On our third day in Beijing we followed the advice of the Lonely Planet and rented bikes. It did turn out to be a good idea – Beijing is as flat as it gets (except for one hill in the middle built from the earth excavated during the construction of a moat for the Forbidden City) and generally bike-friendly. Some of the bigger streets may be a little intimidating, but many have dedicated bike lanes (in some cases up to 10 m wide) and there are plenty of small alleys that are perfect for bikes.