{"id":473,"date":"2008-02-11T12:27:10","date_gmt":"2008-02-11T18:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/china-vacation-beijing-without-the-crowds\/"},"modified":"2016-12-17T22:43:04","modified_gmt":"2016-12-18T04:43:04","slug":"china-vacation-beijing-without-the-crowds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/china-vacation-beijing-without-the-crowds\/","title":{"rendered":"China vacation: Beijing without the crowds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Great_wall\"<\/a>
\nBy Jeff Stern<\/em><\/p>\n

Most tourists don’t schedule a China vacation<\/a><\/strong> for the dead of winter. But if you can tolerate the weather, I think it’s a great opportunity to travel to Beijing without the crowds and costs that might otherwise be associated with a visit to China’s capital.<\/p>\n

Perhaps one of the benefits of travel to Beijing amidst the buildup to the 2008 Olympic Games<\/a><\/strong> is the large number of new Beijing hotels<\/a><\/strong>. Our hotel had all of the Western-style amenities that we wanted, and we thought it cost significantly less than a typical hotel room in a big U.S. city.<\/p>\n

And although the U.S. dollar may be relatively weak versus most currencies, we found that the greenback still went pretty far in Beijing. (Most of our taxi rides only cost a few dollars; a taxi to the airport ran about $15.)<\/p>\n

We took a day trip to the Great Wall of China<\/strong>. Badaling (the section of the wall that many Beijing tourists visit) was definitely worth the trip! On the ride there we saw a large, half-completed theme park that ran out of funding a decade ago during construction … it was a bizarre sight to see.<\/p>\n

Nanlouguxiang Street<\/strong> (which is more like an alley) has a number of off-the-beaten-path stores (two of the stores specialized in T-shirts with amusing drawings\/slogans) and dive bars\/restaurants that may appeal to some visitors.<\/p>\n

One random thing that I have to mention is that Beijing had some of the best bakeries that I have ever found. In the mall at Wangfujing (Oriental Plaza) we found two bakeries
\nthat had delicious
\nEuropean-style baked goods. I sampled many of their treats, and they provided a significant percentage of my daily
\ncaloric intake.<\/p>\n

Based on our experience, I think Beijing is a great international travel destination. There was plenty to see and do — and eat — and we were able to do it
\nwithout breaking the bank. The buildup for the Summer Olympics<\/a><\/strong> has resulted in a number of new Beijing hotels<\/a><\/strong>. And believe it or not, Beijing is relatively easy
\nto get to, with non-stop flights<\/a><\/strong> from many U.S. cities.<\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n