long hours on the road, but it is the most "wild" of the accessible Wall. Nearby Jinshanling will probably correspond most to your mental pictures of the Great Wall, if you've never seen it. All locations have clean restaurants with good food nearby for lunch. To get there, hire a car with driver, or a cab you're comfortable with (NEVER pay in advance), or join a tour group.

2. A Day at the Forbidden City

There are two ways to see the Forbidden City, each unique. North-to-south: from the North Gate, head away from the entrance, north to Jingshan, where you will ascend for brilliant views over Central Beijing. Descend, and buy your tickets at the north gate. Don't miss the audio tour, which is excellent. You'll be thrown into the most private part of the palace first. Make your way south through more public spaces (allow several hours) exiting just to the north of Tian'anmen Square. Wander south over the largest square in the world, and have lunch in any of the restaurants around Qianmen. Spend the afternoon wandering the hutong laneways and markets of this fascinating ancient district. Join a pedicab tour if your feet give out. South-to-north is exactly the opposite tour, as you'll spend your morning in the Qianmen hutong, and make your way north through the Forbidden City and to the summit of Jingshan in the afternoon. Supper at a Beijing roast duck or Imperial cuisine restaurant will make this a perfect day.

3. Outdoors/Indoors

The Summer Palace is a perfect destination for a bright Spring morning. Dress warmly, the warm weather can change. You'll find the crowds are still down, the lake under the Seven Arch Bridge picturesque, and all the sights including the Cloud Dispelling Hall alone worth the trip. For the afternoon, try something completely different, and head to Zhongguancun, also in the northwest of the city. It's China's Silicon Valley. Try the Dinghao Dianzi Shangchang for the rowdiest (and largest, according to the owners) computer supermarket in the northern hemisphere. For non-techies, make your way back to Xidan for some fashion shopping Beijing-style, perhaps trying some of the custom threads at the Culture Plaza. Today's your chance to check if fast food in China is really the same as it is at home.

4. The Sacred and Sublime

Ancient Beijing featured five great altars, one each to Heaven, the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, and Agriculture, and countless temples. Visiting the Temple of Heaven complex, the most spectacular of all and a symbol of the city, is best early in the morning on a clear-skied day, when streams of Beijingers head to the vast grounds to socialise and exercise. Travel north (via subway from the Chongwenmen station) to the Yonghegong station, and lunch at one of the Chinese vegetarian restaurants close to the Lama Temple, which is your destination for the afternoon.

5. Beihai and Houhai -- the Lakes

Beijing being in a desert didn't stop the dynasties that made their capital here from constructing vast water features, such as the spectacular series of central lakes starting with Nanhai (South Lake), moving up through Beihai (North Lake), and on to officially-named Shichahai, which everyone seems to call "Back Lake" or Houhai. Start your lakes odyssey in Beihai Park, with its spectacular White Pagoda. Explore fully, and then meander north to take lunch at any one of the excellent restaurants around Houhai. After lunch continue north to the renovated hutong laneways in the area between Gulou and the lake, where you could very easily find a cosy bar and make it a very late one. Or, if you'd rather an indoor activity for the afternoon, grab a cab to the Hongqiao Market, which still manages to be the most fun you can have spending money in Beijing despite some stiff competition from Panjiayuan and various "old streets" around town.