10 Best Things to Do in Beijing

Overview

Beijing compresses China’s story into one address: emperors and revolutions, courtyard houses and glass towers, a food culture that treats a duck as a ceremony. For visitors, the city divides naturally into an imperial core — the Forbidden City with its satellite temples and palaces — and the living city of hutong lanes, markets, and contemporary art. Ten experiences capture it well. Work through them over four or five days, mixing the monumental with the everyday; Beijing is at its best when the itinerary leaves room for a rickshaw ride, an unplanned dumpling lunch, and the long walk the wall demands.

The Full List

First, the Forbidden City, the Palace Museum’s nine hundred rooms of imperial ceremony; allow half a day and book timed entry. Second, the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square, worth the pre-dawn alarm once. Third, the Great Wall of China: hike a day at Mutianyu for restored grandeur or Jinshanling for quiet wildness. Fourth, the Temple of Heaven and its morning park culture of dancers and musicians. Fifth, the Summer Palace, where the Long Corridor and Kunming Lake make imperial leisure legible. Sixth, the hutongs — the courtyard-lane fabric around Nanluoguxiang and Houhai, best explored slowly. Seventh, the Lama Temple, the city’s great working monastery, fragrant with juniper incense. Eighth, the 798 Art District’s galleries in a former factory quarter. Ninth, a Peking duck dinner at a house that carves at the table. Tenth, an evening at a lakeside bar in Houhai or a street-food crawl down Gui Jie, the neon-lit restaurant street that never seems to close.

Planning Your Days

Day one: the Forbidden City in the morning, Tiananmen Square and Qianmen in the afternoon, duck for dinner. Day two: the Temple of Heaven early, the Summer Palace after lunch, Houhai at night. Day three: the Great Wall — leave early and return for a late dinner. Day four: hutongs and the Lama Temple in the morning, the 798 Art District in the afternoon, Gui Jie to finish. Book the Forbidden City and any wall transport ahead; everything else flexes. Keep museum days off Mondays, when several close.

Practical Tips

Timed reservations are now standard for major sights — book through the official channels a few days out, and carry your passport for every entry. Use the metro: it is fast, cheap, and signed in English. Set up mobile payment before arrival (Alipay and WeChat Pay accept foreign cards); cash is nearly obsolete. Install any VPN you need before you enter the country. Air quality varies sharply by season — check the index and plan indoor museum days accordingly. Autumn and late spring are the kindest months; midsummer is humid and crowded.

FAQ

What is the number one thing to do in Beijing? The Forbidden City, for scale and completeness. Pair it with the Great Wall for the essential one-two of imperial China.

Can you visit the Great Wall from Beijing in a day? Easily. Mutianyu is about ninety minutes away by car or by train and bus, and most visitors are back for a late dinner.

How many days do I need? Five comfortable days, or four brisk ones. Add a sixth for Tianjin or the Ming Tombs.

What should I eat? Peking duck first, then jianbing for breakfast, zhajiang noodles for lunch, and lamb hot pot in cold weather.

Is Beijing walkable? The sights cluster, but the city is vast — combine walking in the hutongs with metro hops between districts.