Beijing

I just came back from a trip to Beijing with my personal food photographer (a.k.a. my boyfriend). We had a great time in Beijing. There’s some great food available, if you can make yourself understood because the majority of the people doesn’t speak English. For me it only added to the adventurous feel of being in China. On this page I’m sharing all my tips for Beijing, the top sights and activities and of course where you can eat in Beijing.

Ghost Street Beijing

A great place to spend your evening is at Ghost Street. A street filled with 150 restaurants. Wander amongst the locals and find a nice restaurant where you want to eat. There’s plenty of choice! Between the crowds and neon lights, it also has a great atmosphere.

Donghuamen Night Market

Another great way to spend your evening in Beijing, if you love food as much as I do, is at Donghuamen Night Market. The stallholders sell very exotic food like scorpions, snakes, starfish and even seahorses. I wasn’t brave enough to try any of those, but it’s a great experience to pass by them and amaze yourself. There are also stalls who sell more conventional items like fruit and noodles.

Peking Duck

And of course when you’re in ‘Peking’, you should have Peking Duck!
We went to Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant.
A very big and popular restaurant with several floors. The restaurant has been around since 1864, so they have a lot of experience. The chef comes to your table to cut the food in front of your own eyes. The duck was great, very juicy. It was served with sauce, onions and pancakes.

Great Wall of China

Although it might sound it like we only ate whilst in Beijing, we also saw all the highlights of the city like the Forbidden Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square and Beihai Park. And you can’t leave Beijing without visiting the Great Wall of China. Within a couple of hours from Beijing there are several places at which you can visit the wall. You could go there on your own but it’s quite the hassle with busses that leave sporadically and negotiating with mini bus drivers. The easiest way is to book a tour. But we were quite shocked with the high prices of most of the tours. We eventually booked a cheap tour for 35$ at ChinaTour.net and were very satisfied. Because it’s a cheaper tour, you do visit a jade factory on the way there and a tea house on the way back. But if you don’t mind that, you can save quite some dollars with this tour.