Beijing 北京Běijīng

About Beijing

For most of the past seven centuries Beijing was a seat of emperors, and the palaces, altars and gardens they built still anchor the city's layout. Between the grand avenues run the hutongs, narrow lanes of grey-brick courtyard homes where neighbours play chess on the pavement and breakfast comes from a hatch in the wall. Restored and crumbling stretches of the Great Wall snake over the mountains to the north, close enough for a day trip.

Beijing at a glance

Area

16,411 km²

Population

21.9 million 2020

Highest point

Mount Dongling 东灵山2,303 m

Borders

Hebei, Tianjin

Area, population and highest point from Wikidata; the population is the latest census or official estimate there.

What to eat in Beijing

• Peking roast duck (北京烤鸭)
• Zhajiang noodles (炸酱面)
• Copper-pot mutton hot pot (涮羊肉)

Places to visit in Beijing

• 

  Great Wall at Mutianyu 慕田峪长城

  Restored Ming watchtowers riding a wooded ridge, with a toboggan run back down

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–early Nov · Time needed: Most of a day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Forbidden City 故宫

  Six centuries of imperial power behind vermilion walls in the heart of Beijing

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: Half to a full day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Badaling Great Wall 八达岭长城

  Ming ramparts climbing both ways from a fortified pass, a short fast train from Beijing

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: Half a day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Simatai Great Wall and Gubei Water Town 司马台长城·古北水镇

  Steep Ming watchtowers on a ridge above a resort water town, with a lit night walk

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: Most of a day · 4A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Ming Tombs 明十三陵

  Stone guardians on the Sacred Way and an emperor's underground palace to walk through

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: Half a day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Cuandixia Village 爨底下村

  Ming and Qing courtyard houses stacked in tiers up a hillside in the western mountains

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: Most of a day · National heritage site

• 

  Fragrant Hills Park 香山公园

  Wooded former imperial hills that turn red with smoke-tree leaves each autumn

  Best time: Mid-Oct–early Nov (red leaves), Apr–May · Time needed: Half a day · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Longqing Gorge 龙庆峡

  Boat rides between sheer cliffs in summer, a festival of lit ice sculptures in winter

  Best time: May–Oct; Jan–Feb for the ice festival · Time needed: Most of a day · 4A scenic area

• 

  Summer Palace 颐和园

  An imperial lakeside garden of painted corridors, temple-topped hills and a marble boat

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: Half a day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Tanzhe Temple 潭柘寺

  Terraced temple courtyards in the western hills, shaded by ancient ginkgos and cypresses

  Best time: Late Oct–early Nov (ginkgos), Apr–May · Time needed: Half a day · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Universal Beijing Resort 北京环球度假区

  Harry Potter, Minions, Jurassic World and an all-indoor Kung Fu Panda land in Tongzhou

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 1 day

• 

  Zhoukoudian Peking Man Site 周口店北京人遗址

  Limestone caves on Dragon Bone Hill where the fossils of Peking Man were found

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: Half a day · 4A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Bird's Nest and Olympic Green 奥林匹克公园

  The Bird's Nest and Water Cube, venues of the 2008 and 2022 Olympics, lit up after dark

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct; come at dusk for the lights · Time needed: 2–3 hours · 5A scenic area

• 

  Marco Polo Bridge 卢沟桥

  An 800-year-old stone bridge lined with hundreds of carved lions, by a walled Ming fort

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 2–3 hours · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Old Summer Palace 圆明园

  Broken marble arches of Qing European-style palaces beside lakes of summer lotus

  Best time: Apr–May, Jul–Aug (lotus), Sep–Oct · Time needed: Half a day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Tiananmen Square 天安门广场

  A vast ceremonial square below Tian'anmen gate, where the national flag is raised at dawn

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 1–2 hours · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  798 Art Zone 798艺术区

  Contemporary art galleries and cafés in the sawtooth-roofed halls of a 1950s factory

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct; avoid Mondays · Time needed: Half a day

• 

  Lama Temple 雍和宫

  Incense-filled courtyards and an 18-metre sandalwood Buddha in a working monastery

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct; very crowded around Chinese New Year · Time needed: 1–2 hours · National heritage site

• 

  Temple of Heaven 天坛

  Where emperors prayed for harvests, and where Beijing now dances, sings and plays cards

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 2–3 hours · 5A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Beihai Park 北海公园

