Cheap Beijing

Kids are costly, there’s no getting around that, but entertaining them needn’t be expensive – all you need is a little sunshine and one of the best kid-friendly parks in Beijing. And hey, wouldn’t you know it? That’s exactly where we’re going for this little trip, starting at around 10am. We’ll be assuming that this is for one adult and one child; you can adjust according to your needs.

Stick a packed lunch, a frisbee and some balls into a bag and hop on the subway to Tuanjiehu station (return for two 8RMB), then get a tax to the northeast gate of Chaoyang Park. Once you are inside (5RMB), head pretty much straight on and find yourself a quiet spot for a game of Frisbee, footy or hide-and-seek between the trees.

After playing and eating for a couple of hours, head south toward to blue tower-like structure in the distance. Pretty soon, you’ll come across a big white house with a lake outside it. You can rent a pedal boat for 50RMB and a 200RMB refundable deposit.

Once you’re done, continue southward and grid yourself: you’re approaching the amusement park (Open 9.30am-5pm daily). Your money will evaporate fast if you get drawn in, so cut straight through this sickly coloured Gordian Knot by walking in a straight line (well, you’ll have to walk around the massive ‘DIY Planet’ kids’ attraction first). Rides are pretty consistently priced at 15 to 20RMB, so allow for two before moving on.

Don’t worry about frowning faces: you’ve got something far better planned just a little further south in the park: Sony ExploraScience, a hands-on, highly entertaining science centre that features optical illusions, musical experiments and plenty of stuff to tinker with. It costs 40RMB for one adult and one child, or 60RMB for two adults and one child. However, if your nipper is under 1.2m tall, then they’ll get in for free. See if you can get them to slouch a bit. The museum will take two-plus hours to explore fully, but make sure to get to the downstairs screening room for 3pm to see a cool 3D science show.

By the time you’re done with ExploraScience, the day should be at an end. Don’t retrace your steps – that would mean going through the amusement park again – but exit via the south gate. There should be plenty of taxis here to take you back to the subway. Have a ten-minute nap on the way. You’ve earned it.

Total cost 168RMB.

Frugality might not be the most traditionally attractive trait, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a romantic day out. We’ll begin the date proper at 2pm so you’re not paying for lunch as well as dinner (cynical? Us?). But, instead of taking the morning off, go to Sanyuanli Market (Shunyuan Jie, Dongsanhuan, Chaoyang district. 5am-7pm daily 朝阳区东三环顺源街) and pick up some ingredients for a nice salad – 50RMB should get you the basics and you can find all kinds of recipes on the web easily enough.

The date will start at the National Art Museum of China, just a five-minute walk west from Dongsi subway station. Get there a little early and head around the right-hand side of the museum. Follow that road straight to the left – take the next right. This street is Meishuguan Houjie, and has a cluster of flower shops on the right-hand-side just 20 feet in. You can pick up a single red rose for 5RMB or less.

Now, meet your date back at the museum and take them inside (free with a passport or ID) to gaze dreamily at this month’s exhibits, including Family in Mountains and Rivers, a collection of landscape paintings by Chinese artist Long Rui.

After wowing with your wit and art knowledge (the excellent free leaflets help), take your date back to the start of Meishuguan Houjie, but walk past that road and into Liangguochang Hutong. This maze of streets is quieter than the busy surroundings, making conversation less strained. Use our map to find your way through to Beihai Park.

It costs just 10RMB each to get in. Head along the east side of the water (the left-hand side as you enter) and find a nice spot to sit down. Time for that salad? Why not! If you need to work up a hunger, you can take to the lake in a pedal boat for 40RMB (with a 200RMB refundable deposit).

Once you’re done, continue south until you reach the east gate – roughly in line with the White Pagoda. Ignore the tourist trap and head to Jingshan Park (4RMB) for two instead. Hike up to the pagoda at the top of Coal Hill and look over the city. It might not be sunset just yet (well, unless you’ve done this really slowly) but the view is stunning. Now might be a good time to lean in for a kiss. We’ll let you deal with the rest.

Total cost 121RMB.

Splitting the budget between two of you is essential for any evening of parsimonious partying, so you’ll want to grab a friend. They key to cheap Friday fun is pre-drinking, and we recommend the 75cl bottles of T singtao Vodka (18.80RMB) found in any Jenny Lou’s. True, some claim it makes them grow hair in strange places and causes hallucinations – but half a bottle shouldn’t get you that f***ed. Mix with cola nad scrawl the words ‘Grey Goose’ on the label in biro; that always makes it taste better.

After the vodka, it’s time to head to Sanlitun – Tuanjiehu subway is cheap and convenient, and taxis are strictly for coddled bourgeois elitists. On your way to the station, head into any local shop and pick up a bottle of JingJiu (10RMB). It’s nothing like baijiu, comes in a handy hip flask-sized bottle and tastes like medicine. It’s perfect, basically. Sanlitun is a good, cheap place to line your stomach thanks to the malatang stalls that scatter the area; their food tastes even better than McDonald’s – can you imagine? – for under 10RMB. Head over to Tun Bar(entry for two 60RMB), which hosts a popular ladies’ night from 9pm every Friday. Ladies get entry and free drinks until midnight for 30RMB; if you’re man, maybe you can sit outside on a step whining about how unfair the world is while ignoring the many unwarranted benefits your penis has brought you throughout life. We certainly wouldn’t recommend you pay the entry fee then have a female friend surreptitiously slip you free drinks. That would be dishonest.

