This understatedly artsy city has no shortage of great places to catch an exhibition, but one of our favourites certainly has to be the Nanchizi Art Museum. Located on Nanchi Temple Street in Dongcheng, might just be the crown jewel of Beijing's art scene.

What starts as a relatively subdued bar where you can sip a drink and chat with friends quickly turns into a riotous, raucous club. Hip-Hop will be thumping through the speakers into the wee hours. Love it! 

There are two golden rules with paella: never eat it for dinner and, strictly speaking, without rabbit, chicken, green beans and garrofón (a broad bean), it isn’t paella. While everyone has a favourite spot, Toni Montoliu’s rustic restaurant is an excellent start. The farmer transformed his barn into a dining room, pitchforks on the walls and home-grown produce in the salad and paella. Outside, tables sit beneath trees, orange-wood smoke drifting through the air. End with a horse-and-cart ride through the fields.

There's a friendly competition between bars to see who can make the best mid-morning sandwich (the ritual of almuerzo), and Kiosko La Pérgola often comes up trumps. The greasy spoon-style kiosk sits beside a busy roundabout, and people queue down the street to secure a terrace table.  Order the superbombón: a chewy baguette stuffed with pork, cheese, mushrooms, mayo and chips. Beers are customary, as is finishing on a cremaet, a coffee made with lemon and cinnamon-infused rum.