Beijing in January

[travellers from Oz]

Has anyone been in Beijing in first two weeks of January. We know it will be very cold but will it stop you from sight seeing. Particularly the Great Wall.

[Bill B]

If you wear clothes you should be okay.

[Bowie MeMe]

I have not been in January, but was there in early October and returned mid-November and it was very cold and dreary in November. A worse problem than the cold might just be the big problem with air pollution due to coal heating and some inversion problem that keeps the smog hanging over the city. We saw this on our tours of big Chinese cities and you could see the layers of pollution from the Pearl tower and others even on sunny days before the heating season begins. Check it out by google for last year in Jan. where I think there were several health warnings. The Great Wall is wonderful but it was cooler and more windy than the sights in BJ when we went in October (fall leaves were beautiful). If you are leaving a ship in Tianjin, be aware the port is 2 1/2 hours away from BJ. Not close to anything and limited options other than the ship's transfer. Have a great time and throw in a side trip to Xian to see those wonderful terra cotta warriors.

Edited May 24, 2014 by Bowie MeMe

[TravelMore&More]

January is obviously winter so it will be quite cold. It also means that you have less daylight. So plan shorter days and figure that you need to go inside somewhere from time to time. Good season to visit places like the National Museum. While it will be quite cold and often quite windy, do not expect to see any snow. We often only snow once or twice per winter. It is a very dry city. You will probably find that your skin is getting dry (due to the dry air and heating) so bring the appropriate creams.

The fast trains from Tanggu to Beijing only take one hour.