DK Eyewitness Top 10 Beijing

Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides

by D.K. Publishing, Andrew Humphreys

From the Forbidden City and Summer Palace to the Great Wall of China, this guide showcases the best places China's capital city has to offer. Eight easy-to-follow itineraries explore the city's most interesting sights, such as contemporary art galleries and buzzing night markets. Also included are reviews of the best hotels, shops, and restaurants in Beijing to help you plan your perfect trip.

True to its name, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Beijing covers all the major sights and attractions in easy-to-use "top 10" lists that help you plan the vacation that's right for you.

+ Itineraries help you plan your trip.
+ Top 10 lists feature off-the-beaten-track ideas, along with standbys like the top attractions, shopping, dining options, and more.
+ Maps of walking routes show you the best ways to maximize your time.

The perfect pocket-size travel companion: DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Beijing.

Genres: Travel

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 19, 2007

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't a huge fan of this style. It was just lots of lists without a lot of detail. I think I am more a fan of the Rick steve's or lonely planet - less pictures, more detail.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most of the Top 10 travel guides (and you could probably guess this from the "Top 10" in the title), this is long on sound-bite inspiration and shorter on practical travel info. It was great to borrow from the library, leaf through, get some notes, and then return. For me, the most useful aspect was restaurants arranged by neighborhood so I could find ones close to our hotel, although many of the restaurants listed serve European-style food at high prices, which wasn't exactly what I was going for. Hotels themselves are also conveniently arranged by neighborhood so you could get something close to your pilgrimage site, although these also lean toward big spenders. There was an eye-opening section on internet coverage and availability of phone service at the back. And there's a handy fold-out Metro map.

What you won't get are much help with language, much in-depth coverage on transit and infrastructure (Getting To & Around is just two pages), any conversation about customs or culture (Practical Information is 4 pages), nor much in the way of inexpensive options for eating or sleeping. So it's great for initial inspiration, especially if you're willing to blow the bank on fancy dinners and a luxury hotel.

Here are the Top 10 lists included:
* Beijing Highlights
* Forbidden City
* Forbidden City Collections
* Temple of Heaven
* Tian'an Men Square
*Lama Temple
* Bei Hai Park
* Hou Hai
* Summer Palace
* 798 Art District
* Ming Tombs
* Great Wall
* Moments in History
* Places of Worship
* Museums
* Olympic Legacy
* Off the Beaten Path (botanical garden, eunuch museum, temples, watermelon museum! etc.)
* Children's Attractions
* Entertainment
* Beijing Opera
* Beijing Dishes
* Restaurants
* Bars & Pubs
* Markets & Shops
* Beijing For Free
* Festivals & Events

Then there are handy Top 10 bar, restaurant, shop, & site lists for each of these neighborhoods:
* Tian'an Men Square & the Forbidden City
* South of Tian'an Men Square
* North of the Forbidden City
* Eastern Beijing
* Western Beijing
* Greater Beijing
* Farther Afield

[Mojca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - 3½ stars

[Jim Blessing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent guide to Beijing.

[Abby Epplett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brief, up-to-date book by DK Eyewitness contained everything I wanted to know about the best sites in Beijing.

[Eric Heinze · Rating 5 out of 5]

DK are always among the best travel guides for anyone interested in history, art, and architecture. This book was perfect.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait for my trip to Beijing!