Beijing
- Season
- April–June and September–October
- Currency
- CNY
- Language
- Chinese
- Entry requirements
- Check official requirements for the traveller’s nationality and itinerary.
Where to stay
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Hotels
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Guides for Beijing
A First Visit to Beijing’s Palace Museum: Exploring the Forbidden City at Your Own Pace
Plan a first visit to Beijing’s Forbidden City with photographs, route advice, architectural highlights and official reservation links.
2026-09-09 · 8 min readItinerariesA Half-Day at 798 Art Zone: Factories, Galleries and a Viewing Route
Read 798 Art Zone as an open-air museum: the route from the main entrances to the core galleries, free vs paid shows, and practical tips for a first visit.
2026-09-11 · 8 min readItinerariesBadaling Great Wall: Classic North Route and a Lighter South Route
Build a half-day or full-day Badaling plan around the pass, North Eighth Tower and South Seventh Tower, with official checks for booking and transport.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesA Half-Day at Beihai Park: White Pagoda, Qionghua Island and Lakeside Walking
A slow half-day route through Beihai Park, focusing on the White Pagoda, lake views and the park's inner gardens.
2026-09-11 · 8 min readItinerariesA Half-Day at Capital Museum: Reading Beijing through the City's History
A flexible half-day at Capital Museum built around Beijing's urban history, with official visiting guidance, security and scheduling notes.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesBeijing Confucius Temple and Guozijian: Ancient Cedars, Exam Steles and a Quiet Ritual Route
The Confucius Temple and the Imperial College (Guozijian) were the sacrifice-to-Confucius and top academy site across three dynasties, sharing one axis. This guide covers tickets, route, the ancient cedars and exam steles, and how to chain it with Yonghe Temple.
2026-09-11 · 8 min readItinerariesA Half-Day at Fayuan Temple: The Minzhong Legacy, Lilac Season and a Niujie Link
Fayuan Temple is among Beijing's oldest surviving Buddhist monasteries, formerly the Tang-era Minzhong Temple. This guide covers its history, hall highlights, lilac season, and a half-day link with Niujie's halal food.
2026-09-11 · 7 min readItinerariesFragrant Hills in Red-Leaf Season: Booking, Shuangqing Villa and the Cable Car
Fragrant Hills Park is famous for late-autumn red leaves and is a close-in hiking spot. This guide covers red-leaf-season booking, the Shuangqing Villa highlights, the cable car choice, and practical tips on peaks and stamina.
2026-09-11 · 7 min readItinerariesGubei Water Town in One or Two Days: Water Lanes, Night Views and Simatai
Plan Gubei Water Town as a relaxed day trip or an overnight stay, using the official transport and service pages to verify details before departure.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesLugou Bridge and Wanping Town: Stone Lions, the War Museum and a Fengtai Route
Lugou Bridge is a Jin-dynasty stone bridge famed for its pillar lions and the 'Lugou dawn moon.' Inside Wanping Town to the east is the Museum of the War of Resistance. This guide covers the bridge route, the lions, the museum and access.
2026-09-11 · 7 min readItinerariesMutianyu Great Wall in One Day: Towers, Trails and Energy Planning
Plan a full day at Mutianyu Great Wall, separating changeable booking, shuttle and cable-car details from a practical hiking plan for different fitness levels.
2026-09-11 · 10 min readItinerariesNanluoguxiang Hutongs: A Half-Day Walk Beyond the Main Alley
Walk from Nanluoguxiang into Mao'er and Ju'er Hutongs and toward the Drum Tower, while separating public lanes from ticketed sites and temporary notices.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesVisiting the National Art Museum of China: Free Booking, Key Halls and a Route
The National Art Museum of China is free but requires booking. This guide covers the booking entry, a viewing order for permanent and special shows, baggage and photography rules, and nearby museums to chain.
2026-09-11 · 8 min readItinerariesVisiting the National Museum of China: Reservations, Galleries and a Half-Day Plan
Plan a half-day at the National Museum of China by reserving first, then choosing galleries by floor and theme instead of trying to see everything.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesA Half-Day at the Old Summer Palace Ruins: Xiyang Lou, Fuhai and Reading the Site
A half-day route through the Old Summer Palace ruins, linking Xiyang Lou, Fuhai and interpretive displays. Check the official site for current access details.
