Going to Beijing has always been one of my to-do list. We purchased tickets to Beijing via Cebu Pacific with their "Piso fare". Total fare is P6500 per head.
There is no time difference between Manila and Beijing. We left Manila at 735 pm on a Thursday and arrived Beijing at 12am on a Friday (4 hour and 30minutes travel time).
Day 0
Upon arrival at the Beijing airport, there is no subway or buses to the city center. We had to take a taxi outside the airport. Temperature during our stay was very cold. The taxi line was long but there were a lot of taxis available so waiting was not an issue. Do not stop for others who are offering taxi rides. They would not use the meter and would set the amount that you should pay.
Taxi from the airport to King Parkview Hotel will take 30 minutes. Upon arrival at the hotel, we were so thirsty, unfortunately they do not offer complimentary water. They also do not sell or have water available for the guests. We just slept and waited for the next day.
| Day 0 | March 5,2015 | Cost in RMB | Conversion in Peso (x 7.11) | Cost per Head (Peso) | |
| 12:05 AM | Arrival Beijing | 100 | 711 | 355.5 | |
| Taxi to Hotel (30 minutes) | King Parkview Hotel No.55 Shatan Houjie Dongcheng District,, Beijing, China | 5728.58 | 2864.29 |
Day 1
We walked towards the Forbidden City the next morning only to find out that the hotel is NOT within walking distance to the entrance. We walked for 25 minutes before we reached the entrance. You could opt to ride a shuttle to the ticket booth upon reaching the entrance of the forbidden city. It is just an additional 10 minute walk if you choose not to take the shuttle.
The Forbidden City would show how the Emperors and their household lived.
Upon exiting the Forbidden City, we were looking for a bus that could take us to Tiananmen East. One girl was on a bus stop asking for passengers. We asked if the bus would pass by Tiananmen East and she said yes. We immediately rode the bus only to find out that it was a city tourist bus. The bus ride costs 10 RMB and the tour guide just speaks Chinese. We were dropped of Tiananmen East Station after going around the city. Tiananmen Square is just right in front of the entrance of the Forbidden City.
Be careful on riding buses in Beijing. Find local buses which usually has a large red number in front and could drop you off to certain bus stops. The bus would just normally cost 2 RMB.
Tips: When touring the Tianamen Square, it is best to start at the Tianamen Square Gate Entrance, proceed to entrance of Forbidden City then end at the exit of the Forbidden City.
After a lot of walking, we had our late lunch nearby before riding a subway from Tianamen East to Silk Market.
| Day 1 | March 6,2015 ( Tianamen Square, Forbidden City) | Cost in RMB | Conversion in Peso (x 7.11) | Cost per Head (Peso) | |
| 11:00 AM | Walk to Entrance of Forbidden City from Hotel (30 minutes) | ||||
| Shuttle to ticket booth of Forbidden City | 10 | 71.1 | 71.1 | ||
| Forbidden City Tickets | 40 | 284.4 | 284.4 | ||
| 4:00 PM | Exit of Forbidden City | ||||
| Shuttle ride available at Exit of Forbidden City to Tianamen Square Entrance | 10 | 71.1 | 71.1 | ||
| 4:30 PM | Tianamen Square | ||||
| *We did not opt to get in the Museums here. We just looked around the Tianamen Square which just looks like a big lot. | |||||
| FYI, Exit of Tianamen Square will be the entrance of Forbidden City | |||||
| 5:30 PM | Dinner at a restaurant outside of Forbidden City | 68 | 483.48 | 241.74 | |
| Bought caramelized strawberry: 5 RMB each Feedback: One of the cheapest and best desserts I have ever tasted. | 10 | 71.1 | 35.55 | ||
| Walked to Tianamen East station to go to Silk Market Feedback: You could bargain on prices being offered at the Silk Market. Try to get 1/3 of the offered prices. It doesn’t seem like this is the place with the best bargain price. | |||||
| Fare (Tianamen East to Yonganli): 3RMB One-way | 3 | 21.33 | 21.33 | ||
| Dinner at Casa Gusto (inside Silk Market) | 58 | 412.38 | 206.19 | ||
| Feedback: Coffee at Casa Gusto tastes bad. We ordered spaghetti and taste was not good either. | |||||
| Fare (Yonganli to Tianamen East): 3RMB One-way | 3 | 21.33 | 21.33 | ||
| 8:00 PM | Walk back from Tianamen East to Hotel (55 minutes) | ||||
| Bought water at the convenience store | 7.5 | 53.325 | 26.6625 | ||
Day 2
This day we planned to visit the Great wall of China. To get there ride a subway to Jishuitan station. Upon reaching Jishuitan Station (subway line 2, Exit A), walk until you see take the Deshengmen Arrow Tower. This looks like a building with tall walls.
Tips: Do NOT line-up at the Bus stop 919 or 877. This is NOT the loading area. Walk until you see the Arrow Tower. Beside it is the loading area of bus 877.
| Bus No. | Travel Route | Departure Station | Arrival Station | Operating Hours | Ticket Fare | Duration Time |
| 877 | Deshengmen ⇌ Badaling | Parking lot north of the Deshengmen Arrow Tower | Front Hill of Badaling | 06:00-12:30 (Nov.1-Mar.31) | CNY12/person; CNY 4.8 by Beijing Transportation Smart Card | About an hour |
There is also an option to take the Train. This is the train schedule:
| Train No. | Depart from | Time of Departure | Arrive at | Time of Arrival | Duration |
| S201* |
Beijing North
| 6:12:00 |
Badaling
| 7:31:00 | 1h19m |
| S287# | 7:58:00 | 9:20:00 | 1h22m | ||
| S205^ | 8:34:00 | 9:47:00 | 1h13m | ||
| S209* | 10:57:00 | 12:13:00 | 1h16m | ||
| S211^ | 12:42:00 | 14:01:00 | 1h19m | ||
| S213# | 13:14:00 | 14:25:00 | 1h11m | ||
| S217* | 15:24:00 | 16:43:00 | 1h19m | ||
| S219^ | 17:11:00 | 18:30:00 | 1h19m | ||
| S221# | 17:41:00 | 18:57:00 | 1h16m | ||
| S227^ | 21:28:00 | 22:44:00 | 1h16m | ||
| S208* |
Badaling
| 8:23:00 |
Beijing North
| 9:47:00 | 1h24m |
| S210^ | 10:51:00 | 12:12:00 | 1h21m | ||
| S216* | 13:40:00 | 15:00:00 | 1h20m | ||
| S218^ | 15:08:00 | 16:43:00 | 1h35m | ||
| S220# | 15:52:00 | 17:25:00 | 1h33m | ||
| S224* | 17:33:00 | 18:54:00 | 1h21m | ||
| S226^ | 19:34:00 | 21:11:00 | 1h37m | ||
| S228# | 20:06:00 | 21:43:00 | 1h37m | ||
| S232* | 21:33:00 | 23:03:00 | 1h30m | ||
| * Depart daily; ^ Depart every Tuesday to Thursday; #Depart every Friday to Monday of next week, and during holidays and festivals | |||||
| Day 2 | March 7,2015 ( Great Wall,Birds Nest) | Cost in RMB | Conversion in Peso (x 7.11) | Cost per Head (Peso) | |
| 9:00 AM | Walk from hotel to Nanluogoxiang (25minutes) | ||||
| Subway to Jishuitan : 3 RMB | 6 | 42.66 | 42.66 | ||
| Upon reaching Jishuitan Station (subway line 2, Exit A), walk until you see take the Deshengmen Arrow Tower. This looks like a building with tall walls. REMINDER: Do NOT line-up at the Bus stop 919 or 877. This is NOT the loading area. Walk until you see the Arrow Tower. Behind it is the loading area of bus 877. | |||||
| 12:00 PM | Ride bus 877 to Great Wall of China | 12 | 85.32 | 85.32 | |
| 1:00 PM | Arrival at Badaling Great Wall | ||||
| Walk towards the entrance of cable car to North Tower of Badaling. | |||||
| Cable car cost is 100 RMB (Roundtrip) Badaling Entrance Fee is 35 RMB | 135 | 959.85 | 959.85 | ||
| Lunch KFC (Zinger burger) | 15 | 106.65 | 53.325 | ||
