Beijing is China’s buzzing capital and the home to many of the nation’s greatest treasures. Many of the country’s iconic landmarks, such as the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Temple of Heaven, are located here and no trip to China can be considered complete without spending some time in Beijing. As one of the Great Ancient Capitals of China tourists can learn a lot about Chinese history and culture here. Beijing has several good museums including the National Museum of China and the Palace Museum hosted at the Forbidden City. It also contains many shops and is a haven for bargain hunters.

While the city has its fair share of high end boutiques and malls, intrepid shoppers would also enjoy exploring the city’s popular street markets. The Silk Street Market is probably the most well-known of them all. With well over 1,700 retailers the market attracts around 20,000 visitors every day and the number spikes to between 50,000 to 60,000 during the weekends. Opened in 2005, the market quickly gained a reputation for dealing in counterfeit luxury designer brands at extremely low prices. Although with the enforcement of new laws such activity has dwindled. While a few shops still do sell counterfeit goods, the majority sell local handicrafts, exquisite jewellery and trinkets, antiques, electronic gadgets and toys.

Other popular street markets include Xiushui Street, Panjiayuan Collection Street and Liulichang Street. One can find many high quality local handicrafts here. Tourists searching for good souvenir items can try Beijing Glass Ancient Culture Street in the Xuanwu District or Ancient Beijing Street in the Dongcheng District. Those looking for antiques can try the Panjiayuan Antique Market. Comprising of six zones the market contains loads of interesting shops. When visiting these places tourists should remember to bargain for a good price.

As a highly metropolitan city, Beijing has pretty good roads and a terrific public transport system. However, the circuitous roads can be difficult to navigate, especially for first time visitors. Tourists looking for good hotels in China can try the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels China. They operate some of the best Greater China Hotels which can make visiting Beijing and the surrounding area an easier prospect.