How much does it cost to travel to China without an agency? Is it possible for Russians to enter China without a visa? All about a trip to China.

How to organize an independent trip to China in 2019! Visa, tickets, hotels, food, transport, security. How much does it cost to travel to China? Cost calculation, tips and observations.

The material was prepared based on the personal experience of the author of the text’s independent travel to China: three months of living in Shenzhen, as well as trips to Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

China is huge and very diverse, so it is impossible to clearly say where prices and conditions are. I will start from Shenzhen - the center of all electronics, a young and rapidly growing city in the very south of China, which borders on Hong Kong. I will tell you what a tourist can find useful when planning an independent trip to China in 2019, and I will also give my own observations about the country and tips for travelers.

How to get a visa to China yourself

A visa to China is required for Russians, except in rare cases. A regular single entry costs 1,500 rubles, a double entry costs 3,000, and a multiple entry costs 4,500 rubles. Plus a bank commission of 2.5% per person is charged.

Urgent single entry - 2400, urgent double entry - 3900, urgent multiple entry - 5400. There is also an express review, which costs more.

Airport in Beijing (Photo © Enzojz / flickr.com)

How much do hotels cost in China in 2019?

When going to China on your own, you will have to decide where to live. Some choose the usual hotels, while others rent an apartment or room.

Hotels. Double rooms in hotels in the center of Beijing cost from $30 in the summer, and from $13 in the low season. In Shenzhen off-season - from $22. We recommend looking for hotels on Roomguru.

It is better to stay in chain hotels, as they care about their reputation. A night in such a hotel costs from $30-40 for a double room. Chain hotels in Shenzhen: Greentree Inn, Sheraton, Novotel, etc.

Adviсe:

Look for a hotel with good soundproofing - the Chinese are noisy.
Photos of hotels do not always correspond to reality.
Sometimes a room may be clean and comfortable, but have foreign odors, such as dampness. Or the windows look out onto the courtyard, where there is a landfill or a Chinese street cafe (which produces odors no better).

Rent. If you want personal comfortable housing, look for a room, apartment or house on Airbnb. The choice of housing is huge. Renting an apartment in Beijing costs approximately $30-50 per day, in Shenzhen - from $27. You can rent an apartment on Airbnb for $600-$1,500 for a month (rooms cost $500-$900). The price depends on the city, area and condition of the house. For example, in Shenzhen, near the beach in a resort area, an excellent apartment was rented for $600. There are discounts for long-term rentals.

Entrance to Shenzhen Novotel Watergate (Photo © booking.com / Shenzhen Novotel Watergate)

Food and cuisine of China

Another challenge you will face when traveling to China on your own in 2019 is food. It is very specific here, so going to a cafe can cause problems, especially if you don’t know the language. But here McDonald's and KFC come to the rescue. There are also many well-known European chains where you can order food from pictures. However, their prices are much higher - for example, a side dish with meat costs from $6. Sometimes tea is included in the price. At McDonald's, a Big Mac (potatoes, cola, double cheeseburger) will cost about $5.

In general, you can eat in a cafe for $5 or more; in restaurants, a simple dish costs from $10.

Where you can eat inexpensively and deliciously in China:

Cafe for locals. You can eat a hearty meal there for $1.50, but no one guarantees the quality of the products and compliance with sanitary standards. The downside is that it is difficult to order dishes, since often there are no pictures or there are few of them, and if there are, it is not clear what it is.
"Muslim women"- these are local cafes run by Chinese Muslims. The food there is prepared in compliance with all standards and is really very tasty. I really love their noodles and recommend you try them. They cook it in front of you, and it’s interesting to watch this process. Cost from $1.5 for a huge portion.
Supermarket. A kilo of bananas costs $1-2, apples $2-3, tangerines $1-2. I do not recommend buying sausages. This is not at all what we expect: Chinese sausages are made from soy with a bunch of spices and additives. They taste sweet and have a specific smell, but for the sake of curiosity you can try them once.

(Photo © Jo@net / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Internet and cellular communications in China

All SIM cards are sold only with a passport in specialized places. The cost of mobile communications is quite high - from $20 per month, plus the same amount is charged for purchasing a card and choosing a tariff plan. To purchase a normal tariff and understand everything, you need to know Chinese. If you need internet in China, it's easier to use Wi-Fi while traveling - in big cities it can be found everywhere.

