Officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, the Olympics will take place on 8-24 August in Beijing. This will be an amazing time to visit the city as years of preparation, building and improved infrastructure come to fruition. The Beijing National Stadium, located in the Chaoyang district in the east of the city, is the centrepiece. Designed by the award-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron, the stadium has an extraordinary nest-like structure which has inspired its nickname, the Bird’s Nest. The opening and closing ceremonies, athletics events and soccer finals will take place here.
Forty-eight hours is never enough in this marvellous city, articularly if you're planning to visit during the 2008 Summer Olympics. Based at the Loong Palace Hotel & Resort, you have historic landmarks, superb shopping and all the sporting action within easy reach.
Start your stay on an eloquent note. From the Loong Palace Hotel & Resort in the northern district of Changping, it’s an easy taxi ride to the Summer Palace. This beautiful retreat is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape design, featuring pavilions, palaces, temples and bridges on the banks of the shimmering Kunming Lake. While you’re north, drop into the Bai Family Mansion in Haidian District for lunch. Greeted by geges (Manchu for princess) in traditional dress, you will enjoy an extraordinary dining experience straight out of the Qing dynasty.
Then, head into downtown Beijing to Wangfujing Avenue. The city’s prime shopping area for the last 700 years, it is choc-a-bloc with glossy malls, small boutiques and world-class brands. But the real treasure is buried underground: a warren of stores selling silk, jade, tea, pickles and the everpresent roast duck. Still on a shopping trip? Sharpen your bargaining skills and head to Silk Alley (Xiushui Street) for clothes, bags, shoes and crafts at pocket-money prices.
For dinner, book a table at the Shang Court restaurant in Jianguo Hotel. Here, you will experience the crème de la crème of imperial cuisine. Order the braised abalone and shark’s fin. This authentic recipe was beloved by the emperors of the Qing dynasty and is served in a traditional bronze dish symbolising strength and power.
In the morning, visit the Forbidden City at the north end of the vast Tiananmen Square. The Imperial Palace spans 720,000m2 and was home to 24 successive emperors over 500 years. Explore the Outer Court, Inner Court and galleries showcasing paintings, pottery, clocks and bronzeware. For lunch, nip into Beihai Park and reacquaint your palette with imperial cuisine at Fangshan restaurant.
Then enjoy the park: hire a paddleboat and sail on one of its many lakes. Exit at its northern end and continue for a couple of blocks to the 13th-century Confucius Temple, a serene escape in a garden of cypress and pine trees. The best time to be in Tiananmen Square is sunset, when you can see the Five Star Red Flag-raising ceremony. Arrive early and you can imbibe the lively atmosphere, visit the Monument to the People’s Heroes, commissioned by Chairman Mao, and see the man himself in Mao’s Mausoleum.
For dinner, it has to be RBL, Beijing’s hottest restaurant. Enter the Forbidden City’s former ice-storage depot and enjoy Japanese-inspired fusion cuisine within its 16m-thick walls. The Ice House is adjacent: a blues club where you can drink cocktails and watch live acts late into the night.
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