Beijing’s Timeless Living Energy

Morning haze rises over ancient hutongs as bicycles glide past red gates and the aroma of steaming dumplings drifts through narrow lanes.

Visit in spring or autumn—walk the Great Wall at Mutianyu, wander the Forbidden City, and use the subway to move easily across Beijing.

Discover now and begin your Beijing journey.

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Beijing Itinerary: 5 Days of Discovery

A practical, day-by-day 5‑day itinerary covering Beijing’s highlights (Forbidden City, Great Wall day trip, Summer Palace, hutongs, 798 Art District), plus seasonal tips, transport advice and suggested food stops.

Beijing Itinerary: 3 Days of Discovery

Compact 3‑day plan for first‑time visitors with timing advice to avoid crowds, a mix of historic sites and neighbourhoods, recommendations for where to eat and short practical travel tips.

Exploring Beijing: A Solo Traveler’s Guide

A solo‑traveler’s perspective covering arrival logistics, navigating the city, top attractions, safety and etiquette tips, and suggestions for immersive local experiences and affordable dining.

Time Out Guide to Beijing (city guide & highlights)

City guide style article that balances Beijing’s historic sites and modern culture, with sections on food and nightlife, arts (including 798), best neighbourhoods and practical visiting tips.

The Best Things to Do in Beijing's 798 Arts District

Focused guide to the 798 Art Zone: top galleries, cafés, cultural venues and how to experience contemporary art and design in Beijing’s leading creative district.

Palace Museum (Forbidden City)

4 Jingshan Front St, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Built 1406–1420 as the imperial palace for Ming and Qing dynasties; opened as the Palace Museum in 1925 and houses extensive imperial art and artifacts across nearly a thousand historic buildings.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu Village, Bohai Town, Huairou District, Beijing

A well-preserved and scenic section of the Great Wall located northeast of central Beijing; historically a strategic defensive stretch and today popular for hiking, cable car access and panoramic photography.

Summer Palace (Yiheyuan)

No.19, Xinjiangongmen Road, Haidian District, Beijing

An imperial garden primarily developed in the Qing era, centered on Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake; it functioned as an imperial retreat and remains one of the world’s best-preserved royal gardens.

Temple of Heaven (Tiantan)

No.7 Tiantan Inner East St (Tiantan Nei Dongli 7), Dongcheng District, Beijing

A ritual complex where emperors performed annual ceremonies to pray for good harvests; its halls and circular altar embody traditional Chinese cosmology linking Heaven and Earth.

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square, Dongcheng District / Xicheng District, central Beijing

One of the world’s largest urban squares, historically and politically important as the site of national ceremonies and surrounded by major state buildings including the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China.

Explore the Forbidden City (Palace Museum)

Walk through the Ming and Qing imperial palace complex — vast courtyards, ornate halls and imperial collections spanning centuries.

The Forbidden City is the cultural and architectural heart of imperial China; visiting provides direct insight into court life, art and history in a single, monumental site. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_Museum?utm_source=openai))

Climb a section of the Great Wall (Mutianyu or Badaling)

Hike or take the cable car on a restored Great Wall section for panoramic views of the surrounding hills and watchtowers.

The Great Wall is an unparalleled historical engineering feat; Mutianyu offers well-preserved walls, fewer crowds than Badaling and options for cablecar or toboggan descents. ([english.beijing.gov.cn](https://english.beijing.gov.cn/specials/ticketing/attractions/202407/t20240717_3751593.html?utm_source=openai))

Stroll the Summer Palace and Kunming Lake

Explore imperial gardens, pavilions and lakeside walkways centered on Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake.

The Summer Palace is the best-preserved imperial garden in China — a serene combination of landscape design, architecture and history that contrasts Beijing’s urban core. ([english.beijing.gov.cn](https://english.beijing.gov.cn/beijinginfo/culture/beijingtownscape/parks/202401/t20240116_3536943.html?utm_source=openai))

Visit the Temple of Heaven and its park

See the circular, timber Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and watch local morning activities in the surrounding park.

A UNESCO-recognized ritual complex designed around cosmological ideas (Heaven–Earth); the park also offers an authentic glimpse of daily Beijing life with tai chi, dancing and local vendors. ([beijingservice.com](https://www.beijingservice.com/templeofheaven.htm?utm_source=openai))

Walk Tiananmen Square and the Central Axis

Stand in one of the world’s largest public squares, view the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Great Hall of the People and the gate of the Forbidden City.

Tiananmen Square is Beijing’s political and symbolic center; seeing it contextualizes modern China’s national ceremonies, architecture and 20th-century history. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square?utm_source=openai))