Mutianyu is only the "main" area in the eyes of FT... because we talk about it the most here. What's more, 90 minutes is usually more than enough time to get up there unless you're staying downtown, and set off during rush hour. Personally, I can live without the cable car and alpine slide.

I was in Beijing for 3 days and have to say that the two best experience for me was the Great Wall hiking and Beihai Park.

The Forbidden City/Palace would be great if not for the thousands of people swarming there where you can't find any personal space...

If you can do you yourself a favor and spend at least a full day at the wall hiking which will make you jet lag go away faster and you will not feel as exhausted when you look at all the beauty around you.

We left at 8a from Wangfujing, went to Mutianyu, had plenty of time on the wall (at least "plenty" in the context of a very humid summer day) and we were dropped off at the Lama Temple by 1p.

@moondog and @drewguy

My local hosts graciously offered to take me to the wall, so no choice on my end It took us almost a couple of hours to get there, with traffic, on a Friday morning. The lines for the cable car were super quick, and we were lucky to park almost immediately, near the shops that are a 5 minute walk from the cable car entrance.

The way back was a lot faster, with no traffic to speak of.

My son is in Peking University and I go to Wudaokou every trip. That said, I haven't found any particularly good restaurants, and we find ourselves visiting other parts of the city to eat in the evening.

Can someone name 2 or 3 good dinner spots near Wudaokou?

I rarely eat up there, but I find that dianping is usually pretty reliable:

http://www.dianping.com/search/keywo...93%E5%8F%A3/o3

It depends on what you are looking for, and where in Haidian -- it's a big place!

Even with translation software, I find dianping difficult, so we've been exploring by random.

For chinese: there are several very good chinese restaurants, of a regional bent, close to Tsinghua East (main) gate, near Beida: one is called "Zui'Ai" and there is another one opposite, called "Yan" I think. Both are reasonably pricey, but very much depends on what is ordered. One can get out for under 150RMB/person for a great meal. There are also a couple of very good restaurants near the weird shopping complex opposite the Tsinghua West gate (i.e. next to Beida), but I don't know what they're called, since I've only been there with colleagues, and not even seen the menu. One is I think, supposed to represent Qing "governor's" cuisine.

Non-Chinese: there is "Eatalia" next to Wudaokou subway, which is pretty acceptable italian/pizza, and in the 'U-Centre', again near the subway, there are several food outlets, none amazing, but fairly serviceable. We used to go to the teppenyaki place there quite a lot, and there's an OK vietnamese place, among several other options.

There are a lot of Korean places, but none have blown me away, surprisingly, given the number of Koreans who live here: but perhaps that is because they are Korean students looking for affordable instead of amazing food.

There is a Quanjude next to Tsinghua south gate (opposite google).

In Zhonguancun, there are _many_ options, including a Dintaifung in "modern plaza" mall.

There are many, many more options, but that should be a start.

tb

This is a belated thanks to all who responded to my initial OP for help with my time in Beijing before and after a longer cycling holiday near Guilin.

I made minor modifications to JieJie's itinerary (multi-hour plane delay), but I did go the GW (Mutianyu, something I had thought I wouldn't be able to do) and I am so glad I did. I ended up sharing the itinerary with a couple I met one morning at my hostel who were sitting with a map and a guidebook, completely bewildered as to how to most efficiently map out and plan a day without unnecessary back-tracking. I knew just how they felt - I always get a bit overwhelmed by it all.

I knew my time was limited, but you all helped me make best use of it. I really look forward to going back (possibly next spring) because there is so much I want to explore more.

Thanks again, everyone, for all the fantastic help!