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Beijing

Picrazy2 · Forbidden City, as viewed from Jingshan.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Region · China

Beijing

A walled palace of 980 buildings on one axis, and a defensive wall running along the ridges an hour and a half to the north.

Best timeSep–Oct · Apr–May
Ideal stay4–6 nights
Main hubBeijing
GatewaysPEK · PKX
Overview

Beijing

Beijing is organised around a single north–south axis, and once you see that, the city stops feeling arbitrary. The Forbidden City sits on it — 72 hectares, 961 metres from end to end, 980 surviving buildings, built between 1406 and 1420 and inscribed by UNESCO in 1987. Jingshan, the hill immediately north, exists because the earth dug for the palace moat had to go somewhere, and it is still the one place you can see the whole roofscape at once. North again, in the hills at the edge of the municipality, the Great Wall runs along the ridges. Between those two are hutong lanes, imperial parks and a subway that makes the distances survivable.

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Cities & Places

Where to go in Beijing

Beijing
Beijing
Highlights

What Beijing Is Known For

Two of these are World Heritage sites inscribed in the same year, and they are the reason most people come.

The Forbidden CityTwenty-four emperors across the Ming and Qing, 8,886 bays of rooms, and a single processional route that takes three hours if you walk it properly. Tickets are timed and sell out; the side halls are where the crowds are not.
The Great WallMutianyu, in Huairou District, is inside the municipality and restored enough to walk comfortably, with a cable car and a long ridge of watchtowers. Badaling is closer and far busier; the unrestored sections are a different, harder day.
The Temple of HeavenA Ming ritual complex in a park that Beijing actually uses — the morning is taiji, card games and choirs before it is a monument.
The hutongsThe surviving grey-brick lane courtyards around the Drum and Bell towers and Shichahai. The best of them are residential, not commercial, and are walked rather than toured.
When to Go

The Best Time to Visit Beijing

Beijing has four genuinely distinct seasons and two of them are difficult. This is a shoulder-season city.

September – OctoberThe best window. Dry, clear, mild, and the light on the palace roofs is at its best. The first week of October is a national holiday and the city fills — plan either side of it, not through it.
April – MayThe other good window. Warming, green, and comfortable for long days outdoors. Spring can bring dust and wind off the north, which passes in a day or two.
June – AugustHot and humid, with heavy afternoon rain in July and August. The Wall in high summer is hard work — start early or not at all.
November – MarchCold and dry, with a real winter. The palace under snow is exceptional and the crowds thin sharply, but plan for sub-zero days and short light.
Getting Around

Reaching & Crossing Beijing

The subway is fast, cheap, signed in English and the right default. The two things that need planning ahead are the visa and the Wall.

Getting there

  • Beijing Capital (PEK) — the older and more central of the two, and the usual arrival for international flights.
  • Beijing Daxing (PKX) — the newer airport to the south, connected by its own express rail line. Check which one your ticket uses; they are not close to one another.
  • Indian passport holders need a visa arranged in advance — this is the first thing to sort, not the last, and it sets the earliest date you can travel.
  • High-speed rail connects Beijing to Xi’an, Shanghai and beyond, and is usually the better choice than a domestic flight.

Getting around

  • The subway covers everything on the central axis and runs late. Buy a transit card on arrival rather than queueing per journey.
  • Mutianyu is roughly 90 minutes north by road; there is no direct subway. A car for the day, or a scheduled coach, is how it is done.
  • Set up a local payment method before you need it — much of the city is effectively cashless and foreign cards are accepted unevenly.
  • The Forbidden City is entered from the south and exited at the north by Jingshan. It is a one-way route, so plan the day around ending up there.
Suggested Itinerary

Four Nights in Beijing

Day 1

The axis

Tiananmen, then the Forbidden City south to north at a walking pace, and up Jingshan at the end for the roofscape and the sunset.

Day 2

Temple of Heaven & hutongs

The park early, while the city is using it. Afternoon around the Drum and Bell towers and Shichahai, on foot.

Day 3

The Great Wall

A full day north to Mutianyu. Cable car up, walk the ridge between watchtowers, and allow for the drive back into evening traffic.

Day 4

Summer Palace

Kunming Lake, the Long Corridor and the hill, which is a half day at minimum. An afternoon for whichever of the 798 art district or the markets suits you.

Continue Planning

Related to Beijing

The places in Beijing that have a guide of their own, and where to stay and eat once you are there.

AttractionTemple of HeavenAttractionLama Temple (Yonghe)AttractionNational Museum of ChinaAttractionPrince Gong’s MansionAttractionYuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace)AttractionShichahaiHotelWhere to StayRestaurantWhere to Eat
Frequently Asked Questions

Beijing Travel FAQ

Four nights is the working minimum: two for the central axis and the Forbidden City, one for the Great Wall, and one for the Summer Palace or the hutongs. Three forces you to choose between the palace and the Wall, and both are the reason to come.
Mutianyu, in Huairou District inside the Beijing municipality, is the usual answer — restored enough to walk safely, long enough to get away from the entrance, and served by a cable car. Badaling is closer to the city and much busier. Unrestored sections are a serious hike rather than a sightseeing day.
Three hours at a walking pace for the central route, and a full morning if you take in the side halls and the treasure galleries. It covers 72 hectares and is 961 metres north to south, entered from the south and exited at the north — so plan what comes next around Jingshan, which is directly outside that exit.
Yes — a visa must be arranged before travel, and it is the item that sets your earliest possible departure date. Start it well before booking anything non-refundable, and confirm the current requirements with the Chinese mission rather than relying on a travel article.
September and October first, April and May second. Both are dry and mild with good light. Avoid the national holiday week at the start of October, when domestic travel peaks. Summer is hot and wet; winter is cold and clear, and beautiful at the palace if you are prepared for it.
The subway is signed and announced in English and is the easiest part of the city. The harder parts are payment and taxis: set up a local payment method early, save your destinations in Chinese characters to show a driver, and expect translation apps to do real work.
Plan Your Trip

Design Your Beijing Journey

Tell us your dates and how much walking suits you, and we will sequence the palace, the Wall and the parks so the long days are not back to back.

Plan My Beijing Trip →