The Best Things To Do In Beijing

What better way to start your trip to China than with a visit to the middle kingdom’s capital city, Beijing. Here you can get a feel for the rapid modernization of one of China’s big cities, while still experiencing the old ways and traditions, which are so deeply rooted within the people that live here.

Beijing is huge and is not an easy place to get around so I highly recommend a good bit of planning before you arrive! Many of the main tourist attractions are spread out, and even when using the city’s metro network there’s still a good deal of walking involved.

I would suggest basing yourself somewhere around Qianmen Street, this way you’ll be close to some of the major attractions, and within walking distance of good metro links.

Best Things To Do In Beijing

The Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace are places to include in every itinerary. We also recommend making some time to explore some of the city’s old hutongs and parks; Jingshan Park in particular offers up the full scale of the Forbidden City with its sprawling views at the top.

As you get lost in Beijing’s maze-like hutongs you’ll experience the old way of life, and discover a real sense of community around the courtyards and back-alleys. Explore the parks on the other hand and you’ll see how passionate the Chinese are about their pursuit of outdoor activities, with demonstrations of Tai Chi, martial arts, singing and dancing.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was once home to Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties of China, as well as their servants, concubines and imperial council members, and it was always off limits to regular citizens, hence the name Forbidden City. The complex dates back to the early 1400’s and is the largest and best preserved imperial complex in the world. It occupies an area of 720,000 sq m and consists of 980 buildings, 90 palaces and over 8700 rooms, although 20 percent is still off limits to visitors.

The Forbidden City is huge, in fact it dwarfs the Vatican in size when compared, and you could easily spend a whole day there. If you only have half a day for your itinerary I would recommend visiting in the afternoon, this way you’ll get to grab some crowd-free pictures on the way out just before closing time. I would also recommend combining a trip here with a visit to Tian’anmen Square due to their close proximity.

How To Get To Forbidden City

To get to the entrance of Forbidden City the closest metro station is Tian’anmen East on line 1. Remember your passports as you will need them to get through security before you enter Forbidden City and if you book your tickets online your passport acts as your ticket.

Entrance Fee

A ticket is 60 yuan per person. We highly recommend booking your tickets online in advance. Tickets can quickly sell out during busy times and weekends, as this is such a popular Beijing attraction. We used Klook.com who don’t charge a booking fee and you can choose to enter in the morning or afternoon. We entered our passport details online and then showed our passports at the entrance. We had the confirmation email and QR code ready on our phones too, but on our visit they weren’t required.

Opening Times

• April – October – 8:30 am – 5:00 pm – last admission is 4:00 pm
• November – March – 8:30 am – 4:30 pm – last admission is 3:30 pm
• CLOSED on Mondays

The Temple Of Heaven

I would recommend a few spare hours of your itinerary and an early morning trip to the Temple Of Heaven, this way you’ll have time to fully appreciate the temple and explore the huge surrounding park-land.

The entrance to the park opens at 6:00 am so I would advise getting here around 7:30 am and heading straight to the main attraction, The Hall Of Prayer For Good Harvests, which opens at 8:00 am sharp. Once you have spent an hour or so here I recommend walking back through the park where you can visit some of the other buildings and watch the locals exercising and practicing their various, traditional art-forms.

How To Get To The Temple Of Heaven

There are 4 entrances to the park where the Temple of Heaven is located, but the only one near to a metro station is the east gate. To get to the east gate take the metro to Tiantandongmen Station on line 5 and the entrance is just a short walk away.

Entrance Fee

• Park Only – 15 yuan April to October and 10 yuan November to March
• Combo Ticket (including park entrance and entrance to The Hall Of Prayer For Good Harvests, Circular Mound Alter and Echo Wall) – 34 yuan April to October and 28 yuan November to March
• Divine Music Administration – 10 yuan

We highly recommend the combo ticket because if you only buy the park ticket you will need to pay 20 yuan each to enter the 3 attractions listed above.

The combo ticket stops being sold 1.5 hours before closing.

Opening Times

• Park Gates – 6:00 am – 10:00 pm April to October and 6:30 am till 10:00 pm November to March
• Main Attractions inside the park – 8:00 am – 5:30 pm April to October and 8:00 am till 5:00 pm November to March

Tian’anmen Square

Tian’anmen Square has been plagued by a turbulent history of protests and violence but it’s also a place of great importance among the Chinese people, and is now a popular tourist attraction. It’s within this square that Mao Zedong founded the People’s Republic Of China in 1949, and thus making it the symbolic center of modern-day China.

Take just a short stroll through the area and you’ll really feel how passionate the Chinese are about their country; with many family and friends camping out in the square, waving flags, and taking pictures as they wait for the flag raising and lowering ceremonies.

We highly recommend watching the raising of the flag ceremony which takes place at sunrise daily, and make sure to visit the famed picture of Chairman Mao which adorns the wall just outside the mausoleum.

