Neal is in Beijing

It's a business trip so I don't know if he will see much more than this October 1999 trip to Beijing, but I hope so. Perhaps as much as Beijing in Pictures. I think he saw Tian'anmen Square and the Palace Museum (Forbidden City) on his first trip. Perhaps he can see the Summer Palace and the (nearby) "old summer palace", called Yuanmingyuan or the Garden of Perfect Splendor.

I am not recommending the Big Bell Tower for those in Beijing for a quick visit. Our quest for it one summer day seemed long and dusty - as it is not convenient to a metro stop & we could not figure out a bus that went that close either. I would describe it as more of an adventure or a quest than a pleasant tourist stop.

Photos online
Beijing, Beijing in 2004, Portraits of Beijing, Nine dragons, and "old" Beijing. Several different sections of the Great Wall are accessible from Beijing:

• Badaling (Wikipedia's entry, the “North Pass” of Juyongguan pass, known as the Badaling. see also Google Earth's Badaling),
• Mutianyu, and
• Simatai

Some are much closer and more accessible than others. Those would also tend to be more developed than others. If you like crowds and Starbucks and KFC, you should not pick the least developed area! Esspecially if you are going further out, price the cost of a private car too, for 3-4 people it may be cheaper than a bus tour!

If you are planning a trip. . . or love maps like we do:
"Best" online street map of Beijing or map of Beijing?
Downloadable subway map
Travel Map of Beijing
Tourist Maps of Beijing