WTA Travel Tips presented by Cambridge Global Payments
Take a trip to Beijing – and take in centuries of history, ancient and modern. From the Forbidden City to Tiananmen Square, this fascinating city is one of the most intriguing stops on the WTA Tour.
There’s plenty more for the tourist to enjoy as well, as Anastasia Pavlyunchenkova knows.
“I went to the Great Wall a few years ago and would love to go again,” she says. “It was amazing - from the landscape to the history behind the wall. It was magnificent. Also on my list to see if I have time is the China Zoo. I would love to see the pandas.”
The shopping opportunities in Beijing are very special, with plenty of markets where you can pick up a bargain – or just have fun browsing. That’s what Johanna Konta recommends.
“I’ve heard good things about the Silk Market in Beijing,” she says. “I understand there are a lot of good deals to be had especially if you know how to bargain with the sales people. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten to do much shopping while I’m here. Typically, I go from the hotel to the court and back again.”
And of course the cuisine is amazing – with traditional and more exotic menus on offer.
“My favorite restaurant in Beijing is called Element Fresh,” says Elina Svitolina. “I ate there for the first time two years ago. What attracted me to the chain is their special ‘Li Na’ menu featuring healthy lifestyle foods. Their menu contains foods that I can get in Europe like smoothies, warm spinach salad and salmon fillet. I see a lot of Europeans eating there. Besides the tasty food, I like the atmosphere. It’s nice to find a place like this in Beijing. It feels like home.”
If you’re visiting Beijing, Cambridge Global Payments recommend that you have cash on hand, as that remains the primary mode of payment in China. Foreign currency can be converted into yuan at the front desk of hotels or a branch of a major bank, such as Bank of China, CITIC, or HSBC, which operate with standardized government exchange rates. Remember to bring your passport, as you’ll need to present it to change money.