There is another problem that many people face - blocking all Google services, YouTube, Instagram. To access them you need to install a special VPN program.

China Mobile is the largest mobile operator in the world (Photo © Open Grid Scheduler Grid Engine / flickr.com)

Transport in China

Transport in China is excellent. The infrastructure is very developed. Planes, ferries, trains (including high-speed), buses, subways and taxis. You can get to any point without any problems. Travel on buses - from $0.3, in the metro - from $0.5.

If you are going to China for a month, buy a travel pass. The plastic card can be topped up and used in the metro and buses, and then returned and received money back. Cost $4. This is very convenient: you don’t need to find out the cost of tickets, buy tokens, or stand in lines. Accordingly, the problem of language disappears. For trips within one city, $10-30 per month is enough.

A very common type of transportation is electric mopeds. Essentially this is a taxi, only less comfortable, more extreme and cheaper - from $2. The main advantage is the absence of traffic jams, since mopeds go wherever they want. The only negative is the language. You need to agree on the price and destination.

(Photo © Lαin / flickr.com / License CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

ATMs and cards

Be prepared that many stores may not accept your Visa or MasterCard card, since in China there is another payment system - UnianPay. This card can be issued at any bank for free. If you need to withdraw money from yours, there are many ATMs for this.

Chinese mentality

Don't be surprised if in China you feel like a monkey that everyone wants to take a photo with. For a Chinese, having a photo with a European is an indicator of coolness and status, so you will always be the center of attention. They will always turn around at you and, without hesitation, look straight at you. In addition to increased interest, the Chinese will try to make money on the “white man”. For them, we are walking money, so bargain in all stores. For example, we once reduced the price of a shirt from $35 to $5.

We can talk for a long time about the culture and upbringing of the majority of Chinese. Giving way to a girl, letting her go ahead, letting people exit a vehicle, throwing garbage in the trash bin - this is not about them. They also have no sense of tact. Don’t be surprised if at the first meeting you are asked about your personal life, salary and health. The Chinese themselves are very cunning and enterprising, but at the same time good-natured.

Useful words in Chinese for a traveler:

Security in China

Do you know where the tradition of wearing a backpack on the front came from? From China. Petty theft is very common there. In big cities you can find a policeman everywhere who will gladly help in any situation. Also, there are cameras on all buses, subways, shopping centers, and even just on the street, so in big cities there is nothing to be afraid of when walking along the streets in the evening. From personal experience: I walked with photographic equipment, and not once did anyone try to pester me.

Also in China there is an unspoken rule that animals, children and laovayam(for foreigners) anything is possible.

(Photo © Today is a good day / flickr.com / License CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

How much does an independent trip to China from Russia cost?

Let's calculate how much a trip to China costs for two for 10 days when departing from Moscow:

Single entry visa - $52.
Flights from Moscow to Beijing and back - from $586. Find a ticket >>
Hotel in the center of Beijing in low season - $130. Find a hotel >>
Meals in eateries for locals - $120.
Insurance - $23.
Transport and attractions - approximately $200.

So, how much does it cost to travel to China on your own? The minimum cost of the trip, if you are ready to save, is approximately 1111$ for two for 10 days.

If you are used to living comfortably, then the trip will cost approximately 1711$ for two (accommodation in a 3* hotel - $250 and meals in cafes and restaurants - $600). We spent $1,500 a month for two of us.

Fragment of a 100 yuan bill (Photo © super.heavy / flickr.com)

Check out our helpful tips for traveling to China on your own in 2019:

Before you travel, watch how the Chinese count on their fingers. The match with our score is only up to 4, then everything is different.
Be sure to download a translator to your phone.
Take the necessary medications, as you are unlikely to find anything familiar in Chinese pharmacies. You are more likely to encounter dried toad than activated charcoal.
Download the Baidu program and maps of the cities where you plan to live on your phone. This program will help you choose the route, time and type of transport, and determine the best route option. You won't get lost with her. I highly recommend it!

I hope you have a general idea of prices and conditions. And the problem of language, as you see, is not so terrible. Travel, because there are so many interesting things in the world!

