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  About Beijing

Beijing is China's political and cultural hub with a lot of tourist attractions. It is also where the famous Great Wall of China is. It is one of the most important tourist spots in China. The city also boasts of a very happening nightlife that will give you nasty hangovers but fun night. Imperial Palace, Coal Hill Park, Beihai Park and Heavenly Temple are some of the popular tourist attractions. It also has amazing places to go shopping and dining. Beijing also has a rich history and historical sites that you just cannot miss when you visit the city. You can also head to the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the National Museum of China to get to know the city better. While you are at it, you can even learn a few words in Mandarin. It will certainly spice things up during your vacation. China is also known for its diverse and unique cuisines, although it will be quite a task to find restaurants that serve vegetarian food.

Best Time to Visit Beijing

It would be best if you kept a lot of things in mind before you plan a trip to Beijing. If you are on a budget, it is best to avoid festival days and national holidays since booking a hotel in Beijing during this time will only burn a hole in your pocket. However, summer is the most popular tourist season in the city. June to August is the summer and peak season for travellers to fly to Beijing. The flight tickets to Beijing will be considerably higher if not booked in advance. The city also experiences heavy rainfall in July and August so make sure you also carry an umbrella with you. If you are planning your trip to Beijing in June, do not miss the Dragon Boat Festival. The temperature ranges from 18 to 31 degree Celsius during summer. If you are ready to bear with the scorching heat along with the rains, you can choose to travel to the city in summer.

September and October are also great months to plan your trip to Beijing. The hotel prices drop a little bit, and the weather is quite pleasant, owing to the disappearing humidity. You might want to steer clear of travelling to Beijing on the National Day if you are on a budget. But if you are already in the city, head over to the Great Wall of China to catch the festivities and celebration. The temperature ranges from 7 to 26 degree Celsius.

The city sees a dip in the number of tourists during winter, from November to February. This is a great time to fly to Beijing if you are on a tight budget. You will get cheap flight tickets to Beijing, and you can also book a hotel in Beijing at a lower cost. Not to mention, since there are fewer tourists in the city, you won't have to wait in queues or suffer the inconveniences that you might get with a lot of tourists buzzing around. While the temperature is quite pleasant during the day, it drops considerably at night. January-February is also Chinese New Year, and the celebrations are grand in the city. The temperature ranges from -9.4 to 4 degree Celsius in winters so pack all of your warm clothes and some more to fight the cold weather.

The temperature ranges from 7 to 26 degree Celsius in April and May. It's quite the relief from the extremely cold winter in Beijing. The hotel prices also start increasing as the months are inching closer to summer. You can also catch the Beijing International Film Festival if you are planning to visit in April.

Places to Visit in Beijing

The Imperial Palace, also called Forbidden City, dates back to the Yuan dynasty of the 13th century and is one of the most important tourist attractions in Beijing. Until a long time, the palace was not open to ordinary citizens at all, which is how it got its name, Forbidden City. A guided tour of this beautiful palace is highly recommended on your trip to Beijing. The Great Wall of China is about an hour away from Beijing and a historical monument. It is a popular tourist destination in all of China. It was ideally built for military reasons and went on to become one of the most visited tourist attractions. Since it is not possible to cover the entire thing, it is recommended that you see certain parts of it, just for the experience. Summer Palace is another tourist attraction that you cannot miss at all. It has one of the biggest imperial gardens in China and is accessible to the Kunming Lake. Make sure you go early in the day to explore the palace before the tourist crowd kicks in.

Tiananmen Square is another tourist spot that sees a lot of tourists. It's closer to attractions like The Great Hall of the People, National Museum of China, Forbidden City and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. It was initially built to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Chinese Republic back in 1958. Don't miss the Gate of Heavenly Peace while you are here. Beihai Park is close to the Imperial Palace and a must-visit if you are here. It was created in 1166 AD. If you want to know more about China's history and culture, head over to the National Museum of China, which is quite close to Tiananmen Square. The Temple of Heaven is one of the most sacred buildings in Beijing that dates back to 1420. The rectangular and semi-circular shrines and temples together symbolise the earth, and you will find a lot of peace in the temples here. Beijing National Stadium is popular for hosting the Summer Olympics in 2008 and is also called Bird's Nest. You can opt for a guided tour of the stadium and everything near it. Beijing Zoo is another highlight of the city that houses approximately 15,000 animals of 1000 species. You will find pandas here along with snow leopards, South China tigers, red-crowned cranes and so on. The Zoo also has an aquarium if you want to witness marine life.

