Beijing
Arriving in China
We’ve been putting off visiting China for a long time now, but this seemed to be the perfect opportunity, so we planned around two weeks to explore some of the more well-known attractions of the country. Two weeks is definitely waaay too short! After all, the country is huge (maps do not do justice to the actual size of China, look here: link) and offers so much to see – every region has its own cuisine, distinct cultural heritage and ways of life. That being said, there are definitely some unifying elements in everyday life, for example the ubiquitous AliPay and DiDi, but also the general sincerity of the people (check out our How to travel in China article for more details). Our itinerary included Beijing, Xi’an, Zhangjiajie, Furong, Fenghuang and Shanghai. The lack of Western tourists was a stark contrast after having spent quite a few weeks on busy Bali. But now, let’s dive into what we did in Beijing!
Things to See & Do
Great Wall of China
As with almost every slightly more remote tourist attraction in China, they managed to build an entire city just outside the entrance, solely dedicated to feeding and supplying the gazillion daily visitors with souvenirs and various gadgets. Who doesn’t need an inflatable puppy when visiting the Wall? Well, we didn’t, but it was fun to look at all the cr*p in the shops.
On a more serious note, the Great Wall surely does not need an introduction. As the largest man-made structure in the world, it stretches more than 21.000 km along multiple paths through the country’s landscape. Apparently, there are two people who managed to walk the entire length of the Wall, which took them 2 and a half years!
A more convenient approach is to opt for a day trip to one of the 4 sections (Badaling, Mutianyu, Jinshanling, and Simatai) open to tourists around Beijing. We decided to go the Mutianyu section, as this lies a bit further from the city, thus receiving fewer visitors than the others.
There are multiple companies offering day trips. We went with MUBUS, which we booked on Klook here. The offering consists of transportation, purchase of tickets (to be paid extra depending on the route you choose) and a short introduction to the history of the Wall. They also have a visitor centre with some refreshments and clean toilets before and after the climb. Our guide did not join the tour of the Wall itself, but it is almost impossible to get lost, and all the information is provided during the bus ride.
There are different routes that you can take, each with different things to see and do. The West Route offers a longer stroll with more stairs and a steep challenge at the end called the Hero’s Walk. On the East Route, you can see the old central watchtower and/or take the toboggan, a 1.580-metre-long slide down the mountain. We chose the West Route and definitely did not regret it! The views are breath-taking and the climb at the end surely worth the sweat. It took us around 2,5 hours there and back with many photo stops in between.
We asked our guide what the best time is to visit the Wall. Different seasons bring different landscapes, he said. The hills are covered by colourful leaves in autumn and by snow in winter. In summer, it was definitely very hot and dry, so we would recommend either spring or autumn for pleasant weather and beautiful nature. On a clear day, you can see the wall running along the edges of the mountains in the distance, which gives you a real perspective on how impressive this structure actually is!
The company also offered a buffet lunch after the climb. This was not included in the ticket price but was very nice and a good opportunity to do some food-sampling.
Forbidden City / Palace Museum
The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most culturally significant places in China.
Be prepared to walk a lot, especially if you take detours from the main axis. You will find shrines, temples and smaller houses for imperial guests in the alleys to the left and right. The architecture of these is very impressive, make sure to spend some time in the labyrinth-like alleyways!
The main building, the super-impressive Emperor’s grand palace, was also featured in Disney’s Mulan. There are a couple of exhibitions on display, you can take a look at the current line-up on the official website, see the link below.
While there is no official dress code, it is recommended to wear respectful clothing to honour the cultural setting. Apparently, in 2024, a group of visitors was denied entry for wearing inappropriate fashion, sparking debate across China. I wonder why.
As it can get very crowded here, we would recommend going early in the morning. This way, you can also escape the summer heat – there is not much greenery providing shade in the area. You can also grab an umbrella, just like most Chinese tourists do.
As for all major attractions in the city, make sure to book your ticket in advance through the WeChat mini-app or the official website. Alternatively, you can also get tickets on Klook here. When you book the tickets, you will need to enter your passport details. At the entrance, you will also need valid identification.
Tiananmen Square
Beijing’s iconic square can only be visited after booking an appointment in the WeChat mini-app called 天安门广场预约参观. Alternatively you can also book a tour on Klook here. We did not book the first time and could not enter the square. There are security checkpoints at every possible entrance, and the borders of the square are railed off.
There is also a flag-raising ceremony in the morning and a flag-lowering ceremony in the evening. It is an interesting and perfectly choreographed spectacle drawing many visitors. Be sure to check the up-to-date schedule on the excellent TravelChinaGuide website: link.
From the square, you also have access to different buildings: the National Museum of China, Mao’s Mausoleum, Tiananmen Tower, the Great Hall of the People and the Monument to the People’s Heroes in the middle of the square.
We idled around a bit on the square and tried to soak in the vast scale of the space. Knowing what historical events took place there (protests and massacre in 1989), and also having seen photos of military parades, Tiananmen Square surely has a unique, sometimes a bit pressing atmosphere.
Summer Palace
The huge area of the Summer Palace consists of around 3.000 ancient buildings of different sizes and multiple adjoining lakes. It was very interesting to see the architecture and read about the history stretching back to the 12th century, but the extreme heat took a toll on us, unfortunately. All in all, we preferred the experience in the Forbidden City. We did not get a guided tour, however if you are interested in one, there are great options on klook and Trip.com.
Temple of Heaven
Adam managed to pick the hottest day to leave the air conditioned room for a long walk to the nearby Themple of Heaven (天坛公园). The main attraction is the architecturally impressive circular Qi Nian Dian (祈年殿), The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest. You might recognise similar characteristics to the buildings in the Forbidden City – these were both constructed by the same Ming Dynasty emperor, Yongle. Unfortuntely, it is not possible to enter the buildings, but you can take a peek inside, as the doors are usually open. The surrounding park is also a great place to relax and enjoy some people-watching.
Hutongs
The word hutong means alleyway but is colloquially also used to refer to traditional neighbourhoods in Beijing. These neighbourhoods are characterised by narrow lanes and brick-walled courtyards connecting multiple houses. As the city grew during the past decades, this kind of low-density residential housing became more and more rare. However, many of them are preserved in good condition across the city. They surely have a unique atmosphere and definitely worth exploring! Be mindful, though, people do actually live in these neighbourhoods, so please treat them with respect and not like a tourist attraction. The one we visited on a sunny afternoon is located between Qinian St. and Outer Chongwenmen St.
Wukesong
It is one of the hippest areas in Beijing, a really cool and fun place to eat, shop and wander around! The sprawling complex features so many funky shops and exhibits that we literally walked around for hours without getting bored. We made a bad lunch choice here, unfortunately. While the restaurant looked funky with a mix of cyberpunk and art-deco elements, the food was more on the processed scrap meat side of the scale…
798 Art Zone
The area used to be a military factory complex, which has been converted into one of the most famous art districts in the city. It even hosted the Beijing Design Week in recent years and is home to the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art. The streets are dotted with galleries, art studios, restaurants and cafés as well as venue halls. The alternating narrow alleys and large industrial roads definitely lend it a really cool vibe! It is also a great place to pick up some unique souvenirs or cool pieces of art!
Qianmen Street
A famous pedestrian street running along the central axis of the city. Also a bustling tourist hub with a lot of eateries, shops and even a sightseeing tram running up and down the street. On the side streets, you will find entrances to many different Hutongs.
Getting Around
The capital city is home to a whopping 21 million people and features numerous attractions and historical sights. Despite the population, the city did not feel crowded in the areas we visited, as it is quite spread out. Public transport is efficient and well organised with 30 metro lines criss-crossing the city and running along the 5+1 ring roads. All public transport options can be used with a QR code in AliPay which requires some setting up (separately for the bus and the metro network, both requiring passport registration), but is super easy to use after that. We didn’t know that we had to set it up beforehand, so we could not pay the first time when we boarded a bus. The driver and his colleague tried to explain the problem but eventually gave up and handed us a scrap paper with some hand-written Chinese characters prompting us to register in the AliPay app. Luckily, they were very relaxed about it and didn’t insist on us paying a fine or anything like that.
