Beijing, China
Things to Do in Beijing: A Plan You Can Actually Follow
Spend three full days, four if you add Universal. Day 1: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Jingshan Park right behind it. Day 2: the Great Wall at Mutianyu (cable car up, toboggan down, about 1.5 hours out). Day 3: the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and a hutong dinner. The one thing you cannot leave to chance is the Forbidden City ticket — it must be booked exactly 7 days ahead with your passport. The wall you can walk up, but take the cable car both ways unless you want the climb.
Spend 3 days in this order
Beijing's sights sit on a north–south axis, so a little ordering saves you a lot of backtracking. Keep the imperial core (Tiananmen–Forbidden City–Jingshan) as one block and the wall as its own day.
Day 1 — the imperial center
- Morning: Tiananmen Square (free, but reserve separately and bring your passport for security). Then enter the Forbidden City from the Meridian Gate.
- Midday: Work the central axis — Hall of Supreme Harmony to the Imperial Garden — and exit north through the Gate of Divine Might. No re-entry from the south.
- Late afternoon: Jingshan Park, across the road, for the overlook of the Forbidden City's rooftops. ¥2, ten minutes up the hill.
Day 2 — the Great Wall
- Full day: Mutianyu. Leave by 7:30, cable car up, walk the restored watchtower section, toboggan down. Back in the city by late afternoon.
- Evening: Houhai lakeside and the hutongs around Nanluoguxiang for dinner — the old alley layout Beijing is famous for.
Day 3 — temples and gardens
- Morning: Temple of Heaven. Arrive near the 6 AM park opening to catch locals doing tai chi before the halls open at 8.
- Afternoon: Summer Palace — Kunming Lake and the 728 m Long Corridor. Take a boat if the weather's good.
- Evening: A hutong dinner or the 798 Art Zone if you'd rather do contemporary art than imperial history twice.
Book this one thing 7 days ahead
Everything in Beijing is easy once you've handled the Forbidden City. That ticket is the trap.
- Forbidden City — ¥60 peak (Apr–Oct), ¥40 off-season (Nov–Mar). Tickets release exactly 7 days ahead at 20:00 and there is no on-site ticket window. Book online with your passport; the reservation is checked at the Meridian Gate. Closed Mondays (except public holidays). Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery are ¥10 each, booked at the same time.
- Mutianyu Great Wall — ¥45 entry; cable car ¥100 one-way or ¥140 round-trip; toboggan down ~¥100. Less crowded than Badaling and better restored. Buses release 30 days ahead but there's usually stock.
- Temple of Heaven — ¥15 park / ¥34 through-ticket (Apr–Oct), ¥10 / ¥28 off-season. The through-ticket covers the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
- Summer Palace — ¥30 / ¥60 through-ticket. The through-ticket adds the Tower of Buddhist Incense and Suzhou Street.
- Tiananmen Square — free, but a separate reservation. Book it on its own mini-program; the Forbidden City ticket does not include the square.
- National Museum — free, reserve 7 days ahead. The hardest slot in the city after the Forbidden City. Skip if you can't get it.
All the big sights use real-name reservation with your passport. The passport you book with is the one scanned at the door — mismatch means no entry.
The anchors, and how long each takes
| Stop | Cost | Time needed | Why it earns a slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forbidden City | ¥60 / ¥40 | 3–4 hours | The world's largest palace complex, 24 emperors, ~980 buildings. The core of any Beijing trip. |
| Mutianyu Great Wall | ¥45 + cable | 3–5 hours | Best-preserved, least-crowded major section, 23 watchtowers, cable car + toboggan. ~1.5h out. |
| Temple of Heaven | ¥15 / ¥34 | 2–3 hours | The blue-tiled Hall of Prayer is Beijing's most iconic roof. Go early for the tai chi. |
| Summer Palace | ¥30 / ¥60 | 3–4 hours | China's best imperial garden; Kunming Lake is three-quarters of the park. Boat in good weather. |
| Tiananmen Square | Free (reserve) | 1–2 hours | The symbolic heart of the city; flag-raising at sunrise if you're up for it. |
| Lama Temple | ¥25 | 1–1.5 hours | The most active Tibetan-Buddhist monastery in the city, easy to add near the core. |
| 798 Art Zone | Free entry | 2–4 hours | Former factory complex, 200+ galleries and cafés. East Asia's key contemporary-art hub. |
| Hutongs (Nanluoguxiang / Houhai) | Free | 2 hours | The old alley Beijing, best on foot at dusk with a dinner stop. |
Badaling is the other famous wall section (¥40 / ¥35) and the easiest to reach — high-speed rail from the city. Choose it only if Mutianyu is full; it's the most crowded stretch in China.
A fourth day, or if you've been before
- Universal Beijing Resort (Tongzhou, metro line 7/8). A full day. Tickets run ¥418–¥748 by date. Seven lands including the world-first Kung Fu Panda land; Harry Potter and Transformers are the headline rides. Go on a weekday.
- Gubei Water Town + Simatai Great Wall at night. A 2-hour drive northeast. Simatai is the only wall section lit at night — a different experience from a daytime Mutianyu.
- Ming Tombs + the Bird's Nest and Water Cube at night. The tombs are a half-day; the Olympic Park lights are a free evening walk.
- Summer Palace boating + the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan). If you liked the imperial gardens, the ruined Old Summer Palace next door is the quieter, more reflective follow-up.
How to get around
- Metro first. Over 25 lines; a single ride is ¥3–¥10. Use the local transit app (supports foreign passport registration) and tap in at the gate. Line 1 runs the east–west core (Tiananmen, Wangfujing); Line 4 reaches the Summer Palace; Line 5 serves the Temple of Heaven.
- To the Great Wall. Mutianyu: metro to Dongzhimen, Bus 916 express to Huairou, then a local bus — or book a shuttle that includes pickup. Badaling: the S2 suburban rail from Huangtudian is the cheap, fast option.
- Didi for late nights and the airport. A short city hop is ¥15–30; the airport runs ¥80–120 to the center. Peak hours (7–9, 17–19) jam — take the metro.
- Two airports. Capital (PEK) is closer; Daxing (PKX) is newer and farther but on a fast rail link. Know which one before you book the hotel side.
First-timer notes that save money and time
- Forbidden City closed Mondays. No exception except public holidays. Book exactly 7 days ahead at 20:00 — peak-season tickets can vanish in minutes.
- Tiananmen Square is a separate reservation. It is not bundled with the Forbidden City. Book both, and arrive 30 minutes early for the security line.
- "Free guide" at the Forbidden City. Unsolicited guides who offer to show you around for free steer you to a shop. Real audio guides rent near the Meridian Gate.
- Hutong rickshaw rides. Fun but negotiate the price before you sit down; some drivers loop back to a teahouse commission stop.
- Great Wall shoes and water. The stone steps are uneven and the access stairs are steep. Buy the cable car with the entry ticket so you're not climbing on foot.
- Mutianyu over Badaling. Half the crowd, full restoration, and the toboggan down is the best part. Worth the extra 30 minutes of travel.
Best time to go
- April–May and September–October are the sweet spots — 10–22°C, clear skies. Spring brings cherry blossom; October brings the red leaves at Fragrant Hills and the crispest air of the year.
- Skip July–August if you can: 30°C-plus, humid, and afternoon thunderstorms. Crowds peak with summer break.
- November–March is cold (sometimes below zero) but cheap and quiet — and a snow-dusted Forbidden City is the photo of a lifetime if you're lucky.
- Avoid the holiday weeks: National Day (Oct 1–7), May Day (May 1–5), and the Spring Festival travel rush. The square and the wall turn into surges.