Beijing hotels

Covering just under 17,000km² and with a population of nearly 17m, Beijing gives a new meaning to the word vast. There are plenty of transport choices: the bicycle, numerous buses, an expanding subway system and cheap taxis.

The best thing about Beijing is that the whole city is centred on Tian'anmen Square and most of the roads run north-south, east-west, so it's quite hard to get lost.

Most of the main tourist attractions are in the centre. Clustered around Tian'anmen Square you'll find the Forbidden City, Mao's Mausoleum and the Great Hall of the People. To the east is the financial and business centre, and just north of that is the Chaoyang area, the embassy district and the hub of Beijing's nightlife. The north-east is the university area, with lots of trendy bars and restaurants. The main Olympic Stadium is approximately 11km north of Tian'anmen Square.

By far the best way to see the centre of Beijing is to hire a bicycle. Don't be put off by the apparent chaos. There are huge bike lanes on most roads and Beijing drivers – for all their craziness – respect the bicycle.

Taxis are the most comfortable way to get around Beijing, especially if you're only in town for a few days, and as long as you travel outside rush hours. There are three levels of taxi, and the more you pay the better standard car you get. Taxis are everywhere, and the drivers are generally very friendly, especially if you have a few words of the language. Most hotels have a card with the hotel name and the major tourist sites in Mandarin, which avoids a lot of stress.

Beijing's underground is a cheap way to avoid the congestion on the roads and see the sights, but it can get crowded and unpleasant – especially in summer. There are eight subway lines, easy to negotiate, and there are plenty of English signs.

Walking through the tree-lined streets around The Forbidden City is a delight, as are the parks and lakes of Beihai and Houhai. But, be warned, what can look like a block or two on a map can be a long way on foot with not a lot to look at. If you're planning a day on foot, head to the warren-like maze of narrow alleyways of the hutongs.

Unless you are in Beijing for an extended stay, avoid the buses. They are old, crowded, and dirty and there's little logic to the routes. If you have some time to just jump on and you don't mind standing, they are a cheap and often entertaining way to discover parts of the city you never dreamed existed. You can always get a cab back.

Beijing public transport is pretty much pay-as-you-go, but the fares are low. Carry plenty of small notes around with you if you plan to catch the bus or train. Another option is to pay a deposit for a Public Transportation Card that is then refunded to you when you return the card on leaving Beijing. Make sure the meter is running in a cab and get out if they don't put it on. Be careful of rip-off taxi drivers, they look like official cabs but aren't. They gather outside the tourist spots and can charge five to ten times the right price.

Beijing is one of the most rapidly changing cities in the world. For centuries, most Beijingers lived in single-storey, quadrangle-style houses with a central courtyard, tightly packaged together in areas known as hutongs. A walk through these mazes of tiny streets is like stepping back into the past and in stark contrast to the proliferation of Olympic building projects left over from 2008.

Beijing Transportation website