Mao still gazes out over Beijing from the Tiananmen Gate where he declared the founding of Communist China and launched continual revolution in the 1960s. The solemn features of his portrait now preside over one of the most radical transformations of China’s capital that history has ever seen. It is a sight not to be missed.

In his line of vision the count-down clock for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games ticks relentlessly towards August 8, 2008 – scarcely a year away. Much of the city is in the throes of building – sports stadiums, new hotels, new subway lines. Behind the portrait, the Forbidden City that was home to China’s emperors for centuries is undergoing possibly its most radical renovation ever.

This frenzy of activity to ensure the success of the Games can elicit the odd sigh of disappointment from early visitors. Many sites are off-limits, hidden by construction nets and crawling with construction workers and decorators.

But the grandeur of Beijing’s historic sights and the dynamism of its hip entertainment spots conspire to create a shiver of excitement down the spine of even the most jaded tourist to Tiananmen Square.

There is the ponderous Stalinist mass of the Great Hall of the People and the Mao Mausoleum, where a few minutes spent in an early-morning queue allows a walk past his embalmed remains. At the Forbidden City, a ticket for the entire complex of 8,706 rooms ensures freedom to wander through the private residences of emperors.

Beijing was built along a geomantically auspicious north-south line – the dragon’s vein. It’s worth following it.

One step north from the Forbidden City lies the shady peace of Coal Hill park, on whose slopes the last emperor of the Ming dynasty found a tree from which to hang himself as invading Manchus entered the city to found China’s final dynasty – the Qing.

Another of the celestial city’s greatest treats still lies ahead. A series of lakes stretches almost to the city’s old northern extremity – once delineated by the city wall that Mao Zedong demolished in a fit of revolutionary ardour.

It is here that you can snatch glimpses of Beijing past and present. Take a tour of the winding hutongs (alleys), where aristocrats once lived and where Beijingers still cling to a semblance of a village-style community life that is rapidly disappearing under the developers’ bulldozers.

On the edge of the Shichahai Lake or at the foot of the glorious Drum and Bell Towers that once tolled the hours for Beijing, eager pedicab drivers offer set-price hutong tours in broken English and visits to the homes of ordinary residents. The idea may sound touristy, but it is the closest many visitors ever come to what it’s really like to be a Beijinger.

But how about a break from all that sightseeing? Along the western edge of Shichahai Lake – popularly known as the back lake or Houhai – runs Lotus Lane. This is a string of restaurants, bars and coffee shops, some of varying quality but all offering a marvellous view of the lake and the Drum and Bell Towers.

It’s a tour that should form the core of any visit to Beijing. After that, the city’s sights are diverse and widely spread.

Fortunately, China’s capital is not short of taxis. Almost as importantly, they are cheap. The ride in from the airport will rarely cost more than 100 yuan (about £6.50) – unless your hotel is on the west side of town – and that’s including the road toll. Most trips around the city will cost between the 10 yuan (65p) flag-fall and 30 yuan (£2).

With the Olympics on the horizon, cabbies have been ordered to take a few classes in basic English. Basic is the operative word here, but they will usually do their best to work out where you are headed. Having a map in Chinese or getting the hotel concierge to write down your destination in Chinese will certainly help. With any luck you will chance upon a driver who may even have heeded latest government strictures not to eat garlic or hawk out of the window and to smile at passengers.

A trip to the Great Wall is probably easiest to arrange with a local travel agent. Most hotels can oblige. The usual itinerary is to the Badaling sections where the Queen and Richard Nixon strolled. The difference when you go is that it will be extremely crowded – both with Chinese daytrippers and hawkers. It does have the advantage of being close to the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the emperors of that dynasty lie for eternity in sumptuous tombs – each one its own mini-palace.

But if you feel the Great Wall may merit more than a half-day trip, it could be worth setting out for Mutianyu. That will take you most of the day and may involve hiring a car for a little over £50 for the round trip. The reward is the sight of the wall snaking for miles over crags that seem almost impossible to climb, let alone to build over. There will still be crowds – but a cable car to take you halfway to the top affords spectacular views and even a short stroll along the repaired crenellations will soon make sure that you leave most people behind.

En route, it’s worth making sure your driver swings past the site for the Olympic Village. It’s not yet open, but already from the road you can see the astonishing mesh of girders that forms the National Stadium – popularly called the Bird’s Nest for obvious reasons. And if you drive by at dusk you may even see the Water Cube next door, where the swimming will take place, its bubble-like walls lit from the inside.

