Page 114 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Beijing

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Opening Hours For entertainment, the Travelers with
big four expat magazines Special Needs
Restaurants are usually are Time Out Beijing,
open 10am–10pm, but That’s Beijing, and City Since hosting the 2008
Chinese restaurants often Weekend. For English- Olympics, Beijing has
close 2–5pm, except for language radio and increased the number
the 24-hour options on television, try CRI (China of barrier-free facilities.
Gui Jie. Many bars serve Radio International), and These include most attrac-
snacks until 11pm, and CCTV9 for documentaries tions (and parts of the
convenience stores and and news. CCTV also has Great Wall), subways, and
street food are always channels in Spanish, many buses; there are also
available. Shops, stores, Russian, French, and wheelchair-friendly taxis
and supermarkets usually Arabic. Big hotels sell available to order. Most
stay open 9am–9pm, magazines such as Time shop and hotel entrances
while banks, post offices, and The Economist, and will have ramps, and
and pharmacies operate offer CCTV, BBC, HBO, most hotels have lifts.
9am–5pm. Museums and and Hong Kong cable.
attractions are usually Tourist Information
open 9am–4:30pm, but Driver’s License
some have shorter winter There are tourist offices
hours, and nearly all Foreigners staying for in each airport terminal
are closed on Mondays. less than three months and around the city.
For distant or unusual can apply for a temporary
attractions, it is always license at Beijing Capital Trips and Tours
best to call ahead to Airport’s Terminal Three;
confirm opening hours. there are usually some Travel China Guide,
English speakers there China Highlights,
Time Difference who can help with the and Discover Beijing
paperwork. Note that this Tours offer stan dard
Beijing is eight hours license is only valid for packages and day trips.
ahead of GMT, 13 hours driving in Beijing, and not Or try Bespoke Travel
ahead of New York, and always for rental cars, so Company’s cus tomized
two hours behind Sydney. check with rental agencies tours. Private car and van
The city does not use first. Beijing has heavy drivers can make budget
Daylight Saving Time. traffic and excellent trips to the Great Wall.
public transportation, and
Electrical hiring a local car with a Smoking and
Appliances driver is easy and cheap. Etiquette
Electrical current is Weather Smoking is banned in
220 volts AC, so North indoor public spaces. The
Americans should use Temperate weather legal age for drinking and
dual-voltage appliances makes both spring smoking is 18 but rarely
or a converter. China uses and autumn the ideal enforced. Be warned:
two parallel flat pins, two seasons to visit the city. cheap alcohol is usually
parallel round pins, or two During summer temper- fake and often hazardous.
or three slanted flat pins atures range from 80º F
– and some sockets accept (27º C) to a soaring 105º F Shopping
all of these. Buying a uni- (41º C), while wi nter can
versal ad apter is advisable. be anywhere from 26º F The famed fake-goods
(-3º C) to 16º F (-9º C). open markets are
Press Beijing generally has disappearing; now Beijing
a dry climate, but sum- boasts foreign brands
China Daily and Global mer sees frequent rain from Apple to Zara. Also
Times are the best as well as some hail- mushrooming are chic
choices for English- storms, while winter boutiques, particularly
language news; try tends to have the in the areas of Gulou and
also Xinhua, online. heaviest pollution. Sanlitun (see p89),

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