  A former imperial lake garden crowned by a white Tibetan-style stupa on its island

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 2–3 hours · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  National Museum of China 中国国家博物馆

  Ancient bronzes, jades and porcelain in a vast museum beside Tian'anmen Square

  Best time: Year-round · Time needed: Half a day · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Shichahai 什刹海

  Three linked lakes ringed by hutongs and lakeside bars, with open-air skating in winter

  Best time: Apr–Oct, or mid-winter for skating · Time needed: Half a day · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Drum and Bell Towers 钟鼓楼

  Beijing's old timekeeping towers, with drum performances and views over the hutong roofs

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 1–2 hours · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Prince Gong's Mansion 恭王府

  A Qing courtyard mansion and rock garden, home first to a corrupt minister, then a prince

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 2–3 hours · 5A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Qianmen Street and Dashilar 前门大街·大栅栏

  A pedestrian avenue below Qianmen gate and a lane of shops trading since Qing times

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 2–3 hours · National heritage site

• 

  Temple of Confucius and Imperial Academy 孔庙和国子监

  Courtyards of stone steles naming imperial exam graduates, beside the old Imperial Academy

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 1–2 hours · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

Listed sites in Beijing

129 sites in Beijing are on the official lists, 1 of them rated 5A and 84 protected as national heritage. They are listed by city, with what each is and how to get there.

Getting to Beijing

Train, flight and driving times from the cities most visitors come from, with stations, fares and how many run a day; each opens the full comparison.

• Tianjin 天津 high-speed train 25 min, 185 a day, from ¥45
• Chengde 承德 high-speed train 49 min, 52 a day, from ¥106
• Datong 大同 high-speed train 1 h 45 min, 48 a day, from ¥157
• Dalian 大连 high-speed train 3 h 36 min, 10 a day, from ¥472; 14 nonstop flights a day, 1 h 15 min in the air
• Pingyao 平遥 high-speed train 3 h 35 min, 6 a day, from ¥251
• Qingdao 青岛 high-speed train 3 h 7 min, 18 a day, from ¥362; 5 nonstop flights a day, 1 h 25 min in the air
• Luoyang 洛阳 high-speed train 2 h 59 min, 23 a day, from ¥419
• Nanjing 南京 high-speed train 3 h 14 min, 74 a day, from ¥532; 8 nonstop flights a day, 1 h 55 min in the air
• Xi'an 西安 high-speed train 4 h 10 min, 38 a day, from ¥587; 32 nonstop flights a day, 2 h 15 min in the air
• Harbin 哈尔滨 high-speed train 4 h 33 min, 31 a day, from ¥605; 19 nonstop flights a day, 2 h 5 min in the air
• Shanghai 上海 high-speed train 4 h 18 min, 50 a day, from ¥661; 65 nonstop flights a day, 2 h 15 min in the air
• Hangzhou 杭州 high-speed train 4 h 17 min, 28 a day, from ¥578; 36 nonstop flights a day, 2 h 15 min in the air
• Chengdu 成都 high-speed train 7 h 28 min, 12 a day, from ¥872; 53 nonstop flights a day, 3 h in the air
• Guangzhou 广州 high-speed train 7 h 17 min, 12 a day, from ¥1033; 44 nonstop flights a day, 3 h 25 min in the air
• Hong Kong 香港 high-speed train 8 h 12 min, 1 a day, from ¥1248; 18 nonstop flights a day, 3 h 45 min in the air

Where you can get to from Beijing in a day · All routes

Trips with Beijing

• China in 10 days on a first visit: Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai and Suzhou 10 days · Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Suzhou
• Two weeks in China: Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin and Shanghai 14 days · Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Leshan, Guilin and Shanghai
• North China’s heritage line: Beijing, Datong, Pingyao and Xi’an 9 days · Beijing, Datong, Pingyao and Xi'an

Before you go

• Visas and visa-free entry Can I visit China without a visa?
• Paying for things How do I pay for things in China without a Chinese bank account?
• Internet and apps Will Google and my other apps work in China?
• Trains and 12306 How do I book train tickets in China with a foreign passport?
• Book popular sights early Which sights in China need booking in advance, and how?
• When to go When is the best time to visit China?

On the map

Open Beijing on the illustrated map to see where its places sit, how far apart they are, and to add them to a trip.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Official website
• Wikipedia (Chinese)