Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
110:
Take this bus to travel past Dongdan, Jinbao Jie, Chaoyangmenwai, digital city Buy
Now (Bai Nao Hui), the east gate of the Workers' Stadium, and Sanlitun.
120:
A handy bus, this connects Qianmen, Tian'anmen, the Forbidden City, Wangfujing,
Jianguomen, and Guomao before turning to head north, passing close to Ritan Park, the east
gate of the Workers' Stadium, Sanlitun, and then up past the International SOS Clinic.
104:
To get up to the parks in the north of Dongcheng, jump on this express bus. It
travels from Beijing Railway Station to Dongdan, Wangfujing, Jinbao Jie, past the Nation-
al Art Museum, close to Nanluogu Xiang, and then via Andingmen subway station to pass
Ditan, Qingnianhu, and Liuyin Parks.
420:
This bus takes you to a host of important locations, including (from south to north)
Beijing Railway Station, Wangfujing, Chaoyangmen, the Lufthansa Center, the Kempinski
Hotel, Ladies' Street, the American Embassy, Lido Hotel, 798 Art District (5- to 10-minute
walk needed), and Wangjing.
A lesser-known part of town, at least for expats, this area is increasingly convenient and
practical. If your interests are all about bar-hopping and Western cuisine, you're putting
yourself at a distance from the action in the north. But if you don't mind living among the
locals, with local restaurants and the like at hand, then you might enjoy living here. Chong-
wenmen, in particular, is taking on a decidedly international color. It's also very accessible
and quick to get to from the CBD. Qianmen has a few highlights that make it interesting,
but on the whole it's very Chinese. There are few Western facilities, which, if you want total
immersion, is a good thing.
Housing
Things are not much cheaper in this part of town, especially when it comes to places that
have standards you might feel are comfortable. Well-appointed apartments can be found
around both the New World and Glory Mall shopping complexes in Chongwenmen, but ex-
pect to pay anything from RMB4,500 and up for a one-bedroom place. You will be able
to find places for around RMB2,500 a month, but expect terrible quality and kitchens you
can't cook in.
Over toward Tiantan Park and Qianmen, rent is a little lower, with prices at around
RMB4,000 for two-bedroom apartments. To find a place around here, however, you'll need
to start looking at Chinese sites, such as
http://58.com
, rather than relying on the expat-
friendly sites, such as
www.thebeijinger.com
,
which don't really cover this region.