(Photo © monkeylikemind / flickr.com / Licensed CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Introductory image source: © mandylovefly / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

For the past decade, our enterprising compatriots have been constantly traveling to this exotic country to buy goods. If at the end of the last century they brought bags of clothes, today the flow of clothing consists of electronic equipment, cosmetics and even furniture and cars. You can buy everything in China!

In addition to commercial interest, the “celestial kingdom” became a discovery for Russian tourists, as an unknown land rich in exclusive attractions. Today it is very easy to purchase a tourist package to any country, including China, including specifically for goods. But it turns out that it is much cheaper and more interesting to organize an independent trip.

What awaits you there

It is difficult to list the sights of the country, on the territory of which one of the most ancient civilizations on the planet arose, in one article; let’s try to mention at least the most famous in the world.

Leshane. Giant Buddha In the west of the country in Sichuan province, a giant statue 71 meters high is carved out of a rock. There are taller buildings on the planet, but this work was carved out of stone in 713.

Xi'an. Terracotta Army More than 8,000 warriors, 670 horses, 130 chariots carved from natural material in 200 BC. and dug out of the ground are now in three special halls of the museum. And this is not the entire army of ruler Qin Shi Huang. Some of the sculptures are still underground.

Forbidden City At the beginning of the 15th century, one of the largest palace ensembles was erected on an area of more than 70 hectares, consisting of thousands of buildings and walls 10 meters high. Now the Forbidden City has become a museum and is open to tourists.

The great Wall of China. The only man-made object on the planet visible from Space with the naked eye. It is difficult to imagine a trip that would not include a visit to this colossal structure, erected in the 14th-16th centuries to protect the country from attacks by northern nomadic tribes.

It is almost impossible to list the natural monuments of China. The Li River, Huangshan Mountains, Hainan Island, Victoria Harbor and thousands of other interesting places await you.

When planning to get acquainted with the places that interest you, historical monuments, interesting artifacts, you need to be aware of the natural conditions in which you will find yourself. Excursion China is most favorable in spring and autumn. In summer, the air temperature here rises to 400, and in winter, on the contrary, it drops to the same temperature with a minus sign.

A huge country, of course, has a different temperature range from south to north and humidity from east to west. The best time for a beach holiday on the famous Chinese resort island of Hainan is from October to May. And you can take part in the grandiose, original celebrations of the New Year according to the Chinese calendar during the New Year holidays in all major cities of China.

Need a visa

China is a visa country. You can arrange it either through a travel agency or independently at the Chinese embassy. In the first case, it will be done for you quickly, without unnecessary delays and bureaucracy, but for an amount that will exceed two or three times the embassy visa. In the second, you will have to fill out all the paperwork yourself, but it will cost an order of magnitude cheaper (about 2,000 rubles).

There are privileges in obtaining visas for groups of tourists numbering more than 5 people. Visas also differ into tourist, business, multiple and double entry visas.

On the resort island of Hainan, you will be issued a visa on the spot for two weeks, but it is not a fact that you will then be allowed to travel with it to other territories. This tropical island with the craters of long-extinct volcanoes is a special economic zone, oriented by the government of the country to the beach holidays of tourists from all over the world.

Are we flying or driving?

Aviation is considered the most convenient means of transport for bringing tourists here. Even within the country, a well-developed network of local airlines allows you to quickly and inexpensively reach any remote point.

Experienced tourists advise starting their trip to China in Hong Kong. The short distance to the capital, inexpensive flights and visa concessions speak in favor of this particular route.

Trains and regular buses also run between cities and regions and are quite inexpensive, however, they do not offer the comfort we are accustomed to. Don’t be surprised if the train, subway, or bus suddenly turns out to be smoky and dirty. But the prices for travel will pleasantly surprise you.

Don't be afraid if your trip suddenly takes you to the most remote area. There are villages in China where no white man has ever set foot, and where all the cafe visitors will stand up when you enter.

The Chinese are very peaceful and friendly to all guests. And you can get out of any remote places by calling a taxi. By the way, don’t forget to write down their phone numbers immediately upon arrival.

Hotels and others like them

A huge selection of hotels of different star ratings and comfort explains the wide range of prices. There are hotels familiar to Russians, where all-inclusive with five stars on the façade. A day there will cost you from 5,000 to 18,000 rubles.

If your trip is not designed for a long stay in one place, you can stay in an inexpensive hostel or hotel, spending only 1000-3000 rubles per night.

