Travel Tips  

Public buses are the cheapest way to get around Beijing. The public bus system in Beijing is very good, in that you can get almost anywhere by bus. Bus Nos. 1, 4, 52, 57 run across the city proper on Chang'an Avenue, passing some major buildings
such as Jianguo Hotel, Jinglun Hotel, Friendship Store, International Hotel, Tian'anmen Square. Price: 1 yuan. Air-conditioned and double-decker buses cost 2 yuan and above.

he Beijing Capital International Airport is undoubtedly China's top air hub, with 98 international and 757 domestic air routes linking the capital with 54 cities in 39 countries. More than 40 foreign airlines have set up booking offices in Beijing. Generally hotels above three stars offer air ticket booking services.
Flight information hotline: 2580

You can change money in most hotels and banks, and the rate is the same everywhere. To change RMB back into your home currency, you must retain the exchange slips that are given to you at the bank or money exchange counter.

Major credit cards such as MasterCard, Visa, Diners, JCB and American Express can be used to purchase goods in large department stores. They
can be used to pay for hotel rooms and for meals
in some of the fancier restaurants. You can also
buy plane tickets with them. As mentioned above,
AmEx and Mastercard can be used to get a cash
advance in the main offices of the Bank of China. It is also possible to cash a check against, the AmEx card, but again, only in the main offices.

International Post and Telecommunications Office

Besides regular postal services, this office handles remittances, money orders, telegraphic money transfers, international and domestic telephone and telegraph services. In the same building there is a Customs Office for those who need customs clearance for postal items.
Add: Yabao Lu, 300 meters northeast of
Jianguomen Overpass on the Second Ring Road

Tel: 6512-8132     Open: 8a.m.-6:30p.m.

Long-distance calls can be made directly from hotel
rooms with IDD phones. If your call isn't urgent, phone
between 9pm-7am, because calls are half the daytime
price. Magnetic phone cards and 1C phone cards for
IDD and DDD are available in major telecommunications
offices and large hotels.

21 :00-07:00 

Offices in Beijing generally open from 8:30am-5pm, with a lunch break of about an hour.
Government stipulated workdays are from Monday to Friday. Shops open seven days a week.

Tipping is not customary outside of foreign joint venture hotels and is officially discouraged.
Nevertheless, a service charge of up to 15 percent is added to the hotel bill, and hotel bellboys expect RMB2-5 per bag.

Beijing uses 220 volt electricity. Potable water is available only at a few of the best hotels, so tourists should always ask to make sure. Flasks of hot and cold water in rooms are telltale signs of non-potable water. Bottled mineral water is widely available in all stores. Officially, foreigners can only stay in hotels that are three-star and above.

The official language of China is Mandarin Chinese, actually a northern dialect, what the
people of Beijing speak. Nowadays, most young people can speak varying degrees of English, so
for directions and help, you can most likely get assistance from a younger person.