Top places to visit in Beijing

• Forbidden City (Palace Museum)

  Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 3 h · entry CNY 60

  The vast imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties — 980 buildings behind vermilion walls, the world's largest surviving palace complex and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Book timed entry in advance.

• Tiananmen Square

  Heritage · 4.4 rating · about 1 h

  One of the world's largest public squares, flanked by the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum, with Mao's Mausoleum at its centre. Passport and security screening required to enter.

• Temple of Heaven

  Temple · 4.6 rating · about 2 h · entry CNY 15

  A masterpiece of Ming architecture where emperors prayed for good harvests; the circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests sits in a park full of morning tai chi and music. UNESCO listed.

• National Museum of China

  Museum · 4.4 rating · about 2 h

  On the east side of Tiananmen Square, one of the world's largest museums, tracing Chinese civilisation from prehistory to the present. Free with passport booking.

• Jingshan Park

  Viewpoint · 4.6 rating · about 1 h · entry CNY 2

  A hill-top park built from the earth dug for the palace moat, offering the classic panorama over the golden roofs of the Forbidden City. Best at sunset.

• Beihai Park

  Nature · 4.5 rating · about 1.5 h · entry CNY 10

  A former imperial garden centred on a lake and the White Dagoba, with pavilions, lotus ponds and rowing boats in summer.

• Summer Palace

  Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 3 h · entry CNY 30

  The Qing imperial garden-retreat around Kunming Lake, with Longevity Hill, the Long Corridor and the Marble Boat — a UNESCO-listed masterpiece of Chinese landscape design.

• Great Wall at Badaling

  Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 4 h · entry CNY 40

  The most famous and accessible restored section of the Great Wall, ~70 km northwest of the city, with cable cars and steep watchtower climbs. Extremely busy on weekends and holidays.

• Great Wall at Mutianyu

  Heritage · 4.8 rating · about 4 h · entry CNY 45

  A beautifully restored, less-crowded Great Wall section wrapped in forested hills, with a cable car up and a toboggan ride down — a favourite for families and photographers.

• Lama Temple (Yonghe)

  Monastery · 4.7 rating · about 1.3 h · entry CNY 25

  Beijing's grandest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, home to an 18 m sandalwood Maitreya Buddha carved from a single trunk. Incense fills the courtyards.

• Ming Tombs (Changling)

  Heritage · 4.4 rating · about 2 h · entry CNY 45

  The monumental mausoleums of thirteen Ming emperors set against the northern hills, approached along the statue-lined Sacred Way. UNESCO listed.

• Houhai & Shichahai Lakes

  Nightlife · 4.4 rating · about 1.5 h

  A ring of connected lakes lined with willow trees, hutong lanes, bars and courtyard cafés — sleepy by day, lively by night.

Things to do

• Great Wall at Mutianyu Day Tour Tour · 8 h · from CNY 550 per person
• Hutong Rickshaw & Courtyard Tour Cultural · 2 h · from CNY 180 per person
• Forbidden City & Tiananmen Guided Walk Tour · 4 h · from CNY 350 per person
• Peking Duck Dinner & Kung Fu Show Show · 3.5 h · from CNY 400 per person
• Temple of Heaven Tai Chi Morning Wellness · 2 h · from CNY 150 per person
• Beijing Night Food Tour (Ghost Street) Food · 3 h · from CNY 300 per person

Day trips and tours

• Great Wall & Ming Tombs Full-Day Tour 9 h · from CNY 620
• Imperial Beijing City Day Tour 8 h · from CNY 480

Where to stay in Beijing

• Dongcheng (Wangfujing / Forbidden City) about CNY 900 per night

  Walkable historic core within reach of the Forbidden City, Tiananmen and Wangfujing shopping — best for first-time sightseers.

• Qianmen & Dashilan about CNY 700 per night

  Restored Qing-era pedestrian streets and hutongs south of Tiananmen, packed with snack streets and old shops.

• Sanlitun (Chaoyang) about CNY 1,100 per night

  Beijing's nightlife, dining and embassy district with international hotels and bars.

Hotels

• The Peninsula Beijing 5-star · CNY 3,200 to CNY 6,500 per night
• Novotel Beijing Peace 4-star · CNY 650 to CNY 1,100 per night
• Red Wall Garden Hotel 4-star · CNY 900 to CNY 1,600 per night
• Beijing Downtown Backpackers 2-star · CNY 90 to CNY 320 per night
• Rosewood Beijing 5-star · CNY 2,600 to CNY 5,200 per night

Where to eat

• Quanjude Roast Duck (Qianmen) Chinese, Beijing, Peking Duck · about CNY 180 per person
• Da Dong Roast Duck Chinese, Beijing, Peking Duck · about CNY 300 per person
• Siji Minfu (Forbidden City) Chinese, Beijing, Peking Duck · about CNY 150 per person
• Haidilao Hot Pot (Wangfujing) Chinese, Hotpot, Sichuan · about CNY 150 per person
• Jubaoyuan Hotpot (Niujie) Chinese, Hotpot, Halal · about CNY 130 per person
• Yaoji Chaogan (Gui Jie) Chinese, Beijing, Street Food · about CNY 60 per person
• Mr Shi's Dumplings (Houhai) Chinese, Dumplings · about CNY 70 per person

Getting around

• Bus main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Metro main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Ride Hail main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Taxi main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

Safety and scams to avoid

• Tea House / Tea Ceremony Scam

  Wangfujing, Tiananmen area, tourist streets

  Friendly English-speaking 'students' approach you, suggest a traditional tea ceremony nearby, then present a bill of hundreds or thousands of yuan for a few small cups, with heavies at the door.

  How to avoid it: Politely decline invitations from strangers to visit a specific teahouse or bar. Choose your own venue and check prices before ordering.

• Art Student Gallery Scam

  Wangfujing, museums, Forbidden City exits

  Well-dressed 'art students' invite you to a private exhibition of their work, then use high-pressure sales tactics to sell mass-produced paintings at hugely inflated prices.

  How to avoid it: Decline the invitation. Genuine galleries do not recruit customers off the street.

• Hutong Rickshaw Price Switch

  Houhai, Nanluoguxiang hutongs

  A pedicab quotes a cheap ride (e.g. '3'), then at the end demands 300 yuan, claiming the price was per person or per minute.

  How to avoid it: Agree the full total price in writing or on a calculator before boarding, and take a photo of it. Prefer licensed tour pedicabs.

More in China

• Shanghai
• Guangzhou
• Hangzhou
• Xi'an
• Chengdu
• Suzhou