You can freely and safely use private sector services. It will become even cheaper. Prices vary from 180 rubles to infinity. They are comparable to the price ranges of Crimean offers and, naturally, depend on the location and comfort.

In many hotels it is more profitable to book rooms in advance. This will not only provide significant discounts, but will also give you a guarantee that you will not be left in the open air, especially if you arrive on holidays. Moreover, it is recommended to make reservations two to three months before the trip.

To eat or not to eat - that is the question

China has very spicy food. Be careful. If you want to prepare dishes yourself, try to purchase raw materials for them in stores, without being tempted by low market prices. It's not difficult if you don't give in to curiosity and don't experiment with display offers. All the products we are familiar with and at the same price can be found in all Chinese provinces in large department stores.

It is most profitable and interesting to eat in local cafes and restaurants. Of course, even if you know Chinese, you will not understand anything of the menu that will be served to you. Do not be shy! Feel free to point your finger at the plate from which a white gentleman is devouring both cheeks on the next table. You can even, taking the waiter’s hand, make a defile for yourself around the hall and choose on the tables the dish that seems most edible to you. Point your finger at it and they will bring you the same.

What do you guys have in your backpacks?

What to take on a trip is a big problem for the female half of travelers. Despite the variety of climatic and natural zones, and therefore weather conditions, you don’t have to take anything to this country. Yes, just put your documents and wallet in the case and go light. Remember that all clothes, electronics and other necessary little things are made in China!

If you still want to be independent from stores, look on the Internet for the climate of the place where you are planning your trip. Be sure to study the weather forecast for the duration of your trip and only then pack umbrellas, swimsuits or fur coats in your suitcase.

1) Bargaining in markets and with taxi drivers naturally comes from your fingers. The main thing to know is that the Chinese show numbers differently than Europeans - they show numbers from 1 to 9 on the fingers of one hand, not two.

2) At bus and railway stations, often no one speaks English. It is better to write in advance on a piece of paper the name of the final destination and the desired time period of departure; this is done with the help of an online translator or dictionary. Just stand in line at the cashier and hand over a piece of paper. The exact time and price will be shown to you on the computer screen or written on a piece of paper. Of course, they will be on the ticket - everything is in Chinese:
In this case, March 7, 14 at 15-40, seat 3, bus number K0935, price 17 yuan, goes to Mengla city

The most important words:
Today – 今天
Tomorrow – 明天
day – 天 (order execution time is 1 day) or 日 (day of the month)
month – 月
year – 年
morning – 上午
noon – 中午
evening – 黄昏
and cities: Guazhou (广州), Shenzhen (深圳), Hong Kong (香港), Guilin (桂林), Kunming (昆明), Beijing (北京), Shanghai (上海)

3) In China there is censorship on the Internet, to the point that messages on social networks are manually moderated!
Facebook and You tube are prohibited and inaccessible, RenRen is used instead of the first, Youku is used instead of the second. For instant messages they use the network and WeChat. Google may be available, but Baidu is much more popular. VKontakte works without problems.

4) Almost all public toilets will not have a traditional toilet. Instead, there will be a floor-standing toilet, familiar to many from our school toilets. You should also carry toilet paper with you. But tourist toilets have a star rating, like hotels.

By the way, you should also carry a supply of napkins with you. Cafes and restaurants do not have them or sell them for a fee.

5) 4 - purely unlucky, it comes to the point that sometimes houses do not have a 4th floor.
8 is a lucky number. Phone numbers of large companies often end in eight.
The main Chinese color is red.

6) Chinese is the name of a large group of languages, often mutually incomprehensible. Each city may have its own dialect. The government is trying to lead a campaign to popularize a common language - Putonghua or Mandarin. In Hong Kong, Macau, Canton (Guangzhou) and overseas diasporas, the vast majority of the population speaks Cantonese. One good thing is that all dialects use the same hieroglyphs, which, by the way, are partially used in the Japanese language. So the spelling of words is the same. If true, there are difficulties with having two writing systems: traditional Chinese characters and simplified Chinese characters. If you do not plan to read ancient texts, the latter will be enough for everyday needs.

This all works until you get into areas with Tibetan, Mongolian, Thai-Lao, Burmese or Arabic languages. On top of that, in some villages many people cannot read.

7) The most useful phone application is Waygo, which can translate inscriptions on the fly, without the Internet, using a camera.

