Beijing

A thousand-year imperial capital where the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, hutongs and roast duck coexist. With deep history and modern urban energy, it is the top choice for traveling in China.

Beijing lies at the northern end of the North China Plain. It is the capital of the People's Republic of China and a municipality directly under the central government, covering about 16,400 sq km. The central city is organized around the Forbidden City, spreading outward in concentric rings from the 2nd to the 6th Ring Road, while World Heritage sites such as the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs lie in the northern mountains. The climate is a typical temperate monsoon: spring (Apr–May) brings blossoms and wind, with occasional dust; summer (Jun–Aug) is hot and rainy; autumn (Sep–Oct) is crisp and clear and widely considered the best time to travel, with Fragrant Hills red leaves from late October to early November; winter is dry and cold, with the Forbidden City and Great Wall under snow. The core sightseeing areas fall into four groups: first, the Central Axis (Tiananmen Square–Forbidden City–Jingshan–Bell and Drum Towers); second, the imperial gardens (Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan, Temple of Heaven); third, the hutongs and old-city life (Nanluoguxiang, Shichahai, Wudaoying); and fourth, the Great Wall suburbs (Mutianyu, Badaling) and the newer districts to the east (798 Art Zone, Universal Beijing Resort). Getting there is easy: Capital Airport (T2/T3) and Daxing Airport connect to the city via the Airport Express and the Daxing Airport Express respectively; for high-speed rail, Beijing South (Beijing–Shanghai line), Beijing West, Beijing North (Beijing–Zhangjiakou line) and Chaoyang stations each have their own roles. The dense subway network reaches the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace directly, and the Great Wall can be reached by the Huairou–Miyun line/S2 suburban rail, bus 877 or scenic-area shuttles. Plan at least 4–5 days: Day 1 the Central Axis, Day 2 the Great Wall, Day 3 the Summer Palace and Yuanmingyuan, Day 4 hutongs and museums, Day 5 flexible. Notes: popular venues such as the Forbidden City, the National Museum and the Military Museum all require real-name reservations; Forbidden City tickets are released at 20:00 seven days ahead and it is closed on Mondays, and during the National Day Golden Week you need to grab tickets early; Tiananmen Square also requires a reservation 1–9 days ahead via the "Tiananmen Square Reservation" mini-program. Beijing is dry and has big day-night temperature swings in spring and autumn, so bring lip balm and a jacket.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries