China

Our visit to the most touristic place in Beijing had left us wondering about Chinese history and culture. Realising our knowledge was too limited, we were looking forward to the Free City Tour we'd attend in the afternoon. After that, we had planned ...

It took a 3-hour flight from Brussels to Moscow, a 5-hour wait and another 7h30-hour flight from Moscow to Beijing, to reach our destination. We were exhausted from the long travel and the jetlag, so we started our visit with in a very relaxed way, b...

The Forbidden City, the name only has such a mysterious ring to it that it creates high expectations for the site itself. But despite its story being fascinating and the site being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, our visit to the Forbidden Ci...

The main reason I wanted to see Beijing was to climb the Great Wall of China. At a total length of 3000 to 5500 kilometers -depending on how you measure its parts- it definitely lives up to its name. Its huge size, however, didn't make it any easier ...

At first, I thought 5 days wouldn't be enough to see Beijing and the Great Wall of China. And it wasn't. Nevertheless, I wouldn't recommend to stay much longer. Certainly, the city hosts some beautiful places of historical interest, which you should ...

Beijing is home to some incredible food markets, one of which is situated in Wangfuijing Snack Street, next to Wangujing Street in Doncheng district, the busiest shopping street in the city. It brings to mind Bangkok's Khao San Road, but there's a mu...

Built in 1420, the Temple of Heaven is an ancient garden complex on the southern end of Beijing. During the Ming and Qing dynasty, it was the sacred altar for emperors to offer sacrifices to Heaven and pray for a great harvest. It is also recommended...

Out in the western suburbs of Beijing lies a beautiful park with a lake, gardens and temples that was once the Summer retreat of the emperors. Covering 2,2 square kilometres, The Summer Palace, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, is the largest r...

When we woke up on Tuesday morning, it was raining. This, along with heavy thunder had been going on all night. It felt like this was Beijing saying goodbye. The day before, our Couchsurfing host Victoria had told me they sometimes close metro statio...