Where to Eat

• Middle Eighth Restaurant

  Yunnan food with a contemporary edge and a traditional soul is served in two understated, modern rooms. Don’t let the restaurant’s poorly translated slogan, “Typical Yunnan Cuisine,” keep you away: The successful balance between new and old is anything but ordinary.

  Sanlitun Bar St., Chaoyang District (80 metres east of 3.3 shopping center), 86-10-6413-0629, 86-10-6417-9395

• Le Quai

  Slow food has come to Beijing, and Le Quai does it best with modern Anhui and Sichuan cuisine.


  Near Worker’s Stadium, Chaoyang, 86-10-6551-1636From: Beijing

• My Humble House

  My Humble House’s pan-Asian cuisine is bold and delicious – from crispy spring pigeon to warm chocolate pudding with figs.

  W307 Oriental Plaza 1/F, West Bldg., Dongcheng, 86-10-8518-8811From: Beijing

Where to Drink

• Houhai District

  International travellers and locals alike gather at this newly gentrified nightclub area on the shores of an old Imperial lake, north of the Forbidden City.

  Houhai.
 Bei Hai Lake, XichengFrom: Beijing

• World of Suzy Wong

  Located in the West Gate area, this two-storey, see-and-be-seen club has the coolest name in town.
Opium-den décor, the city’s hottest DJs and a roof terrace with views of the city add to the cachet.

  1A South Nongzhanguan Lu, West Gate, Chaoyang Park, 86-10-6593-6049, suziewong.com.cnFrom: Beijing

• D-22

  Founded by former New York banker and current Peking University finance prof Michael Pettis, this small bar in the university district is one of the best places in the city to hear up-and-coming local bands and experimental (perhaps even – gasp! – subversive) music. The infectious spirit of the young ex-pat crowd may convince you to stay in Beijing for a semester of Mandarin studies.

  242 Chengfu Lu, Haidian District, Beijing, 86-10-6265-3177, d22beijing.com.cn

Arts & Culture

• National Centre for the Performing Arts

  This glimmering, spherical modern monolith – surrounded completely by still water and dubbed “The Egg” by locals – has been Beijing’s premier venue for world-class orchestras, operas and theatre productions since opening to much fanfare in 2007. If the NPCA’s imposing neighbours (Tian’anmen Square and the Imperial Palace) haven’t satisfied your appetite for Chinese grandeur, an evening show here will do the trick.

  No. 2 West Chang’an Ave., Xicheng District, 86-10-6655-0000, chncpa.org

Shopping

• Na-li Mall

  A Beijing shopping must, with high-end knock-offs alongside $15 boots from the Diesel outlet.


  Sanlitun Beijie, Chaoyang, 86-10-6413-2663From: Beijing

Getting from the Airport

A taxi into the city from the new, Norman Foster-designed Terminal 3 will cost around 100 yuan. Cheaper but less direct options are the Airport Express train (25 yuan), which stops at subway stations at the northeast corners of the Third and Second Ring Roads, and airport buses (16 yuan), which stop at popular spots like Beijing Train Station and Xidan.

Taxis

Taxis are cheap and can be found nearly everywhere, but avoid rush hour and be prepared to direct your driver (start with a major street or landmark, then go from there). No tips are necessary, and steer clear of “private” cabs that operate without a meter.

Public Transportation

Beijing’s rapidly expanding subway system may be the most affordable of any major city in the world. A flat fee of two yuan (roughly 35 cents Canadian) will get you to nearly every major location in China’s capital city. Buses are even cheaper and often more direct, but aren’t as user-friendly (especially if you can’t read Chinese).