Google maps help you not get lost, and the navigation mode can give you the best route for ground transport and tell you which bus to go where, although you need the Internet.

A SIM card can be purchased using your passport. Mobile Internet is very expensive: 300 MB for 96 yuan per month.

Hotels can be booked on Booking, but local players give better prices, it’s worth comparing on RoomGuru

8) A couple of years ago, there were a lot of counterfeit 100 yuan bills circulating in southern China. Until now, such banknotes are carefully checked in any store. Fraudsters may try to replace your real bill and return you a counterfeit one; they say the best defense against this is to wrinkle the corner or fold it so that the crooks do not have the opportunity to repeat the same thing with a counterfeit quickly.

For the same reason, when paying in a taxi, transport cards are handed over in a case - there is no possibility of quickly replacing them with another card with a zero balance.

9) Speaking of transport. Entry to buses is through the front door. Payment at the entrance either by transport card or in cash without depositing in a special box. The fare can be fixed or stepped. For example 1 or 2 yuan in Kunming depending on the type of bus. The exact cost can be seen on the money box, although in Chinese: 一元 (one yuan) or 二元 (two yuan). While in Hong Kong you need to check the fare from stop to stop in advance at the stop, or if you are using a transport card, do not forget to lean it again at the exit, otherwise the maximum fare will be deducted.

Transport cards can also often be used to pay in stores and to enter museums and parks (for example, 7-11 and McDonald's in Hong Kong)

10) Washing things in hotels is very expensive. Street laundries are not easy to find, but dry cleaners can sometimes be found. For urgent orders there is usually a double surcharge. You can also stay in an apartment - there is almost always a washing machine there, and you can buy powder at the nearest store.

We encourage experienced sinologists to add to the story in the comments. Indicate your experience of traveling or living in the country.

How to maintain your sanity with two small children and the ubiquitous Chinese :)))

Why China and why now.
Reflecting on the topic of where to take children to the sea, in light of recent events: the terrorist threat in Europe and the Middle East and the sharp fall of the ruble, a rather unexpected decision was made to go to China. Moreover, at that time there was an Aeroflot promotion on air tickets, and in terms of money, if before China was at least cheap, now it is certainly not expensive.

Flight Moscow - Beijing by Aeroflot.
Everything here went without incident. Our friends took us to Sheremetyevo, from where we flew safely to Beijing.

So we flew...

A TV with cartoons and programs and games was just the thing...

Some people have lunch.....
Although it is certainly difficult with children on an airplane, they do not like to sit idle for a long time.
Upon arrival, we took the Aeroexpress to our hotel - Dragon King Hostel (previously I had to spend about 4 hours at the airport, due to the time of check-in at the hotel and the cost of the night transfer to it, but the children slept great)

This was our number. Quite worthy, in my opinion :)

The hotel can be easily reached by metro (From Zhangzizhong Road metro station (Line 5) (Exit C) it takes about 2 minutes to walk to it, we didn’t know this, so we had to get lost. Initially I thought that the distances in China are not such long distances, then I’ve radically changed my opinion, so don’t even think about the metro)

In general, the place itself is very convenient, there is a store nearby with very cheap prices for China (in the photo below there is the most unsightly entrance, where there are a bunch of boxes with goods - all the nearby stores are purchased in this store (in bulk from 2 pcs.), the prices are actually an order of magnitude lower ) (not far from the 7 eleven store - sort of), opposite there is a bank with a 24-hour ATM (across the road).

Here it is on the second floor (description and photos can be found further in the report)

Day 1. Beijing. Sky Temple...

The scale of the park and buildings is certainly impressive, especially considering when it was all built. In the park you will always see groups of Chinese who are either dancing or meditating, some are just walking and enjoying nature (you will never be left alone :)))). I somehow saw this picture: a grandmother is riding in an electric wheelchair (like for the disabled), gets to the steps, gets up, lifts the stroller, sits down and moves on (my jaw even dropped), in general they take care of themselves :)

Previously, only emperors could enter this temple, and the road to them is long and with constant slight upward slopes, as if you were rising into the sky. The temple is worth visiting, the architecture and park area are simply beautiful, I personally had doubts about the originality of the temple itself (but maybe I’m wrong), they arose while examining it very closely :)

In this temple, sacrifices were carried out (thank God only with animals) for a better harvest or rain, or something else. The interior decoration of the temples is identical.

