Things to do in Beijing: top sights and where to go
Beijing lines up along one axis: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City behind it and the hill of Jingshan Park above, with a view over the palace roofs — half a day on foot. Keep the Temple of Heaven, the Lama Temple and the hutongs around Houhai Lake for the rest of the first day or the second, and give the Great Wall at Mutianyu or Badaling a day of its own: it is about an hour and a half each way.
Sights
National Centre for the Performing Arts (The Egg)
Beijing, China
45 min¥40 building visit, half price ¥20eveningwater
Confucius Temple and Imperial Academy
Beijing, China
1 h 15 min¥30, one ticket with the Guozijianchurcheshistorymuseums
Olympic Park and Bird's Nest
Beijing, China
1 h 30 min≈ Park free; Bird's Nest ≈ ¥50–100parkswalksviews
Great Wall at Juyongguan
Beijing, China
2 h 30 min¥35 entry; ¥40 April–Octoberhistoryancient ruinsviews
Gubei Water Town and Simatai Great Wall
Beijing, China
4 h¥140 entry; ¥170 with Simatai wallwaterhistoryancient ruins
Beijing itineraries
Beijing travel guide
Before you go: the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall, hutongs and the Summer Palace, airports, booking and weather.
Beijing on your own: the essentials
- How many days
- 4–5 days: city, the Wall, Summer Palace
- When to go
- April–May and September–October
- Visa
- Depends on your passport — many get 30 days visa-free
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Paying
- Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card
- Booking
- Forbidden City and museums in advance, by passport
- Airports
- Capital (PEK) ≈ 25 km, Daxing (PKX) ≈ 45 km
- Great Wall
- Mutianyu and Badaling ≈ 1.5 h from the centre
- Internet
- Google, WhatsApp, YouTube blocked — roaming eSIM
- Security
- Passport checks at Tiananmen and the palace
- Time zone
- UTC+8 all year
officiali
Confirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Key facts
Sourcei
UNESCO World Heritage List, Nos. 439 and 438Sourcei
Wikipedia, “Forbidden City”Sourcei
UNESCO World Heritage List, 2024Sourcei
UNESCO World Heritage List, No. 880Things to do in Beijing
The top things to do in Beijing are the Forbidden City by Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the Lama Temple, the hutongs around Houhai Lake and Jingshan Park with its view over the palace roofs. Outside the city are the Great Wall at Mutianyu and Badaling and the Ming Tombs. Every place with its YesGo score is in the list above.
| Centre | Forbidden City, Jingshan | ½ day |
|---|---|---|
| Tiananmen | Square, National Museum | 2–3 h |
| South | Temple of Heaven | 2 h |
| Hutongs | Houhai, Nanluoguxiang | ½ day |
| North centre | Lama Temple, Confucius Temple | 2 h |
| Northwest | Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan | 1 day |
| The Wall | Mutianyu, Badaling | 1 day |
| Outskirts | Ming Tombs, Gubei | ½–1 day |
Rather not plan it yourself? The list above has ready itineraries for 1–3 days, with places in a sensible order.
Great Wall from Beijing: which section
The Great Wall from Beijing is a day trip. Badaling is closest and reachable by train but the busiest; Mutianyu has a cable car and toboggan and is prettier and calmer; Juyongguan is a fortress in a gorge; Simatai by Gubei Water Town is lit at night. All sections need tickets booked in advance with your passport.
| Mutianyu | Cable car, toboggan, fewer crowds | ≈ 1.5 h |
|---|---|---|
| Badaling | Train from the city, family-friendly | ≈ 1–1.5 h |
| Juyongguan | Gorge fortress, the closest | ≈ 1 h |
| Simatai | The Wall at night by Gubei | ≈ 2 h |
Badaling queues at weekends and holidays — go on a weekday morning.
Beijing airport to the city
Beijing has two airports: Capital (PEK), ≈ 25 km northeast, and Daxing (PKX), ≈ 45 km south. Both have airport express trains to the metro — Capital to Dongzhimen, Daxing to Caoqiao — then continue by metro. Book taxis with DiDi.
| Airport Express + metro | Capital — centre | ≈ 45 min – 1 h |
|---|---|---|
| Airport Express + metro | Daxing — centre | ≈ 1 h |
| DiDi taxi | Capital — centre | ≈ 40 min – 1 h |
| Transfer | To your hotel | ≈ 45 min – 1 h 15 min |
The Capital Airport Express costs 25 yuan and the metro is a separate fare.
