Unlike many Chinese mega cities, the railway station in Beijing is centrally located and you can access the entire city from this one hub thanks to the metro lines that connect it to the heart of Beijing.
Slightly north-west of the railway station lies the Forbidden City, and near that the famous Tiananmen Square where you'll also find the Mao Ze Dong Mausoleum. You could literally spend the entire day seeing these three sites near the Railway Station.
Less well known, the Qianmen Market street offers great trinket, T-shirt and gift shopping. This entire area offers so much in terms of history, culture, shopping, dining and nightlife that the area around the Beijing Railway Station is a decent place to find lodging and launch your whole Beijing adventure from.
You'll also find amazing shopping in the area at the Silk Market or at the aforementioned Qianmen Market Street. The Silk market is used to bargaining with foreigners, so bargain hard in order to get decent deals. Although there are many travelers on Qianman, you'll find they are easier to bargain with and prices are substantially cheaper.
Qianmen Dajie
A recreation of an ancient shopping street...
23 Qian Men Dong Dajie
Beijing Art...
3 Chongwenmen Wai Dajie
Shopping Haven...
East Qianmen Avenue
Southeast corner of Tiananmen Square, behind the old train station
Planning for the city's future...
Chang An Avenue
Dong Cheng District
Geographical and symbolic center of Beijing...
Tiananmen Square
Chongmen District
Pay your respects to the Chairman...
Southern end of Tiananmen Square
Xuanwu District
A symbol of Beijing...
Silk Street, Chaoyang, Beijing
Expat shopping, Bargain hard!...
North of Tiananmen Square
Dong Cheng District
China's greatest imperial palace complex...
Panjiayuan Lu
Just inside Dongsanhuan Nanlu
Top for arts, crafts and antiques...