{"id":4335,"date":"2011-05-11T23:40:29","date_gmt":"2011-05-11T15:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/?p=4335"},"modified":"2022-04-10T20:35:17","modified_gmt":"2022-04-10T12:35:17","slug":"the-best-area-to-stay-in-beijing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/beijing-travel\/the-best-area-to-stay-in-beijing","title":{"rendered":"The best area to stay in Beijing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where to stay in Beijing<\/span><\/strong><\/a>? Or where is the best area to stay in Beijing? This question often lingers in the minds of those who are planning their first trip to Beijing. For international tourists using internet to arrange their own independent Beijing\u00a0travel, booking a suitable hotel in Beijing is a daunting task since Beijing is a metropolis with a huge number of rated hotels, plus many hostels, Courtyard hotels, B&B hotels and an increasing number of boutique hotels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most internet travelers use the following 5 steps to book their hotel in a new place\uff1a<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Choose the area where you want to stay
\n2. Compare the different\u00a0hotels\u00a0in the same area
\n3. Use google to\u00a0locate the hotel
\n4. Assess the hotel\u00a0by googling\u00a0its feedback or\u00a0checking hotel review websites (e.g., tripadvisor)
\n5.\u00a0Reserve your hotel directly or use the hotel booking engines (e.g., expedia)<\/p>\n

So, first of all, people should first choose the right area to stay. But what’s “the right area to stay”?\u00a0Take Beijing for example, different\u00a0\u00a0people have their own understanding about “<\/span>Where to stay in Beijing<\/span><\/strong><\/a> “. But the common sense people\u00a0have of their preferred\u00a0area should be a comfortabel stay in the center of the city, quite and convenient, and value for money.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what’s the best area to stay in Beijing? Based on Beijing’s historical layout, present development and Beijing hotel presence, I have sectioned Beijing into 6 areas, namely Central, North, Northeast, South, West and Northwest. I will give you a brief account of each area, which, I think, will be useful for you to finalize your hotel booking in Beijing.<\/p>\n

Beijing Central Area<\/strong> ( imperial area)
\nThe central\u00a0Beijing used to the imperial\u00a0area. \u00a0Now it boasts \u00a0the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Chang’an Avenue, Wangfujing, Beihai Park, Jingshan Park, Changpu River and Zhongshan Park as well as some important museums such as National Museum of China, National Art Museum of China and Beijing Police Museum.<\/p>\n

This is probably the best area to come and stay in Beijing, which also largely\u00a0depends your taste, needs and budget.<\/p>\n

North Beijing<\/strong> (\u00a0<\/strong>former living area for Manchu nobles and military officers in Qing Dynasty)
\nActually the north Beijing is composed of two areas Houhai and the North Beijing Olympic Sites. It is also home to many of Beijing attractions such as Shichahai Lake (Houhai Lake), Bell and Drum towers, former residences of famous people, hutongs, courtyards, Lama Temple, Confucius Temple as well as the attractions in the North Beijing such as Science & technology Museum, Chinese Ethnic Cultural Park and the Olympic Sites.<\/p>\n

Houhai is one of the best places where you might stay on a budget, or stay in a courtyard hotel and mix with the local people in this Beijing old residential area, once especially for Manchu nobles and military officers in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).<\/p>\n

South Beijing<\/strong> (Traditional Residences for Han People)
\nI<\/strong>n comparison with the north and Northeast Beijing, the south Beijing remains comparatively underdeveloped. In Yuan and Qing dynasties, Han people were forced to live in the south of the imperial city center. Unlike the grid pattern of the inner imperial city and the north Beijing, the south Beijing has a random and organic pattern.<\/p>\n

The south Beijing has a slow pace of life without much shining architechure or the moderns tyle of the north and Northeast Beijing. The south Beijing is home to many hostels and coutyard hotels as well as a couple of mid-range and luxury hotels. It is a nice to place to see a real Beijing behind its seemingly modern and trendy backdrop.<\/p>\n

Important attractions nearby include Liulichang Cultural Street, Fayuan Temple, Nantang Church, Temple of Heaven, Museum of Natural History…<\/p>\n

Northeast Beijing
\n<\/strong>Northeast Beijing (Chaoyang District) is the most developed area in Beijing. It accommodates Beijing’s Central Business District as well as hundreds of skyscrapers, hotels and office buildings. It is also home to the most of the international companies, embassies and new agencies.<\/p>\n

It is not a very tourist area, but it does have some interesting sites such as 798 Art Space, Sanlitun Bar Street, Ladies’ Street, Chaoyang Park, Dongyue Temple, Ritan Park and Tuanjie Lake Park.<\/p>\n

