Does location mattter?

I am struggling to choose a Hotel location.

My first thought was something like Grand Hyatt or Raffles near shopping and Forbidden city. But some posts say very hard to get taxis in this area because its so busy.

I have liked Intercontinental Hotels in other cities but some reviews have been negative about Financial area.

I have also read that streets in Beijing are very wide and tourist %26#39;must see%26#39; places so spread around that taxi is essential.

Can any tourist sights be reached by subway?

Is there a best place to be near shopping or markets in the evening - I would like to spend the days sightseeing.

So, my question is does it even matter where the hotel is?

Are there locations I should avoid?

Many thanks for all your help.

Does location mattter?

The hotel location is not the major issue, as long as you stay not to far out the 2nd ring. I think the east side of the center is a bit better then the west side.

Just check if there is a subway nearby. Then you can get to the most important parts within the city.

For a Great Wall trip you can go bu bus or join a tour. Also a private guide/driver can be used.

Does location mattter?

Most locations in the center of town are fine. As the subway expands, it is reaching more and more destinations--Tiananmen and the Forbidden City, Yonghegong Lamasary and the Temple of Heaven. So being near a subway stop can be nice. But you might prefer to take a taxi anyway if you are going to have to transfer two or three times to get to where you are going by subway.

I wouldn%26#39;t want to be far too outside of downtown. I%26#39;ve heard of people booking hotels in the suburbs an hour from downtown.

You can never be close to everything any ways. It is best to be close to the subway that will take you almost anywhere and is easy to figure out. If you stay within ring road 2 or ring road 3 east, you are fine and a taxi ride to where you may want to go will cost no more than about 25rmb most of the time.

I%26#39;m debating between the two Westins--Financial Street and Chaoyang. The latter is on the 3rd ring, but right at a subway stop. I also get the sense that it is much closer to evening entertainment (not bars, but a wider variety of restaurants, acrobatic show, etc.) Would Chaoyang be better, worse, or indifferent compared to Financial Street?

The Financial St area is a bit sterile at night. Still a few eateries around tho but not a lot of choice. If you are planning on using the subway it is a bit far from the closest stop. It%26#39;s okay if you are catching taxis. I have walked from TSquare to the Westin Financial St but I wouldn%26#39;t recommend the walk tho - bit far. I don%26#39;t mind the area %26amp; it was nice coming back to a bit of quietness at the end of the day.

I would pick Chaoyang over financial street if location was the only issue. Also, the airport is on that end of town, so a bit closer.

I think it%26#39;s a good idea to stay at Grand Hyatt or Raffles.

1. I don%26#39;t think there is any trouble to get a taxi at any popular hotels in BJ since many drivers always queue up there to get customers like they do at the airport.

2.It%26#39;s close to many great restaurant such as Quanjude-Roast Duck. Qiaojiangnan-Sichuan Restaurant etc.

3.The big shopping malls are there.

4.The subway is right there which can bring you to TSquare,Forbidden city,(one stop)Acrobatics etc easily. Of course taxi is essential since it%26#39;s the easiest and most inexpensive way to go to many spots.

5.Financial area is not good.

6.I don%26#39;t think the location matters much in BJ. But for the same cost, I reccommend the Penisula hotel for you. It has the best reputation in BJ although it%26#39;s not the most expensive hotel. And the west food restaurant in this hotel is famous too.

Yes, most sights can be reached via metro. The Great Wall cannot. Taxi is NOT essential, but it can be a help at times.

I usually recommend staying within the 2nd ring road, comfortable walking distance to a metro stop. My personal preference is for Dongcheng district.

For Cooperhs, I%26#39;d prefer to stay at the Chaoyang option.

Thank you for all your advice. It seems like the financial district is perhaps better for business than tourists and it would be nice to be close to good places to eat - a big reason to go to Beijing!

I will also have a look at the Pennisula - I know it is very famous but thought it would be much more expensive.

Thank you for your reassurances it makes the planning of the trip much easier!

mor