Where to stay in Beijing
Where to stay in Beijing: around Wangfujing and Dongcheng to walk to the Forbidden City with metro lines in every direction; in the hutongs by Houhai for courtyard hotels and old-city atmosphere; or in Chaoyang near Sanlitun for bars and the business district.
| Wangfujing | First visit, palace on foot | Busy, pricey |
|---|---|---|
| Hutongs, Houhai | Courtyards, old Beijing | Small rooms |
| Qianmen | Near the square and temple | Touristy |
| Chaoyang, Sanlitun | Cafés, nightlife, business | ≈ 30 min to the palace |
Beijing weather by month
The best time to visit Beijing is April–May and September–October: ≈ 19–27 °C by day, dry and clear. Summer is hot and rainy at ≈ 31 °C; winter is dry and freezing — about 0–3 °C by day and down to –8 °C at night — but the Wall is quiet. Spring can bring dust storms.
°CiLong-term averages, °C: day and night air, sea water near the shore, rain — rainy days a month. Any given year can be warmer or cooler. Tap a month for details below. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day | 2° | 6° | 13° | 21° | 27° | 31° | 31° | 30° | 26° | 19° | 10° | 3° |
| Night | -8° | -5° | 1° | 8° | 14° | 19° | 22° | 21° | 16° | 8° | 0° | -6° |
| Rain | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Warm — 20 °C and above by dayBest time to go: April–May and September–October
- day ≈ 2°
- night ≈ -8°
- rain 2 days
Down to –8° at night, dry and clear.
- day ≈ 6°
- night ≈ -5°
- rain 2 days
Cold; Spring Festival.
- day ≈ 13°
- night ≈ 1°
- rain 3 days
About 13°, windy.
- day ≈ 21°
- night ≈ 8°
- rain 4 days
About 21°, parks in bloom.
- day ≈ 27°
- night ≈ 14°
- rain 6 days
About 27° — a great time.
- day ≈ 31°
- night ≈ 19°
- rain 9 days
Hot, ≈ 31°.
- day ≈ 31°
- night ≈ 22°
- rain 13 days
Heat and downpours.
- day ≈ 30°
- night ≈ 21°
- rain 11 days
About 30°, rain.
- day ≈ 26°
- night ≈ 16°
- rain 6 days
About 26° — the best month.
- day ≈ 19°
- night ≈ 8°
- rain 4 days
About 19°, golden autumn.
- day ≈ 10°
- night ≈ 0°
- rain 2 days
About 10°, getting cold.
- day ≈ 3°
- night ≈ -6°
- rain 1 days
About 3°, frosty nights.
The first week of October and early May are national holidays — the Wall and the palace are packed.
What to eat in Beijing
Beijing’s signature dish is Peking duck with thin pancakes and sauce. Also try zhajiangmian noodles, jiaozi dumplings and street snacks in the hutongs and around Wangfujing.
- Peking duck — crisp skin, pancakes, cucumber and sweet bean sauce.
- Zhajiangmian — noodles with fermented soybean and pork sauce.
- Jiaozi — dumplings with all kinds of fillings.
- Tanghulu — candied fruit on a stick, everywhere in winter.
Beijing ticket prices
The hutongs, Houhai, Wangfujing and the National Museum (booking required) are free. Parks and temples cost 2–60 yuan; the Great Wall with a cable car and the Summer Palace with all halls cost more. Almost everything is booked online with your passport.