The Olympic venues are scattered across Beijing. The rowing park is near the airport in the northeast suburbs and the velodrome right on the other side of town in the west, not far from a couple of the university gymnasiums. The cycling course is on the road to the Great Wall, the tennis, archery and hockey centres are all on the Olympic Green, close to the main stadium and the Olympic Village, while the beach volleyball ground lies to the southeast.

Then there’s the sailing, which will be held in quite another city – the former German concession city of Qingdao on the coast of eastern Shandong province. The equestrian events are farther away still – in Hong Kong.

Dos and don’ts

Don’t tip.
Take cash. Credit cards are rarely accepted.
Carry loo paper at all times, but try to avoid public lavatories.
Don’t be afraid to try hole-in-the-wall restaurants offering local Yanjing beer and jiaozi dumplings.
Visit the parks at dawn to watch people doing t’ai chi exercises.
Don’t miss the Dashanzi art district. There’s plenty of red-hot art at prices to match.
Get up early for the weekend Panjiayuan Dirt Market. The antiques may be fake, but it’s fun.

Where to stay, where to eat

A bed for the night
For character and comfort, try the following. Prices are for a double room per night without breakfast, unless otherwise stated. Lusongyuan Hotel, 22 Banchang Lane, Kuanjie, Dongcheng District (00 86 10 6404 0436, www.the-silk-road.com), £54. Courtyard hotel in a former Qing dynasty residence.
Beijing Bamboo Garden, 24 Xiaoshiqiao, Jiugulou Street, Xicheng District (5852 0088, www.bbgh.com.cn), from £57. Simple, clean rooms with lots of atmosphere opening on to a classical garden close to the Drum Tower.
Kapok Hotel, 16 Donghuamen Street, Dongcheng District (6525 9988, www.hotelkapok.com), from £58. Beijing’s first boutique hotel, a stone’s throw from the Forbidden City.
Sihe Hotel, 5 Deng Cao Hutong, Dongcheng District (5169 3555, www.sinohotel.com), from £47 B&B. In a quiet alley to the east of the city.

A full stomach
Beijing Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant, Da Dong Building 3, Tuanjiehu Beikou, Dongsanhuan Lu, southeast corner of Changhong Qiao, Chaoyang District (6582 2892), and 1-2/F Nanxincang International Building, A22, Dongsi Shitiao. The crispest, leanest fat duck in town.
Crab Apple House (Hai Tang Ju), 32 Xiheyan, Xuanwumen, Xuanwu District (8315 4678). A 100-year-old tower over this converted Ming dynasty courtyard. Try the huang jiu (yellow wine) and yi tiao lu buo – made from a single giant turnip.
Red Capital Club, 66 Dongsi Jiutiao, Dongcheng District (6402 7150, www.redcapitalclub.com.cn). In a renovated, traditional courtyard – a place to splurge on a menu crammed with Beijing favourites.
South Silk Road, Lotus Lane (Hehua Shichang), Shichahai, Qianhai Xiyan, Xicheng District (8580 4286). A see-and-be-seen place serving southwestern Yunnan-style dishes with an urban twist. Try the famous rice wine ( mi jiu).
Fu Jia Lou, Dongsi Shitiao (200m west of Poly Plaza), Dongcheng District (8403 7831). Robed waiters guarantee a taste of old Beijing.
Xiao Wangfu, Ritan Park, North Gate, Chaoyang District (8561 5985). Foreigner-friendly and wonderful outdoor rooftop dining in Beijing’s prettiest park at the Altar of the Sun.

Need to know

Getting there: BA (0870 8509850, www.ba.com), Virgin Atlantic (0870 5747747, www.virginatlantic.com) and China Eastern (0870 7606232, www.chinaeastern.co.uk) fly to Shanghai nonstop from Heathrow. BA and Air China (00800 86100999, www.air-china.co.uk) serve Beijing.

Visas: Forms can be downloaded from www.chinese-embassy.org.uk. A 30-day single-entry visa costs £30 and processing takes four working days. Get to the London embassy (020-7631 1430) an hour before the 9am opening time, otherwise you could be in line for hours. There are consulates in Manchester (0161-224 8672, 2-4.30pm) and Edinburgh (0131-337 3220). A visa service such as Travcour (020-7223 5295, www.travcour.com) can do the legwork for you, for an extra £32.

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