Beijing city, China

Twelve million people—along with countless ancient palaces, imperial gardens, altars, temples, and tombs—call Beijing China home. And the number swell even more during the tourist season, when the nation's capital becomes the most visited city in the entire country. In fact, this is as far north as many travelers get, preferring the milder climate and less hectic lifestyle found in the country's southern regions, such as Guangdong and Hainan.

For the past 30 years, the People's Republic of China has been growing rapidly, and nowhere is this trend more evident than in Beijing. A burgeoning metropolis that seamlessly combines red-walled old world charm with the trappings of progress. Thus, there are few places in Asia that are as scenic and historically significant as a Beijing Tour.

Many tourists begin their trip to China in the sprawling structure that is Beijing Airport, especially those trying to avoid the siren call of tourist traps such as Macau and Hong Kong. Savvy travelers may want to look into flights into Shanghai for similar reasons—though they have a tendency to fluctuate in prices, you can usually get a cheaper flight into Shanghai, and the rail system between the two major cities is exemplary, making Beijing travel easily accomplished by a simple, though somewhat lengthy, train ride.

Beijing China is also the historical and cultural center of the country—nowhere will you find more museums, theaters, and royal gardens spread across the landscape. It is also the travel hub for many of the country's most famous landmarks, most notably the Great Wall Of China. Despite everything that has been said about this work of ancient China, it still has to be seen to be believed. Like the pyramids in Egypt, it dwarfs not only an entire country, but an entire culture. The wall is synonymous with China, now and forever.

This is, of course, only one of the many sights to see while a Beijing Tour. The concrete heart of the city is one of the most famous locations of revolution: Tiananmen Square. But along with the nearby Mao Zedong Masuoleum and the monument to the People's Heroes—you'd never know that this was one of the most well-known, if unsuccessful, pro-democracy uprisings in recent history.

The Summer Palace is a constant shuffle of tourists, each straining to see the various temples, pavilions and ornate corridors that was once royalty"s favorite summertime getaway, an escape from the suffocating heat of the Forbidden City. Restorations and renovations are commonplace in this famous Beijing China attractions, but hopefully you can get lucky and see the palace in its entirety.

Speaking of the Forbidden City—it is the largest and best-preserved collection of historical buildings in all of China. The mystery surrounding the City, the center of Chinese power for centuries, has done quite a bit to add to this attraction"s reputation. Known as such due to its interior being off limits for over 500 years, now you can enter with just a passport and a ticket.

Few ever leave Beijing China without a requisite stop at the city's zoo. Here is where you'll find a number of Panda bears at play—one of the few locations in all the world where these creatures are on display. In addition, there are a number of other rare animals on the premises, many given to the zoo by heads of state from all over the world. But they are all in the giant shadow of the peaceful and clumsy panda bear, who have been endearing visitors to them for as long as people have passed by their habitats.

And those are only a few of the landmarks on a simple Beijing tour, ignoring numerous smaller but still worthy attractions—such as the great temples that dot the city, the many halls, national buildings and museums, not to mention the many fine Beijing restaurants. You can spend weeks here and still only scratch the surface of what Beijing China has to offer, so be sure to budget a large amount of your vacation for investigating this immense and fascinating capital city.