Beijing
Your getaway to Beijing
Start at Jingshan Park: climb the central hill for the view that explains Beijing's layout, the Forbidden City spreading north to south, the modern city beyond. Descend into the hutongs around Shichahai, where lake, bar, and temple share the same block, and lunch finds you without planning. The Summer Palace in afternoon light, boat or walk as energy allows, the marble boat ridiculous and beautiful both. Dinner somewhere recommended by someone met that day—Beijing rewards conversation. One evening early, one late; one famous site, one discovered by accident. The Wall if time permits, the markets if not. Stay flexible, stay curious, leave with one story that surprises you. Beijing is large enough to hold whatever you need from it.
Places to love in Beijing
Great Wall of China
The vast ancient fortification stretching across northern China, built over centuries to defend against invasions and now a symbol of the nation. Travelers visit its various sections to walk the ramparts and take in the mountainous landscape.
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Summer Palace
The Summer Palace is a vast imperial garden in Beijing featuring Kunming Lake, Longevity Hill, and ornate palaces, pavilions, and a marble boat. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is one of China's most celebrated classical landscape gardens.
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Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven is a UNESCO-listed complex of imperial religious buildings in Beijing, famed for the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests where emperors prayed for bountiful crops. It is a masterpiece of Ming-era architecture set within a large park.
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Great Wall of Badaling
The most famous and heavily visited section of the Great Wall of China, offering restored ramparts and watchtowers set in mountainous terrain northwest of Beijing. Travelers come for its accessibility and dramatic sweeping views of the wall snaking across ridgelines.
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Jingshan Park
A hilltop imperial park directly north of the Forbidden City, offering the best elevated panoramic view over the palace complex and central Beijing. Travelers climb its peak for the sweeping skyline vista.
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Forbidden City
The vast imperial palace complex that served as the seat of Chinese emperors for centuries, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site with thousands of preserved rooms and treasures. Beijing's foremost historic landmark and a must-see for nearly every visitor.
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Tiananmen Square
One of the world's largest public squares in central Beijing, surrounded by monumental government buildings and historic landmarks. Travelers visit for its immense scale and central role in Chinese national history.
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乾清宫
The Palace of Heavenly Purity, a grand hall within the Forbidden City that served as the emperor's residence and audience hall. Travelers view it for its imperial architecture and historic significance.
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北京杜莎夫人蜡像馆
The Beijing branch of Madame Tussauds, a wax museum featuring lifelike figures of celebrities, historical figures, and cultural icons. Travelers visit to pose with realistic wax replicas of famous personalities.
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