This is another temple in the same park area. After passing this temple, only those close to the emperor went further, and only the emperor entered the Temple of Heaven itself (Temple of Heaven in the previous photos)

The main gate of the previous temple. Our children were held in high esteem here, everyone wanted to take a photo with them, especially with Ulya (blue eyes). Lukyan was sickened by such an abundance of attention to him:)

And this is another part of the park area. It’s difficult for me to say what she was responsible for, because... I wasn’t able to look through the crack much, it seems to me that this is something like a barracks.

We didn’t get there, it was already after 18-00, which means everything - everything is closed :)))) In China, if you got up at 12-00, then you were late for everything :))) For this reason, we were not successful several days - I slept for a long time, I just couldn’t get into it :)

And some of our crew move quite comfortably, almost like emperors :)
This is how our first day in Beijing ended; on the way back we still managed to drop into a shopping center for souvenirs, which we will buy upon arrival from China (wait for it...)

For information:
If you leave the central entrance of the park (next to the metro) and walk to the left for about 30 meters, you can cross the overpass to the other side of the road. Here you can go to a large store and buy souvenirs. Don’t forget to bargain, immediately lower the prices 3-4 times. It’s a very good place to buy souvenirs and a snack (price/quality matches), we haven’t found such a choice and such a low price at other tourist sites as here:)
The cost of visiting the park (Temple of Heaven) in 2016 is 34 yuan (I don’t remember if it’s a student or not)

Well, in the evening we had locally produced fruits.... Ripe mango is just super, especially after a hard day for the body.

Day 2. Beijing. Peking duck
The next day somehow didn’t work out for us and as a result, for the whole day we were able to see only half of Gugun and in the evening eat Peking duck. The duck itself somehow didn’t impress me, no, it’s certainly tasty and all that. But the whole point of it is not so much in the duck, but in the processing of its skin (so that it is crispy and juicy) and sauces while eating it.

This is what our restaurant looked like. We had to wait about ten minutes for a table.

Ulya, as always, showed herself to be a maniac before eating...

And so, Day 3
On this day we went to what everyone associates China with - the Great Wall of China, to a site called Badaling.

________________________________________ ___

For information:

The student ticket price is 20 yuan (regular price 40 yuan).
In principle, these are all costs (if you are a fairly athletic person), but if youIf you don’t want to sweat and walk up to the wall (about 30-40 minutes), you can ride on a special sled on wheels (it’s difficult to name this device correctly).
Moreover, when you go down, you will get a whole bag of positive emotions - this is a small attraction :))) We liked it, the price is 100 yuan (round trip) per person. Also, having reached the very top of the wall (one of the highest points, you definitely won’t miss this place) you canwill ride (go down) along cable car

road, but I would recommend that you save this money for something else, because...You won’t see beautiful views on the cable car anyway, but it costs a lot, and I don’t advise you to skip the attraction (on the sled ride) - it’s very cool :) As far as I remember, this is an Italian attraction from some shaggy years :)))As everywhere else, it’s better to take water and snacks with you, because... prices here will be 2 times higher than usual and no one will bargain with you. At the exit there is an enclosure with bears, and next to it there is a sliced apple on a plate so that you can feed the bear, but not from your hands of course, but just throw food to him, this pleasure will cost 5 yuan :)Of course it’s a pity for the bears; spending all the time on a concrete floor somehow doesn’t seem very good to me :)
________________________________________ ___

The wall itself is certainly impressive, here are a couple of photos to get an idea of the full scale. Here Lukyan met a group of schoolchildren who, as usual, wanted to take a photo next to him, so it’s not known whether the wall was a landmark or Lukyan, of course he really likes this attention :))))

There are certainly a lot of people on this section of the wall, but it has several undeniable advantages: accessibility (direct bus), proximity (only an hour's drive from Beijing), and of course the fact that it has been restored and certainly looks impressive (neither vegetation nor sea or other relief features)

And on such a thing we climbed, and then descended accordingly (I highly recommend it, especially the descent)

A small attraction to remember the wall, there’s nothing too extreme there - but it’s memorable :) It was fun :)))
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How to get to the wall yourself:

The easiest way is to take the subway to the 积水潭 Jishuitan subway station, exit A. When you go up and stand with your back to the steps of the subway exit, you need to walk straight back (I mean the direction). As a guide, you will pass a large bus station on your left (you walk along it, as it were). Buses can be seen just outside the Deshengmen watchtower (it is not visible from the metro)and from there take bus No. 877 (tourist bus, it is much more convenient) or 919 (regular bus, only this one runs during the non-tourist season) the price of tickets for them is the same.

