Today marks one year to go until the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. You don’t need to wait until then to get a flight to Beijing and take in some top class sporting events.

Between now and May 2008 Beijing and the other cities in China that will be hosting Olympic events will be testing facilities by holding test events. Right now in Beijing there is a hockey tournament.

If sport is not what excites you there are plenty of other reasons to visit Beijing and beyond. A flight to Beijing takes around 12 hours 40 mins from Los Angeles and around 14 hours from Washington DC. Flying from London to Beijing the flying time is around 10 hours 30 mins.

Once you arrive in Beijing you have many great tourist attractions just waiting for you to explore. You could start with a day trip out to the Great Wall. Other must see places include Tiananamen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.

If shopping is more your thing you will find many of the name brands in fashionable shopping districts such as Wangfujing or if you like a bargain the Silk Market will be more for you.