| Forbidden City | 61 | 3 h 30 min | ¥40 Nov–Mar, ¥60 Apr–Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple of Heaven | 52 | 2 h | ¥10–15, ¥28–34 with halls |
| Great Hall of the People | 51 | 1 h | ¥30, students ¥15; WeChat booking |
| Tiananmen Gate | 49 | 45 min | ¥15, concession ¥5, booking only |
| National Centre for the Performing Arts (The Egg) | 43 | 45 min | ¥40 building visit, half price ¥20 |
| Jingshan Park | 37 | 45 min | ¥2, ¥10 during exhibitions |
| Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple) | 36 | 1 h | ≈ ¥25, booked in WeChat |
| Drum and Bell Towers | 34 | 1 h | ¥30 for both towers |
| Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) | 34 | 2 h 30 min | ¥10, ¥25 with the ruins |
| Beihai Park | 33 | 2 h | ¥5–10, ¥15–20 with the island |
| Confucius Temple and Imperial Academy | 33 | 1 h 15 min | ¥30, one ticket with the Guozijian |
| Summer Palace | 33 | 3 h 30 min | ¥20–30, ¥50–60 through ticket |
| Prince Gong's Mansion | 33 | 1 h 30 min | ¥40, book ahead with passport |
| Olympic Park and Bird's Nest | 30 | 1 h 30 min | Park free; Bird's Nest ≈ ¥50–100 |
| Central Radio & TV Tower | 29 | 1 h | CNY 90 |
| Great Wall at Badaling | 27 | 3 h | ¥40 entry; ¥35 November–March |
| Beijing Zoo | 26 | 3 h | ¥10–15, ¥14–19 with pandas |
| Ming Tombs | 23 | 2 h 30 min | ¥20–40 per site, ¥30–60 in summer |
| Great Wall at Juyongguan | 20 | 2 h 30 min | ¥35 entry; ¥40 April–October |
| Great Wall at Mutianyu | 19 | 4 h | ¥40–45 entry; cable car ¥100–140 |
| Gubei Water Town and Simatai Great Wall | 16 | 4 h | ¥140 entry; ¥170 with Simatai wall |
| Longqing Gorge | 16 | 4 h | ¥40, boat ¥100 |
Free — 8 places: Tiananmen Square, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, National Museum of China, Wangfujing Street, Beijing hutongs, Nanluoguxiang, Houhai Lake and Shichahai, 798 Art Zone.
Tips
- Book the Forbidden City up to 7 days ahead — same-day tickets often sell out, and it is closed on Mondays.
- Entry to the square and the palace goes through passport security: allow 30–40 minutes.
- Climb Jingshan Park’s hill at sunset for the view over the Forbidden City roofs.
- Wear good shoes and carry water on the Wall: Mutianyu and Juyongguan have steep steps.
FAQ
Is Beijing worth visiting?
Yes — the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall make it China’s richest city for history.
Do I need a visa for Beijing?
It depends on your passport: many nationalities can visit China visa-free for up to 30 days, and others can use 240-hour transit rules. Check the official rules for your passport.
How many days do you need in Beijing?
Four to five: two for the centre, one for the Great Wall, one for the Summer Palace, plus the Ming Tombs or Simatai if you can.
How do I get to the Great Wall from Beijing?
Badaling by train from Qinghe or Beijing North in about an hour; Mutianyu by car, transfer or tourist bus in about 1.5 hours.
Which section of the Great Wall is best?
Mutianyu for scenery and fewer crowds, Badaling for easy access, Simatai for an evening visit.
How do I buy Forbidden City tickets?
Online only, with your passport, on the official site or WeChat mini-program, a few days ahead; it is closed on Mondays.
What is the weather like in Beijing in October?
About 19 °C by day and 8 °C at night, clear and dry — a top month, apart from the holiday first week.
What is Beijing like in winter?
Dry and freezing: about 0–3 °C by day and down to –8 °C at night, with rare snow and thin crowds.
How do I get from Beijing airport to the city?
From Capital, the Airport Express to Dongzhimen then the metro; from Daxing, the Airport Express to Caoqiao — about an hour either way.
What is the best time to visit Beijing?
April–May and September–October, avoiding the national holiday weeks.
Sources and fact-check
- UNESCO World Heritage List, Nos. 438, 439, 880 and the Beijing Central Axis (2024)
- Wikipedia, “Beijing”; “Forbidden City”; “Great Wall of China”; Beijing climate (1991–2020 normals)
- Beijing Municipal Government — english.beijing.gov.cn (metro and airport express)
- Palace Museum — official website (ticket booking)