What to see in Beijing and guide to visiting the Great Wall of China

Choose what to see in Beijing, the capital of China, can be a headache, since this great city is full of places of interest. In this post we are going to share with you 15 tourist attractions in Beijing so you can choose depending on your tastes and number of days you have. From its most traditional side, to its most modern areas and, of course, its gastronomy. As we see it, the excursion to the Wall of China It is a must see And if you like the Chinese FoodYou also can't miss the best peking duck. Next, we share a list with more things to do in Beijing so you can choose your favorites depending on the time you have. Let's go there!

15 essential things to see and do in Beijing, China

We start with the list of Beijing: what to do, how to get to the Chinese Wall from Beijing, restaurants and tips for getting around the city. Below we share a map with each of the places to visit in Beijing so you can trace your routes, although remember that Google Maps works regularly in China, better download the Baidu app. At the end of the post we will leave you our recommendations if you still do not have hotel, travel insurance and eSIM with unlimited data. Now, if you like, let's go with the list of essentials.

1) Excursion to the Great Wall of China, one of the best things to do in Beijing

If I only had one day to visit Beijing, I would head to the Gran Muralla China, One seven Wonders of the World and, therefore, one of the black from China. The Wall served as a military defense to protect China from invasions and attacks on its northern border. Has a total length of approximately 21,196 kilometers and there are several sections that can be visited, each with its characteristics and levels of conservation. We share the most popular ones with you and then we will tell you about our experience visiting the Mutianyu section.

Best area to visit the Chinese Wall (Beijing)

• Zone of Badaling: The most popular section and prepared for tourism, therefore, most saturated. It is also well restored and is the closest to Beijing at just 80 km.
• Section de Mutianyu: Well restored and with spectacular views and less crowded than Badaling. It is about 90 km from Beijing.
• Section between Simatai and Jinshanling: Ideal for those looking for a quieter experience, but it is also one of the steepest sections and, in addition, it is quite far from Beijing (about 120 km).

As you see in the previous photo, the section of the Mutianyu Great Wall is in a beautiful mountainous area and you can choose whether to go up by hiking or by cable car. If you choose to hike, keep in mind that it is a long trail, with unevenness and that it is usually very hot.

How to go to the Wall of China from Beijing (Mutianyu section)

To go to Mutianyu from Beijing, we opted for the fastest option: taking a Didi from the Alipay app (Chinese Uber). We tried with a taxi but we had to get off because the driver wanted to sell us the ticket for the wall, the chairlift, the return trip, etc. in a pack that was overpriced. Beware of taxi scams. The Didi rate is closed and secure. To visit Mutianyu, you can go up by chairlift and go down by slide or cable car. If you go down on a slide you have to go and come back through the same place, instead of walking along the wall from one side to the other and seeing more parts of it. We share a photo with you, although we explain it better in the final video.

Mutianyu Chinese Wall Prices

Then You can see the prices for the entire visit to Mutianyu, which we recommend you do as is., although it is more expensive than buying the chairlift + slide pack.

• One-way price on Didi Beijing – Mutianyu (2024): 194 yuan = 25 euros approx.
• Taxi return price Mutianyu – Beijing (2024): 180 yuan = 23 euros approx. (we haggled with the taxi at the exit of the wall)
• Mutianyu Wall entrance price (2024): 60 yuan = 8 euros approx.
• Wall lift price: 100 yuan = approximately 13 euros
• Cable car price down the Wall: 100 yuan = 13 euros approx.
• Bus back to the entrance: You also have to pay for the bus back to the entrance, but I don't remember the price.

With which, If you want to visit the Mutianyu section of the Chinese Wall, only tickets and other things cost about €35. Without taking into account the transfer that we mentioned above and that you could divide if you travel with more people. Another option to go to Mutianyu and save on transportation is the one offered this page (entrance + transfer), once there you must buy the chairlift tickets and more. Now we continue with More places to visit in central Beijing.

2) The Forbidden City

If you like history, another of the tourist places in Beijing is the Forbidden City. We are talking about the largest and best preserved imperial palace in the world. This complex of historic buildings has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and dates back to the Ming dynasty. It is a unique place to appreciate ancient Chinese architecture with a total of 980 buildings.

• 💡 Reserve your ticket in advance. The Forbidden City is closed every Monday, except during Chinese national holidays.
• 💵 Entrance price: approx. €16 per person
• ⏰ Schedule: High season (April 1 to October 31) from Tuesday to Sunday 8:30 to 16:00Low season (November 1 to March 31) Tuesday to Sunday: 8:30 a.m. to 15:30 p.m. (last admission).

