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Travel guide
Beijing
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to May, and September to October
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Welcome
Beijing, in a few days
Beijing is laid out along an 8 km north-south axis, from Yongding Gate to the Drum Tower, with the Forbidden City in the middle. Around it lie grey-brick hutongs, the Temple of Heaven in its 273-hectare park and, about 70 km away by road, the Great Wall.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Forbidden City · 2 to 3 hThe Ming and Qing imperial palace, built from 1406 to 1420, covers 72 hectares with some 980 buildings; 24 emperors ruled from here until 1912.
- Afternoon · Jingshan Park · about 1 hAn artificial hill built from the Forbidden City's moat spoil, topped by the Wanchun Pavilion, with the best overall view of the palace's yellow roofs.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Novotel Beijing Peace€85 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Nanluoguxiang hutongs free · about 1 h 30An 800-metre Yuan-dynasty lane with eight hutongs off each side; beyond the crowded main street, courtyards and red doors survive.
- Afternoon · The Lama Temple (Yonghegong) · about 1 hA prince's residence turned, in 1744, into the leading Tibetan Buddhist monastery of inner China, with five courtyards of halls and incense burners.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel€90 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Temple of Heaven · 2 to 3 hA 273-hectare park where emperors prayed for good harvests; its 38-metre Hall of Prayer, built of wood without nails, was rebuilt after an 1889 fire.
- Afternoon · 798 Art District free · 2 to 3 h1950s factories designed by East German engineers, with sawtooth roofs and revolutionary slogans still on the beams, taken over by artists from 2002.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Howard Johnson Paragon Hotel Beijing€80 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Summer Palace · 2 to 3 hThe Qing summer retreat, three quarters of it taken up by the hand-dug Kunming Lake, with a 728-metre Long Corridor painted with over 14,000 scenes.
- Afternoon · The Great Wall at Mutianyu · 2 to 3 hThe most manageable restored section from Beijing, 70 km north-east: 5.4 km of wall and 22 watchtowers along a wooded ridge, rebuilt under the Ming.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Holiday Inn Express Beijing Dongzhimen€65 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Dim sum: small steamed and fried dishes shared over tea, a Cantonese morning ritual.
- Peking duck: lacquered, roasted until the skin cracks, and carved at the table.
- Hot pot: a simmering pot of broth, often fiercely spiced in the Sichuan style, to cook your own meat and vegetables.
- Jiaozi and hand-pulled noodles: dumplings and noodles made to order, cheapest and best in the north.
- Tea and baijiu: green, oolong or pu'er depending on the region, and a very strong grain spirit for toasts.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Google, WhatsApp and most Western apps are blocked: sort out a roaming eSIM or a VPN before you arrive.
- Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with your foreign card before you go: cash is accepted less and less.
- Carry your hotel's address written in Chinese characters for taxi drivers.
- Stay away from political topics in conversation.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Mandarin
| English | Mandarin |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 (nǐ hǎo) |
| Thank you | 谢谢 (xièxie) |
| Please | 请 (qǐng) |
| Yes | 是 (shì) |
| No | 不是 (bù shì) |
| Excuse me | 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) |
| Goodbye | 再见 (zàijiàn) |
| Do you speak English? | 你会说英语吗 (nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma) |
| I don't understand | 我不懂 (wǒ bù dǒng) |
| How much is it? | 多少钱 (duōshǎo qián) |
| Where are the toilets? | 厕所在哪里 (cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ) |
| The bill, please | 买单 (mǎidān) |
| Help! | 救命！ (jiùmìng!) |
| Cheers! | 干杯！ (gānbēi!) |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyChinese yuan (CNY, ¥)
BudgetAbout €85 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to May, and September to October
PlugA/I/C · 220V
Tap waterBoiled or bottled only
TippingNo tipping, it is not the custom
Emergency110 / 120
EntryUntil 31 December 2026, UK, Canadian, Australian and most EU passports (not Czech or Lithuanian) enter visa-free for up to 30 days. US citizens need a visa, unless they qualify for the 240-hour visa-free transit with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. China has been certified free of malaria since 2021. Dengue occurs in the south in summer, and Japanese encephalitis in some rural areas: use repellent.
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https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/beijing
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.