What to See
6 highlights📍 Tap the pin for directions
The Forbidden City (Palace Museum)
The imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties — a 72-hectare complex of 980 buildings, 9,000 rooms, and nearly 600 years of Chinese history. UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most-visited places on earth. Book tickets online in advance — the daily visitor cap is 80,000 and popular dates sell out. Tickets must be purchased at least 24 hours before through the official Palace Museum website (pm.cn.cn) using your passport number. No same-day walk-up tickets available. Allow 3–4 hours minimum. Enter from Tiananmen Gate (south) and exit through the north gate (Shenwu Gate) toward Jingshan Park, which has the best elevated view back over the palace complex.
Jinshanling Great Wall — Quiet, Beautiful, and Authentic
The Great Wall has many sections — Badaling (most famous) and Mutianyu (second most famous) are the most accessible but can be overwhelmingly crowded, especially on weekends. Jinshanling is the section to go to: a 2.5-hour drive northeast of Beijing, it's significantly less visited, better preserved, and more photogenic — with original unrestored watchtowers, dramatic ridgeline hiking, and views that feel genuinely remote.
Getting there from Beijing:
• Option 1 (easiest): Hire a car or driver — approximately 2.5–3 hours each way. Cost: 500–800 CNY ($69–$111 USD) each way for a private car. Many hotels can arrange this; alternatively use a trusted driver service or arrange through your accommodation. Worth the cost for the flexibility and convenience.
• Option 2 (budget): Bus 980 + taxi — take Bus 980 from Dongzhimen Bus Station (near Dongzhimen subway station) to Miyun Bus Terminal (about 1.5 hours, 15 CNY ($2.08 USD)), then take a local taxi or minibus from Miyun to Jinshanling (another 45–60 minutes, negotiate price ~100–150 CNY ($13.89–$20.83 USD) each way). Total time each way: 2.5–3.5 hours. Complicated but cheap.
The experience: Go on a weekday morning — you'll have the Wall nearly to yourself. The early morning light on the watchtowers is spectacular. The section can be hiked in either direction; most visitors walk 2–4 km along the ridge before turning back. Entrance fee: ~65 CNY ($9.03 USD). Bring water and snacks.
Wangfujing Street & the Night Market
Wangfujing is Beijing's main pedestrian shopping and commercial street — wide, busy, lined with modern malls and traditional stores. The real draw for visitors is the side-street market area (Donghuamen Night Market / Wangfujing Snack Street) where street vendors sell the adventurous food Beijing is famous for: scorpions (still alive on skewers), silkworm larvae, seahorses, starfish, centipedes, snake, and more conventional Beijing street food like jianbing (savory crepes) and lamb skewers. The vendors are accustomed to curious tourists and the theatrics of offering you increasingly challenging items — it's entertaining whether or not you eat anything unusual. Note: The food market situation in Wangfujing has evolved over the years — check current status, as it has periodically been relocated or reorganized.
Houhai / Shichahai — Lakeside Bars and Beijing Nights
The Shichahai area (also called Houhai — Front Sea, Back Sea, and West Sea) is Beijing's most atmospheric nightlife district — a network of three ancient man-made lakes ringed by bars, restaurants, and teahouses, with willow trees trailing into the water and boats available for hire. In warm evenings the bars spill out toward the lakeside with live music, cold beer, and a genuinely festive atmosphere that draws Beijing's young crowd and visitors equally. Less pretentious than Sanlitun bar district; more local in character. Take a pedicab (negotiate the price first) or walk from the Drum Tower (Gulou) area. Rickshaw rides along the lake are atmospheric and make for a good evening.
Temple of Heaven (Tiantan Park)
A complex of religious buildings where Ming and Qing emperors performed annual ceremonies to Heaven. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests — a triple-gabled circular structure on a white marble terrace — is one of the most recognizable images of China. The park surrounding it is where Beijing residents come every morning for tai chi, calligraphy in water, ballroom dancing, and traditional music — a wonderful, authentic glimpse of Beijing daily life that has nothing to do with tourism.
Summer Palace (Yiheyuan)
The vast imperial garden and pleasure ground northwest of Beijing, built around Kunming Lake. When Beijing's heat makes the city oppressive in summer, the lake breezes, covered walkways, and pavilions of the Summer Palace are both beautiful and genuinely cooling. The Long Corridor (728 meters of painted corridor along the lake) is extraordinary. Allow 3–4 hours.