NOTE: We We couldn't book in advance to visit the Forbidden City, many times you can't find it a week in advance. We leave you the only page we found to reserve here. However, thanks to Tiananmen reservation what we tell you below, once inside the square, it connects with the Forbidden City ticket sales/collection point. Here you can try your luck buying tickets at the box office like we did. I don't know if this trick will work for you too, I guess it depends on the season...

3) Tiananmen Square, one of the most impressive places to see in Beijing

La Tiananmen square It is one of the largest public squares in the world and a place of great historical importance what to visit in Beijing. Here is the Monument to the People's Heroes and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. If you want, you can even visit his grave. As you can see in the next photo, it is huge. In fact, it has the capacity to accommodate 1 million people.

• 💵 Entrance price: although Access is free, you must register on an official website to visit the square (only in Chinese) and you must have a Chinese phone number to confirm registration. So if you don't have a Chinese phone either, the only method we found to access was through this page that charges you for administrative management.
• ⏰ Access hours: from 4:45 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.

4) Jingshan Park with 360 views of the city of Beijing

Another of the tourist places in Beijing that we recommend you visit is the Jingshan Park. It is just a few steps from the forbidden city. From the central hill of the park you can enjoy a 360 degree view of the city, including the Forbidden City as we show you below.

5) Nanluoguxiang, one of the most beautiful hutongs to see in Beijing

The hutongs They are traditional alleys that show the daily life of Pekingese. Nanluoguxiang or Nan Luo Gu Xiang is one of the most famous, full of shops, cafes and restaurants. Here you can also find traditional souvenirs with chinese calligraphy, among others. We take the opportunity to send some postcards from here (there is a Chinese post office) and also We found a delicious restaurant as you can see in the video on the YouTube channel at the end.

6) 798 Art Zone Art District

El 798 Art District It is an industrial area converted into an artistic and cultural center. If you like the art, fashion and modernity, here you will find art galleries, studio, design shops and lots of street art. If we have to fault it, it is that it is far from the center of Beijing and its main tourist attractions. Also, it doesn't have a metro stop very close, at least we couldn't find it. Search the Chinese metro app for “Metroman”: Wangjingnan or Jiangtai and then walk for about 30 minutes. We went by bike and returned by metro to the center.

7) Sanlitun shopping area, one of the poshest areas to see in Beijing

Sanlitun is one of the most modern and elegant areas to visit in Beijing (if not the most). Here you will find practically all the luxury boutiques: Dior, Louis Vouitton, Balenciaga, Golden Goose, among others. It also has alternative shops and a very good range of cafes, bars and restaurants. Furthermore, as you see below, the The area is super modern and in every corner you find striking corners like the one we show you below.

8) Qianmen Hutongs and Dashilan Street

The street of Qianmen and its surroundings are also one of the hutongs in Beijing to see, although the traditional architecture of this neighborhood is merged today with renovated commercial buildings. Therefore, You can see contrasts of old buildings with newer ones and lots of street food. We also recommend walking through the Dashilan Street (same area) with a lot of typical shops and restaurants. This area of ​​the city of Beijing surprised us for the better. Very close by you will also see the Zhengyangmen Gate, another historical building in the area.

9) Silk Market / Silk Market, things to do in Beijing

El Silk Market is known for his high quality imitation products y silk shops. Here you will find everything from clothing, footwear, bags, watches, underwear, souvenirs, technology, suitcases, etc. Each plant is a theme. Keep in mind that the good fakes are hidden in secret rooms that take you pushing walls like in the movies (we show you it in the video at the end). In addition to the forgeries, If you want souvenirs or silk items, the prices are very good. Yes, Don't forget to haggle! Start with at least half the price they tell you. The shopping center is quite far from other tourist places in Beijing. Therefore, if you only have a few days in the city, I wouldn't waste your time getting here.

10) Wangfujing, one of the shopping streets to see in Beijing

La Wangfujing Street is one of most famous shopping streets to visit in Beijing. Here you will find a wide variety of shops, from department stores to small souvenir shops. We stayed in this area in the Sunworld Hotel Wangfujing and the truth is that we recommend it for its offer of restaurants, supermarkets, tranquility and good metro connection.

11) The Peking Duck at the Quanjude restaurant

Just a few minutes from Wangfujing there is a small alley where We found one of the best Peking Duck restaurants in the city. Is Quanjude Restaurant and it has been open since 1864, so you can imagine how famous and traditional it is. We ask for one of the two tasting menus that they have for approximately €35 per person that you roll out, but you can also eat à la carte. This was one of the most expensive restaurants in our trip to China on your own, but it is very worth it. Note that The restaurant has reduced hours, closing at 21pm for dinner if I remember correctly, so go early.