Things to do in Beijing

You can take a tour of the museums and palaces by going for one of the tour packages, or you can make your itinerary on your own. Beijing has quite a few palaces and Chinese temples of great significance that you must visit. It is recommended that you hire a guide to most of the palaces and museums so you can know more about the history and importance of the city. If you want to add a little bit of an adventure on your visit to the Great Wall of China, you can hike to the place. There are quite a few tourists and tour groups that can help you arrange for a hiking trip. Try to catch the sunset from the Great Wall of China. It will be the experience of a lifetime. Beijing is also known for its vibrant nightlife, and you can certainly go clubbing if you want to let loose and have fun a little bit.

Food and Restaurants in Beijing

Since Beijing is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, it offers a plethora of different kinds of cuisines for tourists. Peking Duck is a very popular dish in Beijing that you must try. You can also try the dumplings that are sold at local street stalls or fancy restaurants. Zhajiangmian is a Beijing speciality that is made with wheat noodles and has radish, cucumbers, a special sauce made of pork belly and sweet bean paste. The View 3912 is a popular restaurant that serves French, European and Fusion food. You can also try F Bistronome - FB or TRB Forbidden City for authentic French and European cuisines. Alice's Tea House also specialises in Asian and Beijing cuisine along with serving healthy fast food. Head over to King's Joy for some delicious Chinese food and The Lounge at Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel for the vibrant nightlife experience.

How to reach Beijing (Transportation)

Beijing Capital International Airport is one of the largest airports in China and 32 km away from the city centre. The flight connectivity to Beijing from India is excellent. Cathay Pacific and Dragonair fly quite frequently to and from Beijing with layovers in Beijing. If you book in advance, you might come across great flight deals to Beijing online. If you are lucky, you will even get cheap flight tickets to Beijing. The Beijing airport is well-equipped with lounges for passengers, decent waiting areas, dressing rooms, duty-free shopping areas, currency exchange, restaurants and cafes. You will also get taxis, buses and shuttle services right from the airport to your hotel and vice versa. The staff is quite helpful, and you will also find a couple of tour packages at the airport, in case you haven't made your itinerary or want to add more attractions to it.

  About Air Astana

Air Astana is the official flag carrier of Kazakhstan which is based out of the capital, Almaty. The airline operates scheduled passenger domestic and international flights. Overall, Air Astana caters to about 64 domestic routes and international routes from its main hub, Almaty International Airport. Its secondary hub is Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in the Akmola Region of Kazakhstan. The airline is originally a joint venture between the sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna of Kazakhstan and the British multinational, BAE Systems plc. While the wealth fund holds a major stake of 51 per cent in the airline, the remaining 49 per cent of stakes are held by BAE Systems plc. The airline came into existence in 2001 with commercial flight services commencing in 2002. Originally, the airline was conceived for purely domestic route services. However, with BAE Systems' involvement, the airline agreed to participate in a proposed start-up, as requested by the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. The idea behind acquiring an airline start-up was to facilitate an air-radar contract which was being negotiated by the government.

Sir Richard Evans of the BAE Systems played a key role in finalising the deal with the state. Things didn't materialise the way the British-owned organisation planned and eventually, with subsequent changes in the management and closure of BAE Systems in Kazakhstan, the airline was left with no big stakeholders. Despite the lack of support faced by Air Astana, the airline did take off. The airline's first president and former executive of British Airways, Llyod Paxton took charge. They leased three Boeing 737s from the International Lease Finance Corporation to commence commercial operations of Air Astana in 2002. The following year, the airline acquired Fokker 50s on lease from Aircraft Finance Trading BV along with three Boeing 757s from Pegasus Leasing Corp. The same year, the airline declared a net profit keeping operations of its full year in consideration. With the shutdown of the country's national flag carrier Air Kazakhstan in 2004, Air Astana's operations expanded as its domestic route network along with important international routes were also enhanced. The airline started operations to routes such as Dubai, Moscow, Istanbul, Beijing and later added London and Frankfurt.

The airline did face tremendous challenges within the management as there were disagreements over fleet expansion plans as well as hub strategy. The shareholders and the management were in disagreement regarding these subjects, and it eventually led to a change in the management in 2005. Peter Foster, who made quite a name for himself as a former executive of Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways was roped in to be Air Astana's president in the same year. These changes didn't affect the airline's profitability as it consistently showcased profits and even found itself on the global list of the top 20 most profitable airlines with respect to the net margin. In fact, it was recognised for three consecutive years from 2010 to 2012. Up until 2016, Air Astana was known to be the only airline from Kazakhstan that was allowed to fly to the European Union. In today's time, Air Astana's fleet is recognised as the youngest in the European Union as it consists of about 30 aircraft acquired from Western manufacturers. The airline further restructured its fleet by replacing their old Airbus A320s and Boeing 767s. The airline does have the vision to expand its fleet size to 43 by 2020.

