A capital with several different stories
Beijing brings imperial architecture, ceremonial landscapes and contemporary city life into one stay. The Forbidden City explains the world of the court, the Temple of Heaven its ritual beliefs, and the Great Wall the mountain defences beyond the centre. They work best as distinct experiences, not a checklist to rush through.
The most rewarding things to do in Beijing also include smaller moments: studying a courtyard entrance, sitting beside a lake, tasting roast duck or taking a break in a neighbourhood cafe. Choose a few substantial visits and give the spaces between them a purpose.
Essential places and experiences
Start your selection of things to do in Beijing with one palace visit, one Great Wall section and a different kind of landscape or neighbourhood walk. The attraction pages below explain the choices, admission differences and practical constraints.
- Imperial Beijing
- The Forbidden City is the main palace visit; the Temple of Heaven explores ritual space; the Summer Palace adds a lake and garden landscape. Yuanmingyuan presents a separate story of imperial gardens and destruction.
- Choose a wall section
- Mutianyu, Badaling and Simatai offer different access and settings. Jinshanling is in Hebei and can be visited as a longer excursion from Beijing; it is not administratively part of the city.
- Old-city life
- Combine a selective hutong walk with Shichahai’s lakes. Wudaoying is included in the hutong page, while the lakes have their own introduction.
Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven highlights bring together imperial ritual, carefully composed architecture and everyday park life. Choose a ticket that includes the historic precincts you actually want to enter.
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Mutianyu Great Wall
Mutianyu Great Wall combines restored Ming fortifications with wooded ridgelines, making a mountain day from Beijing with a choice of walking, cable-car and chairlift access.
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Forbidden City
Plan Forbidden City tickets around a visit to the Palace Museum, where ceremonial courtyards, imperial residences and collections reveal different sides of Ming and Qing court life.
View attraction details →Lama Temple
Lama Temple Beijing, known locally as Yonghegong, is an active Tibetan Buddhist monastery with imperial origins. Visit for its halls and religious art while leaving space for people who come to worship.
View attraction details →Beijing Olympic Park
A Beijing Bird Nest and Water Cube night view walk focuses on the exterior architecture of the Olympic Green. Indoor venue admission is a separate choice, not a condition for enjoying the setting.
View attraction details →Shichahai
Shichahai Beijing is a lakeside district of paths, bridges and old-city lanes. Visit for the waterside setting, with a choice between quieter daylight walks and livelier evening streets.
View attraction details →798 Art District
798 Art District Beijing brings contemporary art, design and cafes into a former industrial setting. Plan around a few exhibitions that interest you rather than expecting every gallery to be open.
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Jingshan Park
The Jingshan Park Forbidden City view looks south across the palace roofs from a hill on Beijing’s central axis. Combine the panorama with time in the garden below.
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Beijing Zoo
Beijing Zoo offers a centrally accessible opportunity to see giant pandas alongside other animal exhibits. Choose a limited route and the right ticket rather than expecting to cover every enclosure.
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Tiananmen Square
A Tiananmen Square reservation for foreigners is an access arrangement, not a paid admission ticket. Plan it alongside security checks and any separate museum or palace visit.
View attraction details →Old Summer Palace
The Old Summer Palace ruins Beijing visitors explore today belong to Yuanmingyuan, a former Qing imperial garden complex. Plan this separately from the nearby Summer Palace.
View attraction details →Gubei Water Town
Gubei Water Town is a managed resort below Simatai Great Wall, combining canal-side streets, courtyard-style buildings and hotels. Its appeal is an unhurried afternoon that can continue after dark.
View attraction details →Universal Studios Beijing
Universal Studios Beijing is a full-scale theme-park outing with film-inspired lands, rides and shows. Give it a dedicated day rather than adding it after distant historic attractions.
View attraction details →Summer Palace
The Summer Palace Beijing’s emperors developed is a landscape of imperial buildings, lakeside walks and wooded slopes. Choose a route around Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill rather than trying to circle everything.