12) Wangfujing Night Market, where to eat in Beijing

El Wangfujing Night Market It is famous for its varied offer of street food. Here you can try from scorpion skewers to spring rolls. It is also very close to the hotel where we stayed and a few steps from the shopping street that bears the same name (we will leave it for you on the map at the end). Open every day from 18pm to 23pm, although we don't go for street food in Beijing. We were so exhausted every day that the body asked us dine somewhere seated. On the same street as the Quangjude restaurant, you can eat very well in all the restaurants. for less than €15 per person.

There is also a restaurant in one perpendicular street of Wangfujing where you can eat a good Luzhu huoshao (typical Beijing dish made with pieces of wheat bread boiled with meat broth, organ meats, garlic, coriander and tofu) and famous lamb skewers. We show it to you in the video at the end.

13) Beihai Park, Beijing, ancient tourist sites to visit

El Beihai Park is one of largest and oldest parks in Beijing. Here you can walk through its gardens, sail on the lake and visit the White Pagoda. this temple tibetan buddhist It was built in 1651 during the Qing Dynasty, under the reign of Emperor Shunzhi, to commemorate the Dalai Lama's visit to Beijing. To access the park you have to pay 10 yuan (approximately €1,30).

14) The Temple of Heaven, essential temples to see in Beijing

El Heaven Temple It is a complex of Taoist temples where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties performed ceremonies of sacrifice and prayer for good harvestsTaoism is a religion and philosophy originating in China that focuses on living in harmony with the Tao or "Way." Its most iconic structure is the Hall of Prayer for Good HarvestsIs a impressive circular three-level pagoda built entirely of wood, without nails, symbolizing the union between heaven and earth. Surrounded by sprawling gardens and ancient cypress trees, the Temple of Heaven is a testament to sophisticated architectural design and profound spirituality of imperial China.

15) The Summer Palace

El summer Palace It is a complex of gardens, palaces and lakes that occupies an area of ​​around 290 hectares. This place was Built in 1750 and served as a summer retreat for the imperial family. Within the space, the Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill adorned with temples, pavilions and corridors decorated with more than 14,000 paintings. Among its architectural wonders are the majestic Long Corridor, the Marble Boat and the imposing Temple of Buddha Fragrance. We have read that there is an option to take a boat through the canals of Beijing to get here. We didn't have time to go, but we'll leave it here in case you're looking. what to see in Beijing in 5 days or more, since it is quite far from the center.

And here ends the list with the best tourist sites in beijing. We show them to you on the following map and below you can see the video of our YouTube channel with more recommendations and tips to organize your trip to the capital of China.

Map with the best places to see in Beijing

Below you will find an interactive map that highlights the main places to see in Beijing. Use this map to plan your route and make sure you don't miss any of the must-see attractions. The farthest point is the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section).

Where to stay in Beijing

If you are still searching for hotels in Beijing, we choose the Sunworld Hotel Wangfujing only 3 minutes walk to the famous Wangfujing shopping street. From here you can Also walk to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The hotel was actually very good in one Quiet area, clean and completely renovated with supermarkets and restaurants nearby (Quanjude). In any case, whatever area you choose, You will have to use public transportation or bikes to visit all the things to do in Beijing without dying in the attempt. The city is huge!

Video: things to do in Beijing in 3 days

In the following video of our YouTube Channel we share you so quick and visual things to do in Beijing in three days if you want to see a little of everything. We also give you all the details about how to get to Mutianyu from Beijing, how to get around Beijing by bike, etc. Basically, this virtual guide will give you an idea of ​​what to expect during your visit.

How to get around Beijing by bike

The You can rent public bikes by scanning the QR from the Alipay app, you only need scan the QR and register with your passport the first time. Then the next few times it's super easy, the blue ones were great for us. Remember to lock them when returning them and leave them at the designated points (marked on the floor). In addition, the price is quite affordable and allows you to see the city while moving faster than on foot. Yes indeed, We recommend using the bike lane that is shared with the electric motorcycle lane, be very careful! That's why it is It is essential that you carry travel insurance that can cover possible accidents.

Travel connected to Beijing and China: eSIM with unlimited data

It is important that Before traveling to China, have a good eSIM with built-in VPN and unlimited data. You will need it to be able to make payments with Alipay and Wechat. And the VPN will allow you to access apps prohibited in the country such as Instagram or Google (including Gmail). Our experience was very good with the connection it gave us throughout the country and we have a 5% off For all our readers, you can book through our link or by using the code LOCALGUIDEGRANCANARIA.

And here ends our post about Beijing: what to do, where to eat, where to stay and a guide to visiting the Great Wall. If you want us to continue helping you with your route through China, we share below all the guides from our two tripseach with its corresponding video.