The seven-day October 1 National Day holiday, or "Golden Week," is just around the corner. There are plenty of activities on offer, but also road closures and travel restrictions. To make your holiday great, Metro Beijing has compiled a guide with all the information and handy tips you'll need.

Traffic and public transportation

Although traffic is generally good during holiday periods in the downtown, roads into and out of Beijing often experience heavy traffic. Expect jams on the way to and from sections of the Great Wall, and parking restrictions around major tourist sights. 

There'll be traffic restrictions on some major roads during the holiday, with some 20 large-scale public events to be held in 14 tourist or public sites, said the municipal traffic bureau.

Beijing will also host a cycle event from October 5 to 9, and there will be periodic road closures around Tiananmen Square, Jingshan Park, the Beijing-Tibet Highway, the Summer Palace, the Fragrant Hills and the Olympic Forest Park. 

Subway passengers should avoid the Qianmen station on Line 2, which is closed, and at other stations in tourist and shopping areas, like Wangfujing and Xidan, one may have to line up to exit and enter. The number of passengers is expected to reach a total of 33.6 million over the holiday.

The city's railway authorities will add 23 more temporary trains, and there will be 100 daily departures between Beijing and Tianjin.

Beijing Capital International Airport expects 2.35 million passengers during the holiday, and will assign more employees to guide passengers. All security channels will be kept open and passengers can approach multilingual volunteers in red jackets with "Help You" written on for assistance. In case extreme weather delays flights, the airport will make sure passengers are informed of flight and weather updates.

Sightseeing and outdoor activities

Visiting major sightseeing spots is not for the faint-hearted during the holiday, when there will be hundreds of thousands of tourists from outside Beijing. But the capital's leisure destinations are geared up for the influx, and many have prepared special activities to keep visitors entertained. Be prepared for long lines, and wear comfy shoes.

For the first time, a total of 11 municipal parks including Chaoyang Park and Beihai Park will regularly publicize their visitor and parking situations. If you plan to visit a park, you can call the park service center or 68300800 for information, according to the municipal parks management center. Parks will also host over 10 cultural events to celebrate the National Day.

Badachu Park will celebrate the holiday with dancing, singing and fashion show performed by older people, on October 5. 

Beihai Park will launch an intelligent guide software named "This is Beihai" to help visitors around the park. It currently supports iPhone, iPad, and iTouch.

From September 23 to October 28, during the 2011 Western Hills Culture and Leisure Tourism Festival, Nordic Walking is being promoted, a new fitness trend.

Visitors can experience the autumnal mountains, participate in a class at Longquan Temple, listen to a master abbot preach, or enjoy vegetarian food.

The Palace Museum will limit tickets to 80,000 per day, strengthen security, and open one hour earlier from at 7:30 am from October 1st to 3rd.

Visitors can book tickets at gugong228.com with an ID card.

There will be a Magic Festival at Beijing's Happy Valley, featuring 30 world famous magicians from nine countries and regions, including Russia, Switzerland and Japan.

At the National Center for the Performing Arts, the 2011 National Day Art Week includes 30 works.

On October 5, famed Chinese pianist Yin Chengzong will perform a concert to celebrate the 62nd Anniversary of China's founding. 

Public services

Health authorities have ordered institutes and hospitals to make arrangements for the holiday work schedule and inform the public.

Hospital emergency rooms will be open around the clock, and they have promised to be at service under emergencies anytime for those in need, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau.

More than 200 ambulances and thousands of medical staff are assigned to work during the holiday, especially at key areas including the Palace Museum, Chaoyang Park, the Olympic Forest Park and Tiananmen Square, according to the Beijing Emergency Medical Center.

A government hotline, 12320, will be ready to answer any questions related to health issues.

Regulations and checks on food safety will be conducted citywide by health inspectors during the holiday, especially at tourist sites. Restaurants which cause food poisoning will be fined and deprived of their license.

Meanwhile, to strengthen supervision and create a "favorable social environment" for the holiday, beginning October 1, China's Ministry of Public Security (PSB) has instructed police nationwide to intensify patrols on rented houses, hotels and entertainment centers, and strengthen the crackdown on organized crime and telecommunication fraud.

Visa extensions for foreigners are only available after the holiday, said Lin Song, media department officer with the Exit-and Entry Administration under the municipal PSB.

Weather

Beijing will experience cool and comfortable conditions, with cloudy and sunny days. Daytime highs will be around 22 C, and lows of 10 C at night.