This is a great place to grab some memorable photos and we found that many Chinese people were happy to see us visiting, many of which also asked us to have pictures with them.

Security is incredibly tight around Tian’anmen Square so bring your passport and remember you’ll need to have your bags checked and be searched in person.

Explore The Old Hutongs

Years ago there were hundreds of lanes and courtyards surrounding Forbidden City stretching out in all directions. The lanes, also known as hutongs, are narrow, little alleys that criss-cross and interlink with each other. The first hutongs were built in the 13th Century and gradually by 1949 the number of hutongs had increased to over 3000. Unfortunately since then the hutongs have dramatically decreased in number and only around 1000 remain.

Of the hutong areas still remaining in Beijing, many have been given a face-lift and are now more touristy as a result, comprising of shops, restaurants and souvenir stalls whilst a few others still remain intact, full of the old charms of Beijing and the everyday life of the people who inhabit them.

Visit these hutongs now as it’s likely they will all be gone in years to come, as the rapid modernisation of Beijing is leading to the hutongs being bulldozed or transformed into tourist attractions. Due to a higher standard of living now expected in China it’s also unlikely the younger generation of Chinese will want to live in these hutongs either.

There are a few main hutong areas you can visit in Beijing and although it’s enjoyable to see the touristy ones, we much preferred exploring the traditional lanes. Nanluoguxiang and Yandaixie in the Shichahai area are two popular, touristy hutong areas worth visiting with the narrow lanes full of shops and restaurants.

Another popular area is Dashilan, near Qianmen Ancient Street. Although this area is touristy, if you venture off into the Bada Hutongs you’ll find traditional hutongs with locals going about their daily lives. These alleys are all connected to each other so there are no dead-ends. We recommend getting ‘lost’ down these alleys to feel like you have completely stepped back in time.

The Summer Palace

The Summer Palace dates back to the 1700’s and is the biggest and best preserved royal park in China. In the summer months the imperial family preferred to spend their time enjoying the landscaped gardens of Summer Palace rather than the walled Forbidden City.

Kunming Lake dominates the park and there are a huge number of beautiful, ancient bridges, pavilions, corridors, temples and statues situated all around The Summer Palace. The main highlights are The Long Corridor, Longevity Hill, The Marble Boat, the Garden of Virtue and Harmony and the 17 hole bridge on Kunming Lake.

Due to its size you will need to allow at least half a day to explore the park, but you could easily spend the whole day there as there is so much to see. It’s best enjoyed in the warmer months, but we visited on a cold, but sunny winters day and it was still beautiful.

How To Get To Summer Palace

Summer Palace is situated 15 kilometers from downtown Beijing so depending on where you’re staying you will need to allow around 45 minutes to an hour to get there.

The easiest way to get there is take the metro to Beigongmen station on line 4. Take exit D and walk for a few minutes to reach the North Palace Gate.

Entrance Fee

The entrance fee to the park doesn’t include entry to some of the other attractions so it if you plan on exploring most of the main attractions you will be better of purchasing the combo ticket.

• Park Entrance – 30 yuan April-October/20 yuan November-March
• Dehe Garden – 5 yuan
• Tower of Buddist Incense – 10 yuan
• Wenchang Hall – 20 yuan
• Suzhou Street and Danning Hall – 10 yuan
• Combo Ticket – 60 yuan April-October/50 yuan November-March

Opening Times

• April to October – 6:30 am till 6:00 pm
• November to March – 7:00 am till 5:00 pm

Some of the attractions inside Summer Palace have shorter opening times so ensure you check this upon entry to avoid disappointment.

Jingshan Park

I recommend an early start to your day, and if it’s not too smoggy you can appreciate a nice sunrise over The Forbidden City from the top of Jingshan Park’s viewpoint. Once you’ve got some pictures and enjoyed the views head back down to explore the park further; you’ll see the city’s inhabitants making use of every available space, performing traditional arts, practicing Tai Chi and exercising.

How To Get To Jingshan Park

If you’re visiting after the Forbidden City then exit at the north gate, cross the road and enter Jingshan Park via the south gate.

Otherwise the nearest metro station is Nanluoguxiang. Leave via exit A and then walk for about a kilometer to the east entrance. The viewpoint overlooking the city is then just a short walk up some steps.

Entrance Fee

2 yuan per person

Opening Times

• April to October – 6:00 am till 9:00 pm
• November to March – 6:30 am till 8:00 pm

The Yonghe Temple (Lama Temple)

Beijing is a great place to experience some of the religions that are practiced throughout China, the main ones being Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, among others.

I would recommend spending at least an hour here while wondering the many halls and taking in the sights and sounds of this active temple.

The Yonghe temple was once a royal residence to prince Yin Zhen who later became emperor Yongzheng, shortly after his death in 1735 the temple was converted to a lamasery. The Temple’s architecture is Tibetan in style, strikingly colourful, and remains staffed by monks from Tibet and Mongolia.