2026-09-11 · 8 min readItinerariesOlympic Park and the Bird's Nest: A Half-Day Architecture Walk
Walk through Olympic Park to the Bird's Nest, Water Cube and Linglong Tower, separating free outdoor areas from ticketed venue tours and event changes.
2026-09-11 · 10 min readItinerariesA Half-Day at Prince Gong's Mansion: Residence, Garden and the Fu Stele
Walk from the residence axis into the rear garden to understand Prince Gong's Mansion and its Fu symbolism. Check official ticket pages for current rules.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesQianmen and Dashilan: A Half-Day Walk on Beijing's Southern Axis
Walk from Qianmen Tower along Qianmen Street to Dashilan and Yangmeizhu Byway, with practical notes on public streets, historic shops and transport checks.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesA Half-Day at the Summer Palace: East Palace Gate, Long Corridor and Kunming Lake
Follow the Summer Palace's mountain-and-lake axis in half a day, from East Palace Gate through the Long Corridor and Longevity Hill to Kunming Lake.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesA Half-Day at Tanzhe Temple: Mentougou West of Beijing, the Emperor Tree and a Jietai Temple Combo
Tanzhe Temple is a famed west-of-Beijing monastery, with the saying 'first Tanzhe, then Beijing city.' This guide covers access, hall and old-tree highlights, and a same-day route with Jietai Temple.
2026-09-11 · 7 min readItinerariesA First Visit to Tiananmen Square: Reservation, Security and a Half-Day Route
A practical first-visit route for Tiananmen Square, covering reservation, security preparation and nearby walking order. Check official notices for current arrangements.
2026-09-11 · 10 min readItinerariesWalking Wangfujing: The Golden Street, Bookshops and Dongdan
Spend two to three hours on Wangfujing Street, linking the pedestrian zone, bookshops, the church and Dongdan without treating mall hours as permanent facts.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesA Half-Day at White Cloud Temple: A Quanzhen Temple, Qiu Chuji and a Quiet Route
White Cloud Temple is a major Quanzhen Taoist temple in Beijing and the seat of Qiu Chuji. This guide covers the route, hall highlights, the folklore of the 'touch-the-monkey' stone, and notes for the lunar-new-year fair.
2026-09-11 · 7 min readItinerariesVisiting Yonghe Temple: A Courtyard-by-Courtyard Route, Tickets and Etiquette
Visit Yonghe Temple as an active religious space: check official ticket information and move quietly through its courtyards and halls.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesA Half-Day at Zhihua Temple: Ming Woodwork, the Revolving Sutra Cabinet and Beijing Buddhist Music
Zhihua Temple is a rare surviving Ming-era eunuch-family chapel in Beijing, known for its nanmu coffered ceilings, revolving sutra cabinet and 'Beijing Buddhist music.' This guide covers highlights and a quiet route.
2026-09-11 · 7 min readItinerariesZhoukoudian Peking Man Site: A Fangshan Outing, the Museum and the Cave
Zhoukoudian is a world-famous paleoanthropological site with a museum and several excavation spots. This guide covers the far-suburb access, museum highlights, the 'Locality 1' cave, and a half-day route.
2026-09-11 · 7 min readItinerariesJingshan Park Viewpoint Guide: Wanchun Pavilion and a Half-Day Link with the Forbidden City
Climb from Jingshan Park's south side to Wanchun Pavilion for a central-axis view, then choose a route toward Shouhuang Hall or the Forbidden City.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesMing Tombs: A History-Focused Route through the Sacred Way, Changling and Dingling
Understand the Ming Tombs in half a day or a full day through the Sacred Way, Changling, Dingling and currently open tombs, always checking official notices.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesA Walking Guide to Shichahai: Qianhai, Houhai and Beijing Hutongs
Plan a half-day or full-day walk around Shichahai, linking Yinding Bridge, Yandai Byway, Houhai and Xihai with practical official-check reminders.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesSimatai Great Wall: Reservations and Hiking on the Gubeikou Ridge
Understand Simatai Great Wall from the Gubei Water Town side, with decision points for daytime hiking or a night visit and official checks for open sections.
2026-09-11 · 9 min readItinerariesA Half-Day at the Temple of Heaven: From the Hall of Prayer to the Circular Mound
Plan a half-day at the Temple of Heaven around the Hall of Prayer, Echo Wall and Circular Mound, with a walkable order and official opening guidance.
2026-09-11 · 9 min read