Fleet size of Air Astana

Air Astana's fleet size stands at 32 with an additional 20 aircraft yet to be delivered. Currently, the airline boasts a fleet that has a majority of aircraft from the Airbus and Boeing family along with Embraer. The aircraft in service are two Airbus A320200s, four Airbus A320neos, two Airbus A321-200s, two Airbus A321LRs, four Airbus A321neos, four Boeing 757-200s, three Boeing 767-300ER, six Embraer 190s and five Embraer 190-ERs. The airline is expecting its first Boeing 787-8, three of which are in order and expected to be delivered between 2019 and 2023. Simultaneously, Air Astana's fleet will also see additional Airbus A320neosm Airbus A321LRs, Airbus A321neos and one Embraer 190-E2. The airline is expected to receive its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner which would be used to commence operations to the United States of America. In 2018, after replacing much of its Airbus A320-dominated fleet, the airline received its first Airbus A320neos. The same year, the airline commenced the use of the aircraft to cater to some of the post-Soviet countries. The airline also received its second Airbus A321neo while the fleet's Embraer 190-E2 were replenished to carry flights to post-Soviet countries.

Baggage Allowance

Baggage allowance on Air Astana is quite strict as the airlines refuse to accommodate baggage that exceeds the limit stated. The maximum weight of checked baggage as allowed by the airline is 32 kg. Passengers who arrive at the airport with baggage weight exceeding the mentioned number will be asked to repack and re-accommodate their items to fit the weight allocation. In case you do wish to purchase additional baggage from the airline, prior bookings need to be made and for the airline to be informed about the same. The free baggage entitlement comes with the type of ticket that the passenger has purchased. Based on the ticket type, the passenger will be allowed to carry extra weighing baggage. The dimension for the checked baggage should not exceed 158 cm, a globally recognised measurement. As for cabin baggage, the airline allows the maximum weight to be no more than 8 kg. While the weight rule applies to business and economy class, the passengers of the premium cabin class can carry two baggage instead of one. The dimension for the hand baggage should not exceed 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm.

In-flight services

Air Astana's in-flight services have tremendously improved over the years. Since its inception, there have been some massive changes and upgradations with respect to their in-flight services ranging from their phenomenal cabin class setting, the seating configuration and their in-flight meal services. Passengers can book the meals ahead of the journey or order meals onboard. The airline also offers entertainment systems that have been attached to all the seats for long-haul flights.

Popular routes and top cities for Air Astana

Air Astana caters to 64 routes in total out of which the number of destinations in the neighbouring Central Asian and Russian countries has better connectivity. From 2009, the airline launched flights to cater to routes of Baku, Bishkek, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Tashkent, with a view to catering to nearby top destinations. Air Astana further expanded its international routes by going down south and starting flights to Delhi, Beijing, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Hong Kong, to name a few. The airline also launched services to connect to Frankfurt and Seoul from Kazakhstan's Nur-Sultan Airport. The airline's top cities are Baku, Beijing, Paris, Tbilisi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Amsterdam, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Omsk, Seoul, Bangkok, Istanbul, Kyiv, Dubai, London and Tashkent, to name a few. It's domestic route connectivity to cities namely Almaty, Aktau, Atyrau, Kostanay, Nur-Sultan, Oral, Oskemen, Shymkent and Aktobe. Currently, Air Astana has codeshare agreements with a few airlines namely Air France, Bangkok Airways, KLM, S7 Airlines, Air India, Cathay Pacific, LOT Polish Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa and Ukraine International Airlines. Further, the airline has signed interline agreements with a bunch of airlines including Aeroflot, All Nippon Airways, Korean Air, EgyptAir, British Airways, Thai Airways International, Qatar Airways and Qantas Airways, to name a few.

Why travel by Air Astana?

Air Astana has flourished as an airline in a very short span of time. With strong leadership and expansion strategies, the airline has managed to become one of the most sought-after ones to be opted by passengers in Kazakhstan. In terms of connectivity, Air Astana is perfectly in sync with some of the top cities within the country. Not just its domestic route expansion but the airline has worked towards extending its international route to accommodate more cities. Currently, the airline has a limited number of international destinations, but they do intend to change that soon. The positive here is that the airline has many codeshare agreements which help Air Astana extend its connectivity.

Apart from the good flight connectivity, the in-flight services and facilities provided by the airline are just as good. They have recently enabled web check-ins for passengers travelling by Air Astana. Travellers can sign up on the website and do web check-ins to skip the long queues at the airport. Further, the airline's website is also equipped with other updates regarding the flights such as flight status and flight schedules that can be found on the website. Prospective travellers can book an Air Astana flight ticket on their website too. There are some amazing deals that can be availed with respect to baggage allowance and in-flight services that come with booking an Air Astana flight online. Basically, travelling by Air Astana is quite an affordable and convenient deal.