Introduction: Beijing Travel Guide
Beijing also called Peking, is the capital of China PRC. It’s the world’s most populous capital city with over 21 million residents and an administrative area of 16 410 km².
Beijing has 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: The Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, Zhoukoudian, and parts of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.
You won’t be bored there.
Table of Contents
Mapping the day
How to get there
The easiest way to get by is via the international airport of Beijing. From there you can take the metro straight to the city.
If you are arriving from China, consider taking a high-speed train that will lead you straight to the city center.
Moving around
The Beijing Subway has of 23 lines and 405 stations. That will get you everywhere you want. It is the longest and busiest subway in the world.
You could also ride on a bus, but it will take longer and its harder to manage. Taxi can be safety taken as well, for that China is using an application called “Didi” which is their local Uber.
Where to stay
Any stay between 3 to 4 days will give a great insight of the city, here are some of our favourite places to stay.
- Unique: Beijing Double Happiness
- Mid-Range: The Orchid Hotel
- Luxurious: The Peninsula Beijing
Our favourite is the Double Happiness one, located within a Hutong (Beijing old street).
What to eat
The must to try in China and Beijing are:
- Beijing roasted duck at Siji Minfu
- Jiaozi – Chinese dumpling
- Jing Jiang Rousi — Shredded Pork in Beijing Sauce
- Zhajiang mian – Noodles with Soybean Paste
And of course, any street food that seems yummy to you. We love the street food of China and the one in Beijing is usually not to spicy.
Things to do
Jinshanling Great Wall
This section of the great wall is not the closest from Beijing, but it is probably on the nicest. This section of the wall was not restored and is much less crowded than the walls near the capital. There are direct buses from Beijing to Jinshanling but the easiest way to get there is by organised tour.
PS: We went there by ourselves, missed the bus, ended up in a black taxi and had to bargain with a tourist group to get a bus back to Beijing 😊
Read our Ultimate Great Wall Travel Guide
Forbidden city
Learn the Emperor’s life at the Forbidden City ( 故宫 Gùgōng) which is a palace complex also called the Palace Museum, and was formerly the Chinese imperial palace and state residence of the Emperor from the Ming dynasty (since the Yongle Emperor) to the end of the Qing dynasty, between 1420 and 1924.
Temple of heaven
Admire the religious complex buildings of the Temple of heaven where ceremonies of prayer to heaven for good harvest were held in the past.
Itinerary
Day 1:
- Jingshan park
- Tiannamen Square
- Forbidden city
- Qianmen Street
Day 2:
- Summer Palace
- Visit a Hutong
- Wangfujing
- Temple of heaven
Day 3:
- Jinshanling Great Wall
Dig the Well Before You Are Thirsty 未雨绸缪 Wèiyǔchóumóu
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