Taking the Boys to Beijing

Q: Can you recommend some places in Beijing that we could visit as a family. We will be travelling with our sons, aged 11 and 14. - Bessie Nilor

A: Top of anyone's list of attractions is the Great Wall. From Beijing you can choose one of many day tours that give you a chance to see this amazing structure. Another must-see is the Forbidden City, which is the best preserved imperial palace in China and the largest ancient palatial structure in the world. Two other historical buidlings worth visiting are the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. As an interesting comparison, you can check out the ultra-modern stadiums built for the 2006 Olympics. Your sons are bound to be impressed by the main "bird's nest" stadium the "water cube" swimming arena. Tiananmen Square is also worth a visit, especially for the early morning flag raising ceremony. Then you can head off to the Beijing Zoo, where the pandas are the main attractions, or take in the vast Beijing Ocean Park. Finally, you can go shopping in WangFujing Street, with a shopping mall at each end of a vast pedestrian street. (22/1/12)