The temple is a very active place of worship and as you explore the many halls you’ll find worshipers, monks and tourists in equal measure. Possibly the most impressive structure here is the pavilion of the Ten Thousand Joys, which houses an incredible 18 meter high statue of the Maitreya Buddha; a statue carved from a single piece of Tibetan sandalwood.

How To Get To The Yonghe (Lama) Temple

Take the metro to Yonghegong Lama Temple station on line 2 or line 5 and the temple is just a short walk away from exit F.

Entrance Fee

25 yuan per person

Opening Times

• April to October – 9:00 am till 4:30 pm
• November to March – 9:00 am till 4:00 pm

Bell & Drum Towers

The Bell and Drum Towers date back to 1272, but they have been rebuilt twice due to fires. Although originally the bell and the drum were used as musical instruments in China, they were then used to tell the time. The bell would be used in the morning and the drum would be used at dusk to help people keep track of the time when there was no other means of doing so.

The copper bell in the Bell Tower is the heaviest and largest in China. It’s just over 7 metres high and weighs a massive 63 tons. Inside the Drum Tower are historic relics that were used to tell the time and there is an interesting drum performance a few times a day, demonstrating how the drum was used in ancient times.

There is a peaceful square between the two towers where locals often gather to play games, exercise or even cut hair!

How To Get To The Bell & Drum Towers

Take the metro to Shichahai Station on line 8 and exit at A2. If you walk for about 5 minutes you will reach the Drum Tower, with the Bell Tower being positioned just behind the Drum Tower.

Entrance Fee

• Drum Tower – 20 yuan
• Bell Tower – 15 yuan
• Combo Ticket – 30 yuan

Opening Times

Both towers are open from 9:00 am till 5:00 pm.

There are Drum performances in the Drum Tower at: 9:30 am, 10:00 am, 11.30 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:30 pm and 4.45 pm.

The Great Wall

The Badaling section of The Great Wall is the easiest to get to, and therefore the most frequented by visitors and tour groups; as a result it can feel overwhelmingly crowded and busy, so we recommend giving this section a miss.

Jinshanling and Mutianyu are two great alternatives to Badaling. If your time’s short in the city I would recommend hiring a driver for the afternoon and heading to Mutianyu. This section of the wall is fully restored and easily accessible, and for the large part it’s not too difficult or strenuous to explore.

I recommend an afternoon trip here as most tours arrive in the morning, and you’re likely to find yourself alone on certain sections of the wall in the late afternoon, once the tour groups disperse.

We spent the whole day on this section of the wall, and by late afternoon we were pretty much the only people left.

Jinshanling is another great section to explore, if slightly further out of the city. This is a partially restored section of the wall and you can really get the contrast of how the wall looks now, and how it used to look back in the day.

Jinshanling is my recommended go to spot for photography as it’s great for sunrise and sunsets! If you have the time I would suggest basing yourself here for 1 night close to the mid-gate access of the wall, this way you can also benefit from the 24 hour ticket, which allows you to visit again for sunrise the next day at no extra charge.

Try to visit here on a weekday as this is a popular spot among domestic tourists, and as a result it’s busier on the weekends.

Entrance Fee

• Jinshanling Great Wall – 65 yuan
• Mutianyu Great Wall – 45 yuan

Try Peking Duck

The most famous dish in Beijing is definitely the Peking Duck. Its history dates back hundreds of years and it was always one of the main dishes on imperial court menus. This culinary experience is a must for every meat-eater on a trip to Beijing, but it’s worth doing your research before picking a place to dine.

There are a huge number of restaurants you could choose from to try it! If you want to splash out there are plenty of recommended high-end restaurants, where a whole roast bird will cost upwards of 350 yuan.

The best roasted Peking Duck has crispy skin, very little fat and tender, tasty meat that’s been cooked upright in a wood-fired brick oven. It is usually served with small, very thin pancakes, spring onion, scallion, cucumber, pickles and hoisin sauce.

We were staying near Qianman Ancient Street and walked past the same restaurant everyday that served Peking Duck. The staff were constantly attending to the birds in the wood-fired oven and you could watch as the chef carved the bird too. Most importantly the restaurant was always packed with locals, which for us is always a good indicator of a great restaurant.

The menu had English translations and although the Peking Duck was the main attraction, the rest of the menu was also extensive. We ordered the whole duck which was 138 yuan including condiments and it tasted exactly how it should.

If you go to a higher end restaurant it’s also likely the chef will carve the duck at your table and the waitress will also show you how to make your pancake. Although we didn’t get that level of service where we dined, we left feeling completely satisfied with our Peking Duck experience and were gutted we didn’t have time to go back and try it again!

The restaurant we went to is on Langshidian Street which is the road next to Qianman Street.

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