Best bird watching trails in Beijing, China

A round trip from Beijing to the most popular section of the Great Wall The Great Wall at Badaling is the most popular tourist section of this landmark since it has been recently restored and is reasonably close to Beijing (around 60 kilometers/85 miles to the northwest). It was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and first opened to tourists in 1957. More than 150 million people have visited Badaling since its restoration. It takes around an hour on the bus to get there, so you can reasonably do this tour in half a day (depending on where in Beijing you start from and how long you plan to spend at the Wall). The bus costs 12RMB one way for an adult; there are discounts for children. Buy your ticket as you get on the bus. The 919 buses, which serve Badaling, are all lime green. Entrance to the Great Wall costs 45RMB for an adult with half-price discounts for children; children shorter than under 1.2 meters (3 feet 11 inches) enter free. The cable car costs 60RMB one way for an adult (80RMB return), 30RMB for children. Again, children shorter than 1.2m are free.Show more

Great park for walking after lunch. During the winter, the lake freezes so kids can play on it. There is also a small amusement park.Show more

The historic summer retreat of China's emperors. The Summer Palace was the retreat of emperors for centuries, gradually enlarged and repaired after taking beatings in the Second Opium War (1856-60) and the Boxer Rebellion (1900). It's now one of Beijing's best-known tourist destinations, so in the summer it's crowded with visitors looking to catch a breeze around Kunming Lake. The palace is usually empty if you visit in winter, but the biting cold is the price you pay for uninterrupted views.Show more

A hike with magnificent view of the Miyun reservoir and the untouched Great wall remains built in Qi dynasty. Located in Miyun County, about 90 KM from Beijing city center, Yunmeng Mountain Great wall Park offers tourists magnificent view of the Miyun reservoir, remains of the Great wall that was build in Qi dynasty, variety of vegetations and a moderate difficult but well maintained and marked hiking trail. If you want to avoid the most touristy Badaling, Mutianyu Greatwall and can manage the transportation either by bus (Chinese speaking ability is required) or by private car, this is an interesting place to go and see.Show more

A hike through heavily wooded trail in a Beijing suburb. It's the perfect weekend getaway. Taoyuanxiangu (桃源仙谷) is located in Miyun County, is 90km away from downtown Beijing. The trail starts from the main gate, winds through heavily wooded area (wild The trail is well marked and has many scenic spots along the way such as a lake, some waterfalls, and water ponds. The area also provide tourists a water entertainment Area called Water Wonderland. Visitors can swim, boat, and fish here. However, it tends to get crowded with people during the weekends in the Summer (Jun to Sept.). Taoyuan Xiangu Scenic Area has dense forests and numerous waterfalls. Majestic, clean environment, from the gate of the scenic spot to the top of the peak of the peak, 8 kilometers in length, there are all kinds of trees on both sides of the climbing line, there are several waterfalls along the way, waiting for the peak of the peak, you can overlook the clouds of Miyun The peaks of the Mengshan Mountains and the Taoyuan Lake not far away, the ends of Taoyuan Lake have ancient lengths The city is full of leaps and bounds, and Taoyuan Lake has a water recreation area where you can fish, row, dive and explore the lake. The annual activities held by Taoyuan Xiangu are: ice and snow activities from January to February; peach apricot viewing activities from March to April; protection of water resources activities from June to August; golden autumn harvesting activities from September to October; November-December Hold a red leaf viewing event.Show more