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In the evening, fruits are on duty as usual.

Day 4. Temple of Confucius.
Getting up early in the morning (on the fourth day, and even probably on the 3rd, I somehow got into getting up at 6:00) we went to the Confucius Temple, where Confucianism originated, a landmark (I always wanted to see it).

And here is the monument to the founder of Confucianism.

Park area of the Temple complex.

Inner garden. Trees that are more than..., God knows more than how many centuries these trees are :))))

Inside the temple itself. The design styles in the temples are very similar, so if you have seen one of the Chinese temples (well, maybe two), then you don’t have to waste your time on the interior decoration anymore :)

This is the house that Emperor Confucius gave to him for teaching his son:)

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For information:
The entrance fee for an adult is 20 yuan.
Student cards are valid only for students whose age does not exceed 24 years, we were unlucky; we were 25 years old in ISIC. In general, this rule is found quite often in China, so take this fact into account.
I definitely recommend it for inspection, also if you have time there is nearbyThe Lamaist Palace of Peace (Yonghegong Lama Temple), and the quarter itself next to the temples is very interesting.
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Next we went to Gugun (Forbidden City), but since we had partially explored it the previous day, we went to Jingshan Park 景山, which is located immediately behind the Forbidden City and from the highest point of which the best view of this very Forbidden City opens up ( in fact, the name of the park sounds like that in translation from Chinese - “view from the mountain” or “mountain with a beautiful view”).

Entrance to the park is, of course, paid, but we are saved by the international student cards made in advance; do not forget that the age in them must be up to 24 years old inclusive. In general, student cards really help make your wallet fatter in China, so don’t forget to use it (especially if you look young, I think you don’t need to learn how to make a student card in our homeland).

View of the observation deck, which offers a good view of Gugun.

And here is the culprit himself - Gugun or the Forbidden City, in a different way. The view itself is impressive and the inside is very cool.
Then we went down and decided to walk the gugong in reverse order. But as of April 2016, I can say for sure (100%) that the entrance from the back side is closed and you can only pass through the Forbidden City from one side - the central entrance, next to the metro. Because of this, we had to take a taxi to the main entrance, otherwise we would never have had time to explore the palace completely (the taxi cost us 20 yuan :)
Well, then just photos - look and be impressed :)

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For information:
The cost of admission to the Forbidden City is 40 yuan per person, for a student it is 20 yuan.
In terms of time, count on about half a day (it took us a day, but we were with the children, and we ourselves were a little stupid at the beginning), i.e. and the Temple of Heaven and Gugun can be explored in one day if you get up early and leave late and if you are athletic enough to walk for a long time (and you will have to really walk a lot).

Day 5. Amusement park and Summer Imperial Palace.

In general, the entertainment for children in Beijing somehow didn’t work out for me (the realities turned out to be very far from the original plans). During all the days of our stay in the capital of China, we went to the Cube water park 3 times, but all these times it was closed and only On the third trip, I found a Chinese man who told me in English that the water park was closed for a whole month - in general, we were somehow unlucky with him :)
By the way, we also went to this amusement park twice, because... on the Internet it is written that it is open until 21-00, but in fact it is open until 18-00, like everyone else in China :))) Although for me this is strange for an amusement park, of course there is also Happy Valey (he it definitely works until 22-00, but many of the attractions in it close after 18-00, and open only after 13-00 (be careful in general)), but it’s still too early for us to go there, which is why we weren’t allowed to ride everywhere: ) Looking ahead, I’ll say that I liked Disneyland Paris (and this park in Beijing is an attempt to copy the park in Paris) more, somehow everything there is more well-groomed and festive than here :)

We spent about 3,000 rubles in it, which, in principle, is not a little in itself (the ruble exchange rate was, of course, very depressing; before (2 years ago, before the crisis), all the fun would have cost us 1,200 rubles). The kids certainly liked it and in such a good mood we went to see the Summer Imperial Palace.