| Walk towards S2 line station | |||||
| Train To Beijing North 6 RMB | 6 | 42.66 | 42.66 | ||
| Dinner inside Beijing North station foodcourt | 30 | 213.3 | 106.65 | ||
| Feedback: During our stay in Beijing, we see it cheaper to eat at foodcourt in malls. You can buy a prepaid card available at the foodcourt. Cashier will reimburse any amount left after surrendering the card. | |||||
| Train from Xizhimen station to Olympic Sports Center | 4 | 28.44 | 28.44 | ||
| Train from Olympic Sports Center to Nanluogoxiang | 4 | 28.44 | 28.44 | ||
| Walk back to Hotel (25 mins) |
Day 3
| Day 3 | March 8,2015 (Beijing Zoo, Zhongguancun Electronics Market Beijing, The Malls at Oriental Plaza) | Cost in RMB | Conversion in Peso (x 7.11) | Cost per Head (Peso) | |
| 11:00 AM | Check-out at the Hotel | ||||
| Bought caramelized strawberry: 5 RMB each | 5 | 35.55 | 17.775 | ||
| Feedback: One of the cheapest and best desserts I have ever tasted. | |||||
| Walk 5mins to Bus Stop 109 | |||||
| Ride bus to Dongsi Station | 2 | 14.22 | 14.22 | ||
| Subway Dongsi To Beijing Zoo | 4 | 28.44 | 28.44 | ||
| Beijing Zoo entrance 10 RMB Panda House 5 RMB Other places inside Beijing Zoo with additional Entrance Fees: Beijing Aquarium: 150 Penguins: 10 | 15 | 106.65 | 106.65 | ||
| 4:00 PM | Subway from Beijing Zoo to Haidian Huangzhuang | 3 | 21.33 | 21.33 | |
| Lunch at City Mall | 25 | 177.75 | 88.875 | ||
| Zhongguancun plaza shopping mall | |||||
| Feedback: This subway stop is for those who would like to check cheap prices for laptops/phones and other electronic devices/accessories. | |||||
| 6:00 PM | Subway Haidian Huangzhuang to Wangfujing | 3 | 21.33 | 21.33 | |
| Bought pasalubong and other stuff | 150 | 1066.5 | 533.25 | ||
| Bought ref magnet and back massager Magnet: 15 RMB Back Massager: 20 RMB | 35 | 248.85 | 124.425 | ||
| Bought noodles and beef barbeque at the night market Price: 15RMB Fried Noodles, 5 RMB Beef BBQ | 15 | 106.65 | 53.325 | ||
| Feedback: This is the ideal place to shop for stuff. There is also a night market and mall found in the streets right beside The Malls at Oriental Plaza. | |||||
| Subway to Dongsi | 3 | 21.33 | 21.33 | ||
| Ride bus 919 back to hotel | 2 | 14.22 | 14.22 | ||
| Get luggage | |||||
| Bus back to Dongsi | 2 | 14.22 | 14.22 | ||
| Subway Dongsi to Dongzhimen | 3 | 21.33 | 21.33 | ||
| Taxi Dongzhimen to Terminal 2 | 80 | 568.8 | 284.4 | ||
| Feedback: Last trip From Dongzhimen to Airport is 1030pm. The last train left when we arrived Dongzhimen. We took the taxi from there. |
