Buzz
Traveling on a budget in Beijing may seem impossible, but you can totally explore this city over a weekend for less than a million dong.
Weekend Trip to Beijing for Just a Million Dong
Suggested Itinerary for Budget and Time-Conscious Travelers in Beijing. The exchange rate is 1 Chinese yuan equals 3,550 dong.
Saturday: Gulou, Beihai Park, and Tianshou Park
Start your Beijing adventure at Nanluoguxiang, one of the ancient alleys dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) preserved by the city authorities. Have breakfast with jianbing, a famous local dish similar to a pancake and filled with egg. The price for one cake is about 13,000 - 17,000 dong. Cakes are sold at stalls at the Beibing Masi intersection with Nanluoguxiang.
At the intersection of Di'anmen Street and West Gulou, travelers can see the drum tower and bell tower, often used to announce the time to everyone. Climbing the stairs and admiring the entire city of Beijing is an exciting experience for travelers. Admission prices at each location are around 111,000 dong.
There are many budget restaurants on Di'anmen Street for you to choose for lunch, with each dish ranging from 67,000 to 133,000 dong. However, you can also choose street food stalls to save costs.
After lunch, travelers can walk to Beihai Park. This is a royal garden, used as a park since 1925. Main activities include boating in the park, admiring the Nine-Dragon Wall dating back to 1402, and observing the white pagoda on the Phoenix Island. Park admission is less than 44,000 dong per person.
From Beihai Park, it only takes a few minutes to reach Tianshou Park. From the top floor on the hill in the park, you can observe many landmarks in Beijing such as the Forbidden City, the drum tower, and Beihai Park.
At the end of the day, explore and enjoy a meal at the first family-run private restaurant in the city. Yuebin has been a restaurant since 1980, the entire menu is Chinese cuisine, with the best dishes usually placed on the first page.
Sunday: 798 Art District and Caochangdi
You'll have time to explore more artistic elements in the 798 district located in Northeast Beijing. This area was built in the architectural style of Bauhaus weapon factories from the 1950s. Artists flocked here after the 90s and turned it into an art hub. Most of the structures here are open to visitors free of charge.
About a 10-minute drive away, travelers can visit another art center called Caochangdi. This area is quieter than the 798 district but also hosts many interesting venues like the Three Shadows photography center, Galerie Urs Meile, and the Beijing Art Now Gallery (BANG)...
Train enthusiasts should visit the Chinese Railway Museum, located to the East of Caochangdi. The museum displays trains from the 60s and 70s, including steam engines once driven by Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai. Not all taxi drivers know this place so you need to prepare a map and phone number in advance. Museum admission is 67,000 dong.
According to Vnexpress.net
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Reference: Travel guide Mytour
MytourNovember 20, 2015
