DETAILS

Beijing

GETTING THERE: United's nonstop flights from Dulles to Beijing begin at about $1,000 round trip, depending on the season. Connecting service on other airlines is generally more expensive.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Single-entry tourist (L) visas, which generally are valid up to 90 days from the date of issue, are $50 for American citizens. Washington area travelers who are not using a visa service must apply in person at (or send a trusted delegate to) the visa office of the Chinese Embassy (2201 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-338-6688, http://www.china-embassy.org/); your passport and the visa (which is valid for 30 days after arrival in China) can be mailed back to you or picked up four business days later. Passports must be valid for at least six months after entry and contain at least one full blank page.

GETTING AROUND: Beijing sprawls, and the subway system is limited. Plan on lots of taxi rides, which are cheap. Cabdrivers are generally honest but almost never speak English, so non-Chinese speakers will need to have their destination written down or printed out in Chinese. And always carry a map.

WHERE TO STAY: Familiar chains such as Marriott operate Beijing properties, but to immerse yourself in stylish, tongue-in-cheek Maoist kitsch, try the Red Capital Residence (9 Dongsi Liu Tiao, Dongcheng district, 011-8610-8401-8886, http://www.redcapitalclub.com.cn/; doubles $190 a night). It's a five-room boutique hotel in a 150-year-old courtyard home. The Lusongyuan Hotel (22 Banchang Hutong, Dongcheng district, 011-8610-6404-0436, http://www.the-silk-road.com/hotel/lusongyuanhotel; from $63) is a great place to experience a traditional courtyard house along a hutong.

For the truly cheap, consider a hostel. I stayed at the Lama Temple Youth Hostel (56 Beixinqiao Tou Tiao, off Yonghegong Street, south of Lama Temple, Dongcheng district; http://www.hostels.com/), which features a helpful staff, dorm bunks from $6.50 and private doubles from $28.50. Booked weeks in advance and well-located near Beihai Park and Houhai, Beijing Downtown Backpackers (85 Nanluogu Xiang, Dongcheng district, 011-8610-8400-2429, http://www.backpackingchina.com/) is another good choice. Bunks from $7, doubles and singles from $17.

WHERE TO EAT: Beijing restaurant meals are usually presented family style, with each dish whisked to your table as soon as it's ready. If you're not familiar with the selections, ask for recommendations.

South Silk Road (19 Qianhai Xiyan, Xicheng district) offers spicy Yunnanese cuisine on Lotus Lane, the boardwalk on the southwest side of Qianhai Lake. It has sleek decor, spicy food and dishes as exotic as fried bee pupae. Plan on about $25 for two, with drinks.

Although its food attracts less notice than the identical haircuts of its wait staff and its stylish clientele, Bellagio (6 Gongti Xilu, Chaoyang, near Workers' Stadium's west gate) nonetheless serves tasty Taiwanese fare. Dinner for two runs about $20.

In the Dashanzi art district, you'll find dozens of galleries and eating spots, including the cafe at 798 Space (2 and 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang district). It serves mainly individual, Western-style portions. Pasta and pizza $3.50-$6.50, entrees $11.50-$16.50.

Restaurants are fine, but my favorite place to eat was the street, where you walk to a stall, point at what you want, and pay next to nothing.

Wangfujing Snack Street (just off Wangfujing Dajie, near Wangfujing subway station, Dongcheng district) and Donghuamen Night Market (north of Wangfujing Snack Street, also off Wangfujing Dajie) are the places to find skewers of scorpions, cicadas, etc. -- as well as such standard fare as beef kebabs, fried bread and pastries with sweet bean paste.

Look for jianbing, which consists mainly of egg spread over a thin pancake, then fried and spiced, with a strip of deep-fried bread thrown in the middle. Equally amazing are xiaolongbao, dumplings steamed in bamboo baskets and filled with various juicy fillings. Skip anything raw that you can't peel yourself, and always spring for bottled water, even when brushing your teeth.

WHAT TO SEE: The Forbidden City ($8 admission) sits just north of Tiananmen Square and shares its name with a pair of nearby subway stops. The Lama Temple (Yonghegong Dajie, near the corner of Second Ring Road, at Yonghegong subway stop; $3.30) is a Tibetan Buddhist temple with lots of incense and a 60-foot Buddha statue. To escape urban life, hit the Summer Palace ($8), northwest of central Beijing and boasting a huge lake and gardens; to get there, take the subway to Wudaokou, then a taxi.

MARKETS: Slammed with tourists and reputedly overpriced, Xiushui Silk Market (corner of Xiushui Dongjie and Jianguomenwai Dajie, above Yonganli subway station, Chaoyang district), swims with electronics, jewelry, accessories, clothing and everything else. Knockoffs abound, so bargain very hard. The enormous, trinkety Panjiayuan Market (in the southeastern part of Chaoyang district) is lauded in many guidebooks, but I much preferred the temptations at the nearby Chaowai Furniture Warehouse (43 Huawei Beili).

MORE INFORMATION: The China National Tourist Office (888-760-8218, http://www.cnto.org/) is the official tourist organ. Better: the Beijing Page ( http://www.beijingpage.com/), a clearinghouse of links related to the city.

-- B.B.