Beyond its pompous front, Beijing is a delightfully chaotic city

The sprawling metropolis of Beijing usually makes it onto most visitor itineraries, and rightly so.

China's capital may be among the most polluted cities on Earth but it has some of the country's great sightseeing highlights in and around town.

Foremost among them is its Forbidden City - a sprawling imperial palace complex - beside Tiannamen Square, a quintessential communist plaza that's surrounded by government buildings and ideal for military parades. At its centre you can join the thousands of wide-eyed peasants from every corner of the country who file past the preserved corpse of Chairman Mao who lies in state at the centre of proceedings.

In walking distance of all this carefully managed order are some of Beijing's delightfully chaotic but fast disappearing hutongs - or old shanty towns - where you can pick up ancient medicines made from bizarre ingredients.

Most of the rest of Beijing is rather blandly modern and short on sights, though you can quell consumer urges along Wangfujing (the city's most Westernized shopping street), visit temples or investigate the city's many great - and for foreigners relatively approachable - restaurants and eateries.

Nightlife in the city is also good; catch if you can one of the various acrobatic shows.

Finally, no trip to Beijing would be complete without an excursion to the Great Wall just beyond the city's fringes.