We did not try travelling with a tap-to-go credit card but it should be possible, at least according to various online sources. At most metro stations, there is an airport-style baggage and security check at the entrances. Fares are very affordable and calculated based on the distance travelled, usually ranging between 3-10 CNY (€0,40 – €1,20). Carriages are clean and safe, however, the boarding and deboarding culture seems to be a bit different, compared to European countries at least – be prepared for some pushing and occasional wrestling!
Another great option is DiDi, the local universal taxi app, also very affordable, especially compared to taxi prices in Europe. There are plenty of drivers available, and most vehicles are fairly new, clean and felt completely safe. The majority of drivers did not seem to speak any English, but it wasn’t an issue given the fact that ordering, navigation and payment are all done via the app.
You can read more about apps and bits you need in China in our guide here!
Where to Stay
We found that hotel prices are significantly higher compared to other cities we visited, maybe except Shanghai. Being a bit cautious about our hotel choices in the country, we booked the Holiday Inn Temple of Heaven ($) right between the 2nd and the 3rd ring road via Trip.com. The location was not the best from a tourist perspective, but the rooms were much more affordable than the downtown area.
On a side note, we had the cutest room service guy ever. He noticed that we duly drank our complimentary water every day, so he kept leaving more and more bottles for us after cleaning. On our last day, it culminated in him chasing us down the corridor with six bottles in his hand, exclaiming “Water! Water!!!” Never felt so hydrated! 😀
If your budget allows, go for a hotel in the area to the east of the Forbidden City, somewhere between the 2nd Ring Road and the Forbidden City. It is a convenient location to reach all the major attractions, there are plenty of restaurants, shops, malls and nightlife.
Some great, more central hotel options that we also considered are:
- UrCove by HYATT Beijing Forbidden City ($$)
- Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing ($$)
- Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing Beijing ($$$)
Food & Restaurants
And last but not least, here are some food and restaurant recommendations that we found or were recommended to us.
- Hua’s Restaurant: probably the best dining experience we had in China! The speciality here is Peking duck, which they brought to perfection. The duck is carved live at your table and prepared in a way so that you can enjoy the meat with various condiments and side dishes. Very affordable compared to upper-class establishments, we spent around €20 per person for the entire duck course. We visited the Sijiqing branch: Amap | Google Maps
- Sixi Xiaopang Hot Pot: we met a local friend here and had a fabulous Beijing-style hot pot! There are also many small craftsy shops, bars and restaurants in the street, which seemed to be a popular gathering spot for young people. Location: Amap | Google Maps
- We stumbled across a busy food court while wandering around Dashilan St./Quianmen St. There is no shortage of restaurants in the area anyway, but in case you want to sample multiple dishes: Amap. We had some Beijing-style cold noodles at a stand called 老北京羊肉汤 (meaning Old Beijing Lamb Soup), they were quite nice.
- Beijing Art Zone 798: a great spot for international cuisine, from pizza to casserole, you can find so many options here. We opted for a cosy Cantonese restaurant, Kuanfan, they even serve Adam’s favourite, Yu Xiang eggplant! Location: Amap
- Luckin Coffee: a controversial coffee chain, founded in 2017 in Beijing, making its comeback after a series of fraud allegations and bankruptcy. There is an abundance of locations serving decent coffee.
- Western style bakeries: well, they call them Western-style but you know… Nevertheless, there are a number of chains with delicious cakes, pastries and bread, like Wedome (branch near our hotel: Amap), Paris Baguette (Amap), Tous les Jours (Amap)
- If you feel like having a quiet evening in your hotel room, you can either try to figure out how to use one of the food delivery apps OR cook for yourself! There are some astonishingly sophisticated cup noodles and ready meals with built-in “stove” – you simply pour some water onto the self-heating packet, and it basically cooks the meal for you! For a little more scientific explanation, check out this video: YouTube
- You will find that most international chains are also present in the country. McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks, Costa Coffee and the likes.
Shop ’til you drop!
Beijing is also part of our recommended two-week itinerary in China for first-timers, make sure to take a look to find out what other gems we recommend visiting!
