Covering an area of almost 10 million sq km, China is the world's third largest country and is home to well over a billion people who are distributed throughout 22 provinces, all of which are governed from the capital city, Beijing. With desert straddling the northern boundary, and the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan mountain range to the west, much of China is inhospitable territory and remains largely uninhabited, many preferring to settle in the eastern regions that are bounded by the East and South China Seas. The higher concentration of towns and cities in these areas, including Beijing, attract travellers from across the globe to the warm welcome and quality holiday accommodation in China that is guaranteed wherever you choose to visit, many people taking the opportunity to pack in as many destinations as possible while in this geographically and culturally diverse Asian giant.

With such radical variations in topography countrywide, the climate in China ranges from bitingly cold to blisteringly hot, and everything else in between. Northern regions can swing from savagely cold winters to summer temperatures that sit in the low thirties around July - Turpan, in the north-west, is China's hot-spot regularly achieving summer highs in the forties. The central Yangzi River valley area experiences similar extremes, as does the far south where a rainy season during summer months (something occurring everywhere except the north-west which is hot, yet dry) is compounded by the arrival of typhoons on the south-east coast from July to September.

For its wealth of outstanding scenery and breathtaking variety of landscapes, China cannot be easily beaten and its spiritual quality draws people in droves to its peaceful mountains and rural areas brimming with natural beauty, as well as its cities of cultural and technological importance, the hub of which is, arguably, Beijing. For many, this cosmopolitan and dynamic capital city is the epicentre of China - holiday apartments in Beijing being popular with both tourists and business travellers alike, favoured for their prime locations close to excellent transport networks, unbeatable restaurants and shopping, and famous sights like the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. Summertime in Beijing is understandably crowded, as is January/February around the time of the Chinese New Year, but if the weather is not an issue and if being caught up in the throng is all part of being caught up in the unique atmosphere, then anytime in Beijing is perfect for that holiday experience of a lifetime.

Back to holidays in China