Shopping heaven for the young and fashion-conscious

Word to the wise: Finding a taxi out of Xidan during rush hour (5pm - 7pm) is tricky - and if you happen to find one, expect traffic jams.

Being the largest shopping district in the city with a seemly endless street of department stores, Xidan is usually packed with frantic trend-seeking locals.

Department stores range from the underground 77th Street mall, to the luxurious Grand Pacific and the enormous Zhongyou Shopping Mall where highstreet names like Zara, H&M and Converse stand next to exclusive labels such as Burberry and Lancome.

Test your bargaining skills at Xidan market (西单市场) offering a mix of East Asian 'formal' shops and narrow corridors chock-full of anything and everything for fashionistas on a budget. Xidan Books Building has a comprehensive selection of English literature on the lower level.

To get to Xidan, take line 1 to the station of the same name.