View to a thrill

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are over but the Bird's Nest and Water Cube continue to attract and amaze visitors from home and abroad. For many visitors, especially Chinese mainlanders making their pilgrimage to the capital, these icons of modern China are even more popular than the Great Wall and Forbidden City.

While most visitors roam the Olympic Green area on foot, one of the best ways to view the area is from the surrounding hotels.

Arguably the best view is from top of the Pangu 7-Star Hotel Beijing. The hotel is the closest to the Water Cube to the west and the Wenqi Chinese Restaurant on the 5th and 6th floors has a good view of the Water Cube, the Bird's Nest, as well as the China National Gymnasium, and the Olympic Park. But it's not cheap with the average cost per person rising more than 1,000 yuan.