Beijing, China

Beijing is the capitol of China and its second largest city. It is the main stopping off point for tourists looking to visit the Great Wall of China. Flying directly into Beijing is easily the best way to get to the Great Wall of China. China has many airlines and all of the major ones fly into Beijing. Once in Beijing, you have several options for getting around town. The best way to get around is the subway. Beijing has a very extensive and modern system with all signage in both English and Chinese. If a subway isn't available, using a taxi is a good alternative. Since 2008, you are now able to rent cars in Beijing, but this is not recommended since driving can be very chaotic in the city and risking an accident in a foreign country is not a risk worth taking.

Other 'Must Sees' in Beijing

Besides seeing the Great Wall of China, there is a lot to see and do in Beijing. The second most popular tourist attraction in Beijing and another must see is the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the palace grounds for the emperor of China. It was built in the early 15th century and used from the Ming to the Qing dynasties. It is the world's largest palace grounds covering over 180 acres. Very secretive during it's use, the Emperor of China rarely left the palace grounds and the outside public almost never got a glimpse of the inside. The Forbidden city was the official residence of the Emperor of China up until 1924. The site is now a museum with access to the site open daily. It is located just off of Tiananmen Square.

The Gate to the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Another great attraction in Beijing is Tiananmen Square. This is the largest urban square in the world covering over 100 acres, the Forbidden City, the National Museum of China, and Mao's Tomb all flank the square and are all worth a visit so you could literally spend a couple days in the square exploring all the sites. This is also the site of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in which an estimated 2000-3000 Chinese protesters were killed. Some other attractions in Beijing include the Beijing Aquarium, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and the National Stadium (the 'Birds Nest' stadium of the 2008 Olympics).