Best district for Expat to live in Beijing

Hey guys:

I'll be landing in Beijing on June 27th, staying initially in a hotel.  I have ~4 weeks to find a suitable apartment for 1 year contract.  Monthly allowance from my company is 8,000RMB. 

I'm looking for advice on best area to live.  Priorities would be access to restaurants/cafes, area with significant foot traffic, preferable decent expat community... 

Any recommendations?

Thanks,

Brandon

Hi Brandon,

Please let me know which district your future company is in.
It is much better to choose an area closed to your company.
Normally,lots of expats live in Chaoyang ditrict.

You could feel free to contact me.my mail address:[email protected]

Rosanna

I agree with Rosanna. Need to know first the approx location of your office because I assume that you will need to commute daily to work.

So how will you get there, walk, cycle, subway, taxi? The answer affect the distance from your office that is realistic and the cost of your commute.


BTW - Chaoyang District is the largest of the downtown Beijing districts and even if an address is Chaoyang it could be miles from downtown. Chaoyang district extend to outside the 5th Ring Road.

Regarding restaurant ....Surprise....Beijing is full of Chinese restaurants. Wherever you live there are numerous good restaurants that is as long as you are prepared to try the local neighbourhood eatery.  If you can only want western food then you will need a loaded wallet.

If you want detailed help and do not want to share too many details on an open form please feel free to contact me.

I am not Estate Agent.

I will need to stay in Beijing for 2 years, starting July 2010. The office is Ocean International Centre 58, Dongsihuanzhonglu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China, 100025.
Can someone suggest nice places (greenery, lakes etc) close to office (around10-20 min commute) where I could rent an apartment (2 bedroom) ?
My budget is 20000RMB/month including utilities.
Thanks.
Harpreet