Korean Job Discussion Forums

moosehead · Joined: 05 May 2007

i'm thinking of spending my one precious week of holiday in beijing, going to the great wall, etc.

but am just wondering how it would be in winter time? anyone been then? is it still possible to go to the great wall then or is snow a definite reality?

have been to china before, just not beijing.

thanks!

moosehead

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

moosehead · Joined: 05 May 2007

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

Njord · Joined: 12 Jan 2006 Location: South Korea

I was there last Christmas. The summer palace is fun in winter - there's a big lake that you can skate or walk on. You can also take public buses to the summer palace and great wall - that's what I did. It's a bit difficult to figure out and unless you are pinching pennies I think it would be better to just take a taxi or mini-bus as ttompatz suggests. There wasn't much snow when I was there, but don't count on it. It was very cold and warm clothes and a good hat are essential. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

jen_the_great · Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Location: Gangnam, Seoul

I went for Chinese New Year in February and it was a lot of fun. Despite it being a holiday, things were open and it wasn't as crowded as people suggested. Really nice hotels were cheap and I didn't find it cold at all (I'm from Canada though). We went to one of the less restored sections of the wall and it was a little steep and slippery, but still perfectly fine.

I'd definitely recommend going for the lunar new year because you'll see the craziest fireworks. It's like being in a war zone.

thatwhitegirl · Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Location: ROK

Been in Beijing during the winter several times now. Also went to Xi'an...I must say, as long as the snow is fresh, it makes for a beautiful sight. Xi'an had just been dumped on, so there was a ton of white powder everwhere..beautiful on that big city wall.
Anyway, it's cold in Beijing, and the winds can be brutal even if the temps aren't that low. We hiked the Great Wall in the middle of December...10km I think it is. It was VERY cold...but beautiful. Really amazing, and no other people on the wall (except for the Mongolian ladies selling poastcards and water). I'm glad we did it then, and not in summer. Was a little slippery in places, but great.
Use the subway....it's cheap and handy. And taxis are fairly cheap as well.
We've always stayed at the Fei-ying hostel, right near the Chung-chong-jie subway stop. (Forgive my pinyin...I'm just sounding it out) Nice folks who can arrange a mini-bus to the wall for a good price.

Mr. BlackCat · Joined: 30 Nov 2005 Location: Insert witty remark HERE

I went in January 2006 and I didn't find it that cold at all (I'm Canadian, but I still don't think it was that cold). We even rented bikes to get around. As another poster mentioned, the Summer Palace was great in winter because the lake freezes.

The Great Wall was a bit nippy, though. Bring winter gear (mitts, toque, scarf, etc.). Don't really remember too much snow, but it was only for a week and obviously weather can change.

waynehead · Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Location: Jongno

I went for a week around christmas last year and it snowed a coupla times and was pretty cold...not intolerably so, just make sure you have a good coat or something. Like someone else said the summer palace in winter with the frozen lake and the new snow was amazing, definitely the highlight of the trip for me. The great wall was really cool, too.

Taxis are probably the easiest way to get around, and they're fairly cheap, just be careful and only get into official taxis (you can look at their license plate to be sure). I got into an unofficial one coming back from the summer palace and it cost me like 30 bucks, 3x what i spent going there in a regular cab. And if a coupla 'students' approach you near the forbidden city or tiannamen square tell them to *beep* off, it's a scam.