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Badaling Great Wall
Badaling Great Wall offers a recognisable view of broad ramparts running across mountain ridges, with rail access from Beijing and a choice of north and south walking sections.
View attraction details →Simatai Great Wall
A Simatai Great Wall night tour pairs a permitted illuminated wall section with views towards Gubei Water Town. Expect a mountain walk after cable access, not a step-free viewing terrace.
View attraction details →Ming Tombs
The Ming Tombs form a landscape of imperial burial sites in Beijing’s Changping District. Choose particular tombs and the Sacred Way rather than expecting thirteen interiors in one visit.
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Beijing Hutongs
Beijing hutongs are lanes within a living city, not a single gated attraction. Choose a neighbourhood and a short walking route to notice courtyard entrances, local shops and everyday street life.
View attraction details →A longer excursion beyond the city: Jinshanling Great Wall in Hebei
Choose things to do in Beijing by interest
History-led visits can centre on the palace, temples and selected Ming Tombs. For a change of mood, 798’s galleries and the Olympic Green show another side of the capital. Families might choose Beijing Zoo or a dedicated Universal Studios day, depending on interests and energy.
Food is part of the visit rather than another attraction to race towards. Leave a proper meal break for Peking duck or northern noodles, check dietary needs with the restaurant and avoid crossing the city solely to collect one famous name.
Make the visit workable
- How long to stay
- Four or five days is a useful planning starting point for a first visit, adjusted for arrival and departure. With less time, reduce the selection rather than compressing every major attraction.
- When to go
- Spring and autumn often suit outdoor walking, but temperatures and crowds vary. Summer needs shade and rest; winter needs warm layers and care on exposed or icy paths. Check forecasts and holiday dates.
- Reservations
- Book the Forbidden City and any time-sensitive visit before filling the rest of the day. Carry the original passport used for reservations; the square, museums and scenic areas have separate rules.
- Getting around
- The metro is useful for many central sights. Great Wall visits need a separate transport plan, including the return. Road journeys vary with hotel location, traffic and the permitted pickup point.
- Where to stay
- Choose a base near the places you actually plan to visit, with a convenient metro station and suitable room layout. Check walking distance, lift access and vehicle pickup rather than relying only on a district name.
- Pace and access
- Mix substantial visits with shorter walks. Raised temple terraces, hill parks and Great Wall steps need route-specific assessment; a cable car is not a guarantee of step-free access.
Beijing within a wider China journey
Beijing can be linked with Xi’an, Shanghai or other destinations using the transport that fits your route. Compare the full hotel-to-hotel journey, not just the train or flight duration, and avoid putting a difficult-to-change reservation immediately before departure.
For more things to do in Beijing, expand by interest rather than quantity: another museum, a particular art exhibition or a slower garden walk. A second Great Wall section makes sense for a specific interest, not because every visitor needs to collect them.
Questions before your visit
Which things to do in Beijing should I reserve first?
Start with the Forbidden City and any attraction tied to a strict date or session. Then arrange nearby walks and meals around confirmed access, allowing time for security.
Can I see the palace and the Great Wall in one day?
It is possible only with careful timing and a restricted visit to each, and is often a rushed first introduction. Separate days usually give a more useful experience.
Are all attractions on this page in Beijing?
No. Jinshanling is in Hebei and appears as a linked excursion. Its own page records that location; the other places in this batch are Beijing visits.
Useful reading before your trip
China journeys that include Beijing
Use these routes as starting points. The sightseeing days, hotels and pace can be adjusted.
1-Day Beijing Forbidden City and Great Wall Tour
Beijing
View itinerary →2-Day Simatai and Gubei Water Town Tour
Gubei Water Town · Beijing
View itinerary →8-Day Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai Tour
Beijing · Xi’an · Shanghai
View itinerary →
10-Day Beijing, Pingyao, Xi’an and Shanghai Tour
Beijing · Pingyao · Xi’an · Shanghai
View itinerary →