Stagger out of Tun and grab a pedicab (20RMB) to Chocolate – surely the most extravagantly decorated budget bar in the world. A bottle of vodka will set you back 120RMB. That should set you up for a night of pole dancers, pumping music and mulleted Kazaks warbling Russian-language versions of Madonna hits.

Total cost 262.80RMB

UCCA for free

Art is good for the soul and free is good for the wallet. See to your spiritual and financial health with the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, which is currently hosting three exhibitions – two of which end on Sunday 22 – and allows free entry for all on Thursday (although the usual entry fee of 15RMB will hardly break the bank anyway).

Dress for less

Like cheap clothes? Then you’ll go wild at the Zoo Market, located next to – unsurprisingly – the Beijing Zoo. This collection of buildings contains some of the best clothing deals in the city. Make sure you go during a weekday, though, unless crushing crowds and noisy masses are your idea of heaven.

Groovy vinyl

As much as we love our iPods, there remains a special glow from setting a needle down onto crackling black vinyl. Thank goodness, then, for Waiting for Godot café and bar, which offers all manner of vinvl records for 30-50RMB. The selection includes Western imports as well as Chinese and Japanese pop – and, with prices that low, it’s worth taking a risk!

All that jazz

Houhai can be a bit of a tourist hellhole, but East Shore Live Jazz Café provides some respite with free jazz performances between 9.30pm and midnight, Thursday to Sunday. If you’d rather take the spotlight yourself, Vanguard on Wudaoying Hutong has a free jazz jam session between 9.45pm and midnight every Sunday.

Feast for 5RMB

It’s not hard to find cheap eats in Beijing, but few are quite as bargainous as those at Xian Lao Man, where 5RMB will buy you a belly full of great Beijing classics, from dumplings to yangyou madoufu )soy beans, chilis and fat – but way better than that sounds).

Bargain burgers

If you’re in search of cheap food, go where the students go. Sure enough, a late-night visit to Lush in Wudaokou will net you a tasty burger for just 20RMB. The offer runs from 2 to 5am, making it ideal for a late night snack.

A grand knight out

The food at White Knight might be a little… variable? Yes. Variable. But the booze at this Russian restaurant/bar is some of the cheapest in town by far. A pint of beer for 5RMB? A shot of rather powerful vodka for 8RMB? You can’t argue with prices like that. Actually, you won’t be able to do much of anything if you indulge too much…

13 Beizhongjie, Dongzhimennei Dajie, Dongcheng district (8402 9595). Open 11am-midnight daily.东城区东直门内北中街13号

Bang! Bang! Booze!

The rootin’est, tootin’est pizza joint in the city, Bang! Bang! Pizza also serves up some choice cheap beverages, with 15RMB pints of Chinese beer being the highlight.

Room 103, 24 Hopson International Park, Shuanghuayuan Nanli Area 3, Shuangjing, Chaoyang district (136 0100 0343). Open 11am-2am daily.朝阳区双井双花园南里3区合生国际家园24号楼103单位

Free Tsingtao

Kro’s Nest, undisputed king of gargantuan pizzas, has come up with a grand way to get people in on Tuesday: offer free beer. Lots of free beer. From 5pm, 100 bottles of Tsingtao will be made available to customers. Get in early to guarantee you get a decent share.

All the tea in China

Well, not all of it, but Maliandao Tea Street has hundreds – nay, thousands – of tea sellers hustling for a sale. You can try bargaining your way down to a cheap cuppa, but a better idea might be to just try as many sample as you can. Take an empty stomach and a stern face and drink hundreds of RMBs’ worth of leaves. A Chinese-speaking pal might help too.

Haircuts at a snip

Globe-spanning Toni&Guy offers free haircuts at its Beijing academy, in exchange for letting trainee staff practice on your noggin. Students are supervised, so you should leave with your ears still attached, and it’s completely free! Sadly, the offer is only open to women, and you must go for an ‘interview first so they can select the right hairstyle for you.

105-106 Tower F, Sunshine 100, 2 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang district (email Young on media@toniandguychina.net to book an appointment). Times vary.朝阳区光华路2号阳光100国际公寓F座105-106

Cheap organic food

To buy from this farm business requires a refundable outlay of 1,000RMB, but once you’ve dropped that deposit on God’s Grace Garden, a whole slew of locally grown organic produce can be delivered to your door. Prices and produce vary according to the season, but it’s a great place to get organic eggs, flour, veggies and even chickens.

Cheap city tours

Whether you’re a tourist, new to Beijing or just want to look at the city with fresh eyes, 90 Percent Travel is the company for you. This group of enthusiastic Beijingers offers cheap monthly walking tours around the city, with previous jaunts taking in some of the more scenic hutongs. The guides speak good English and encourage interaction, so it’s a lot more informative than wandering around by yourself, and May’s three-hour riverside walk will cost just 60RMB.

To book a place on May’s tour, email info@90percenttravel.com or call 151 1791 6648.

More bread for less dough

Much as we love the Bimbo bear, we have to admit that really great bread isn’t an easy thing to find in Beijing – especially if you don’t want to spend an absolute fortune on it. Thankfully, French-style bakery Comptoirs de France is aware of this conundrum, offering a buy-one-get-one-free promotion every day from 7pm to 8.30pm. The chain’s staff don’t throw away the morning’s bread and instead sell it off cheap, so you can split a tasty pork-work snack with a colleague!

Various locations across Beijing; see www.comptoirsdefrance.com for addresses.