Beijing is the capital city of China and therefore home to serious Government and multinational lobbying plus of course all the international diplomatic community in China. It's a vast, sprawling city still undergoing re-generation so expect roadworks and heavy traffic - being the site of the 2008 Olympics a lot is going on here so be prepared! Summers here are hot and dry and winters cold so dress appropriately.

The Great Wall lies just an hours drive away, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Tianenmen Square are all here - Beijing is to some extent the heart of cultural China.

As you would expect a host of international hotels are here, from the top end St. Regis and Kempinski - (010 6465 3388) to the mid-level Holiday Inn (6833 8822), Great Wall Sheraton (6590 5566) and Hilton (6466 2288) while many prefer the family charm of the Jianguo Hotel(6500 2233), conveniently located and homely.

Beijing has tremendous nightlife and possibly more variety than even Shanghai - with a huge international student population here it also caters for lesser pockets as well. The area around the canal is becoming the top destination to hang out - plenty of small bars to sit out, have a beer or three and watch the world go by. The Sanlitun area is more sleazy, but gets busy, while the area around the Kempinski and Great Wall Sheraton Hotels houses the Hard Rock Café, Paulaner Brauhaus and other similar themed bars/restaurants. Of note just opposite the Kempinski is Schillers, decent food and reasonable drinks in a German style setting.

Beijing is home to many nightclubs, The Big Easy, a New Orleans themed jazz bar is good, as is next doors Latinas, with it's Salsa nights, while further down the street The World Of Suzie Wong draws a trendy crowd in an ambient setting.

There's plenty of free expat targeted magazines also, That's Beijing Journal (BJ) The Beijing Review and City Weekend all being great sources of what's hot and what's not. Most can be found in your Hotel lobby or in local bars.

Beijing has an active religious community, Sunday worship can be attended at the Church, amongst others. It's well attended and a great place to go to meet other expats in a more spiritual environment.

Beijing's Capital Airport is conveniently located about 40 minutes by taxi (allow a good hour during rush hour) from downtown Beijing and services all international and domestic flights.

FIFA is coming too and it would be nice to watch the game on a terrace !! Here's our favorites: -->

--Bar Blue, in Sanlitun Area in Tongli Studio, on the rooftop terrace --The Schindler’s, German restaurant, close to Ritan Park

Here is a short non-exhaustive list of restaurants / bars with outside terraces in Beijing For a drink in Sanlitun AreaOur Favorites: --For a nice glass of wine, no surprise, there is Aperitivo--Paradisio, open one year ago in the Embassies area not far from the French Embassy - Sanlitun Zhongjie, good place when you need to rest from the intensity of the city and if you feel like a couscous. Others:For a late drink there is, next to Aperitivo , Tongli Studio on the roof, Bar Blue�s Beer Garden. In Houhai AreaFor a drink:--Drum and Bell, located in a small street just behind the Drum Tower, nice roof terrace. To have dinner In Sanlitun--In Sanlitun Beixiaojie, next to the Jenny lou, Assagi has a nice rooftop terrace, if you feel like Italian pasta. But our favorites are in Houhai Area--Plenty of places to go and have a drink in the fresh air around Houhai. The Thai Restaurant, with a nice terrace on the roof, located in the small shops street when coming from the Bell Tower. But certainly the best atmosphere is at No Name Restaurant, it has a great rooftop terrace away from the touristic Houhai in Da Jinsi Hutong and serves Yunnan specialities. Coming from the shops street, cross the bridge and enter the hutong in front of you, when in front of the construction works go right. Not so easy to find but worth looking for it! --Café Sambal, great Malaysian and Singaporean Food, fresh flowers on the tables, nice, comfortable place and some table outside. And here is a list of places you can watch the World Cup. In some of them you can watch matches on a big screen from their beer garden. --The Den, is definitely the place to go to watch games. Located on Gongti Donglu not far for Beijing City Hotel. --Browns, one of the hot spots in Beijing, upstairs from the loft, behind the Comfort Inn Hotel, and not far from the Bookworm bookstore.