West Beijing<\/strong> (Financial District)
\nThe west Beijing is the financial center teemed with banks and financial institutions, also home to a few important ministries and academic institutions. Its modernity cannot deny its history as a former place where princes, government officials lived in Qing Dynasty. It is also home to the temples and the imperial canals running to the Summer Palace.<\/p>\n

The west Beijing is home to some interesting sights such as Capital Museum, Military Museum of Chinese Revolution, Yuyuantan Park, CCTV Tower, Lu Xun Museum, Temple of Emperors of Successive Dynasties in China, Temple of Great Charity (Guangjisi), White Dagaba, Beijing Zoo, Beijing Planetarium, Five Pagoda Temple, Temple of Longevity and Purple Bamboo Park.<\/p>\n

The west Beijing has several international chain luxury hotels as well as a few budget and standard hotels.<\/p>\n

Northwest Beijing<\/strong> (Beijing’Silicon Valley)
\nThe northwest Beijing\u00a0blend effortlessly the higher learning institutions in Beijing(universities and colleges), Zhongguancun(Beijing’s silicon Valley) and the imperial gardens (Summer Palace and Old Summer Palace).<\/p>\n

The important attractions in the northwest Beijing include Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace(Yuanmingyuan), Great Bell Temple, Western Hills, Botanical Garden and Xiangshan(Fragrant Hill).<\/p>\n

The hotels in the Northwest Beijing mainly cater for academic and business travelers.<\/p>\n

In my opinion, Central, North and South Beijing are most suitable for leisure travelers.<\/p>\n

Check out <\/span>Where to stay in Beijing<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 for more information.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related Beijing Travel Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Xian Top 10 Hostels
\n<\/a>Top Beijing Budget Hotels\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Tips for Visiting Tiananmen Square<\/a>
Tips for visiting Summer Palace<\/a>
Tips for Visiting the Temple of Heaven<\/a>
Forbidden City Travel Tips \u2013 The Palace Museum Travel Tips<\/a>
Tips for Visiting the Great Wall of China around Beijing<\/a>
How to Visit Ming Tombs in Beijing<\/a>
How to visit Beihai Park Beijing<\/a>
How to visit Shichahai<\/a>
How to visit Bird\u2019s Nest and Water Cube<\/a>
How to visit CCTV Tower in Beijing<\/a>
How to Visit National Grand Theatre in Beijing<\/a>
Top 10 Most Romantic Places in Beijing<\/a>
How to Enjoy Beijing Nightlife<\/a>
Top 10 Beijing Souvenirs<\/a>
Top 10 Tourist Scams Beijing<\/a><\/p>\n

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours<\/h2>\n

If you don\u2019t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,\u00a0 here are some options for Beijing guided tours:<\/p>\n

Beijing Day Tour<\/a>
\nBeijing Tour Packages<\/a>
\nGreat Wall Tour<\/a>
\nBeijing City Tour<\/a>
\nBeijing Winter Tour<\/a>
\nBeijing Autumn Tour<\/a>
\nCar Rental in Beijing<\/a>
\nBeijing Tours<\/a>
\nChina City Tours<\/a>
\nChina Tour<\/a><\/p>\n

Further Readings<\/h2>\n
\n

Best Time to Visit Beijing<\/a>
\nHow to plan a trip to Beijing<\/a><\/p>\n

Top 10 Attractions in Beijing<\/a>
\nHow to Visit Forbidden City<\/a>
\nHow to Visit Temple of Heaven<\/a>
\nHow to Visit Summer Palace<\/a>
\nHow to Visit Ming Tombs<\/a>
\nHow to Visit the Great Wall of China<\/a>
\nHow to Visit Tiananmen Square<\/a>
\nHow to Visit Hutongs<\/a>
\nHow to Visit Olympic Sites<\/a><\/p>\n

Top 10 Markets in Beijing<\/a>
\nTop 10 Shopping Malls in Beijing<\/a>
\nBeijing Shopping<\/a><\/p>\n

Wangfujing Walking Street<\/a>
\nQianmen Commercial Street<\/a>
\nGui Jie ( Ghost Street) Food Street<\/a><\/p>\n

Any questions, just drop a line.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where to stay in Beijing? Or where is the best area to stay in Beijing? This question often lingers in the minds of those who are planning their first trip to Beijing. For international tourists using internet to arrange their own independent Beijing\u00a0travel, booking a suitable hotel in Beijing is a daunting task since Beijing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[1129,1131,1130],"class_list":["post-4335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beijing-travel","tag-whats-the-best-area-to-stay-in-beijing","tag-where-should-i-stay-in-beijing","tag-where-to-stay-in-beijing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4335"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31469,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4335\/revisions\/31469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}