Stop over in Beijing
 

We are flying ARN-SYD and can get a bonus trip ARN-PEK return.
I thought we could fly to PEK have a stopover for 3 days then fly PEK-SYD (buy that ticket with money)

I am concerned about how stressful this would be with 3 small kids in PEK.
Is the airport far away?
Whats it like to be a tourist in Beijing, difficult to travel around the city to see tourist things etc????

If anyone has any idea on airfares PEK-SYD return and where to buy them I would be most greatful.

Beijing is a huge city so travelling around takes time. Taxis are cheap and everywhere. I wouldn´t worry too much about moving around. Just hail a cab everywhere you canno´t/don´t want to walk. It´s like 10-15 eurocents per km. Beijing has plenty to see for kids too. I think it would be a good idea to break up the long journey into smaller segments.

Agree totally with Helsinki Flyer, it does sound a good idea to stop over in BJ. There are plenty of Chinese websites selling flight tickets at discount prices which cannot be obtained in Europe. I just did a test booking on Ctrip, in January, the return flight between PEK and Sydney is about 7500 - 8000 rmb (1rmb = 1 ,12 Swedish Kronar) on QF or CA. (www.ctrip.com, www.elong.net, www.yoee.com all have English services and they are trusted, they all have hotel booking services with prices you won't get in Europe.

Please be aware in 2009, the end of January is Chinese new year, most Chinese travel at that time, you will find flight tickets more expensive and difficult to get during the last week of Jan. from PEK. The airport is around 25 km from the east city center where most international people hang round, the taxi fare is at 2 rmb per km with a starting fare of 10 rmb which includes three kms.. Normally it should be less than 100 rmb from airport to city including a 10 rmb express way toll. Choose the official taxis either in two colors or some black ones, one trick to learn is checking the license plate, official taxis are marked with letter B, meaning right after the Chinese character of Beijing (京), the first western letter you see is a B, following by more letters or numbers. Also worth remembering is the the airport terminals, * alliance airlines including SK use T3, Sky Teams use T2, One World also use T3... Going to a wrong terminal will get you into bigger trouble than elsewhere.

http://english.ctrip.com/Destination...tionGuides.asp
http://www.thebeijinger.com/ (local westerners most favorite site)

You will find English information for Beijing on the above site, of course SAS also has destination info about BJ.. With kids, one suggestion is to pay a visit to the zoo, where they have eight one year old pandas hanging out together, they are really cute. Normally awake before 11am and after 4pm, it's something that will make your kids happy when seeing little pandas fighting for carrots and playing with each other. (I just saw that last week). SAS radisson is a quite nice hotel, especially if you have points to book a room..

Feel free to ask more information and hope you will have a nice stay in Beijing! :)

And remember that you might need two visas, one for arrival and one for departure, do not know how it is to transfer at PEK on two separate tickets.

If you have any points left, you could try to book hotel on points during the weekend, the RadissonSAS is quite OK (at least the Club Rooms, have only tried those).

Thanks, this was very useful info!
It sounds tempting with Beijing.
Whats the wheather like in mid-Feb?? Do we have to bring winter clothes?
How far away is the wall (taxi from SAS RAdisson)??

/Tina

It's getting warmer but rather dry in mid Feb. in BJ, however winter clothes are recommended, it might be even well above 10c during day but most likely below 0c during night, could get really windy also. It's somewhere between 60 and 70 km from Radisson SAS hotel to the Wall, depending whether you are going to MuTianYu (more favorite among foreigners) or BaDaLing (with a market spirit, favorite among Chinese).

I'd recommend you to rent a taxi (for about 6 hours) for the trip, the taxi will wait for you at the Wall, and you are most flexible with your time. The day taxi costs from 600 to 1000 rmb (inclusive of tolls and other costs such as parking) depending on your bargaining skills. The hotel should also be able to assist you with renting a day taxi at a little bit higher rate, but 1000+ would be unacceptable. The taxis here are rather small in size, except the ones in black color, you will find those more comfortable with two adults and three kids..

Just heard yesterday from a friend, QF's promotion rt flight from PEK to SYD at 5000-6000 rmb for now, so you could also check with airlines directly.. Mid Feb. should be mid or even low traveling season in PEK..

Cheers from a very sunny, blue, but windy Beijing!

Thanks again for all the info. We havent quite decided on PEK or BKK or SIN for our ´stopover.

/Tina

[QUOTE=Chriscross;10927078]And remember that you might need two visas, one for arrival and one for departure, do not know how it is to transfer at PEK on two separate tickets.QUOTE]

Never heard of a departure visa ? When do you need that ?
As I recall you can only transit without visa if you're continuing within 24 hrs ?

Hi

I would love to stop-over in Beijing again. I went there a few years back and as you can see from my trip report on http://gardkarlsen.com/china_beijing.htm we stayed at the Radisson SAS hotel. But as mentioned...it is a bit of a pain in the ... applying for the visa to China. But I was surprised by Beijing when I visited. It had more to offer than I thought.