Olympic Green Bike Tour
Discover Beijing's oldest and most modern sides on this bike tour. You will be able to see the City's most important political, historical and social spots, traveling around from the oldest parts of town to the newly built Olympic Stadium; the Bird's Nest.
Start off the tour at the lush Jingshan Park right behind the Forbidden City and then head down south to Tianmen Square. This square, a symbol of hard line communism in China, will more than likely impress you whether it be because of the imposing portrait of Mao Zedong, the number of people that may be there contemplating the 5 starred flag, or simply its sheer size. You will then ride around the ancient Forbidden City alongside its waters once used to protect the residing Emperor and his dozens of mistresses.
Carry on north through the central axis of the old part of Beijing eventually riding through some of Beijing's traditional urban dwellings; hutongs. Surrounded by birds, trees, old houses and people chatting outside their houses, you will find it hard to believe that you are in the heart of a city of millions. Riding through these you will be able to contemplate the traditional social side of Beijing, indeed a huge contrast from its political and historical facets. After leaving the hutong neighborhoods, you will head to Houhai Lake. Formerly the Emperor's gardens, this area has a rich melange of tradition, bohemia and modernity mainly composed of services and shops that cater for the tourism industry of the area.
The trek continues 18 km up north to what is to be a true symbol of Chinese economical and technological development; the National Stadium aka the Bird's Nest Stadium given its twig-like structure and bowl shaped roof. With a capacity of 91,000 seats and an area of 258,000 m², this will be the venue for major Olympic events such as the opening and closing ceremonies and the football (soccer) final. Designed by Herzog and De Meuron, the most unique feature of the structure is its "cushion" system which can fill the spaces within the building's facade to regulate wind, weather, and sunlight.
After the National Stadium we will ride to the National Swimming Center aka the Water Cube which has a total floor space of 70,000 m² with a seating capacity of 17,000. The center will be used for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water-polo games during the Olympic Games. It is dubbed "cube" because of its semi-transparent "bubbles" which spread out all over its surface making have a shape very similar to the structure of water. See the picture below...
Tour duration: 2.5 hours
Price: RMB 400 based on 1 person RMB 250 per person based on 2 persons RMB 200 per person based on 3 persons RMB 180 per person based on 4 persons RMB 150 per person based on 5 or 5 + Price includes: bicycle rental, helmet, and English speaking guide Price excludes: private activities, tip to tour guide Sign up : Contact Cycle China Beijing Office by either phone or e-mail.
Tel: 86-10-64025653, 84024147 Office Hours: 9:00-18:00 ( GMT+0800 ) Monday - Sunday
Address: No. 12 Jingshan East Street (Opposite of the east gate of Jingshan Park) |
Shanghai 
