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Beijing (City Guide)
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Beijing (City Guide)

Average Rating:
Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5
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$18.99
Our Price:
$14.65
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$4.34 (23%)

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Product Info

  • EAN: 9781740598422
  • Manufacturer: Lonely Planet

Editorial Reviews:

  • Ever wondered what Peking duck tastes like on its home turf? Always wanted to climb the Great Wall? Or perhaps you'd like something a little more obscure. A ride around town in Madame Mao's old Red Flag stretch limousine, perhaps? Whatever tickles you, one thing's for sure: Beijing is one impressive city. This up-to-the-minute guidebook uncovers all the marvellous secrets - and makes sure you have a great time.

    Pull-out Sheet Map in Chinese and English

    Beijing Resident Author - over 500 places visited and reviewed; dozens of new bars and restaurants added

    Language Help - all places listed in Chinese and English for easy navigation

    Ancient Beijing Explored in walking and cycling tours throughout the hutong

    Olympics Coverage shows off the city's remarkable transformation

Spotlight customer reviews:

  • Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
  • Summary: Great guide for a short trip
  • Comment: Beijing Encounter was a great travel guide if you're only planning on staying in Beijing for a week. All the must-see sites are listed, as well as a few lesser-known, but just as wonderful sites. Also, the book was organized beautifully- color coded (by sights, shopping, eating, entertainment, etc) and separated by district. In fact, I think this was the most helpful aspect of the guide.
    One downside though, is the entire nature of the fast-paced, ever expanding Beijing. Maps are definitely not as dead-center accurate as they can be, due to the constant construction. Also, none of the maps have Chinese on them, making them a little difficult to share with Chinese locals if you get lost.

    However, this is still a very good guide; definitely a must-pack if you plan on exploring Beijing.
  • Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
  • Summary: Dated
  • Comment: I bought this book for the Olympics and was disappointed. It didn't have the full subway maps updated and the Olympics section was sparse. It needs an update as Beijing is changing rapidly
  • Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
  • Summary: Great resource, especially with Chinese venue names
  • Comment: Compared to the other travel guides (I have them all - Frommer's, Time Out, Fodors, HoodHot), this one has good maps, conveniently located in the back of the book (you'll need em! and quick! to try and figure out how to tell the driver where you want to go) and a great index where you can look up venues that you wanted to go to etc. Great for finding good places to go in Beijing, and better when I used it with my iPhone (downloaded the HoodHot Beijing Taxi Guide app from the app store, which translates English venue names to Chinese and gives Chinese addresses), so I didn't have to bring the clunky book around!
  • Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
  • Summary: Just OK
  • Comment: The quality of the book does not compare with many others available. Very few pictures let alone even fewer color pictures. Information is pretty helpful. However nothing really stands out.
  • Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
  • Summary: Very Good, But Then You'd Hope So, Wouldn't You?
  • Comment: I saw this book in a book store the other day and sat down to take a peek through it. Two hours later and I realized that, well, it was two hours later. This is a very good guide, but for a city as culturally interesting as Beijing, one wouldn't really expect anything less. Beijing is easy to get around (it's essentially a giant grid enveloped by a handful of ring roads) and the transportation system is a breeze, if not a little dingy. Also, there are plenty of engaging sites and areas to take in (the hutong are fascinating) and it is quite obvious which places you should see and which you may want to forego. The Lonely Planet doesn't always come through in the way you expect it to, but it does here. Moreover, it doesn't prattle on in flowery, over-generous language like it does it some volumes. I give this book a bouyant four stars.