Beijing highlights for 2 days – 10 tips
Beijing is the political, cultural and historic centre of China and, with its world famous attractions of Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden Palace, the Summer Palace, and nearby Great Wall, it is a must for any visit to China
I lived for 2 years in Beijing, so wanted to use this not to write some kind of all-encompassing travel guide, but just share with you 10 tips on what I would suggest to get the most out of a 2-3 day trip
- Tip #1 – make sure to walk through the Hutongs. You’ll naturally cover the main attractions of the Great Wall and Forbidden Palace as part of your visit, but make sure that you give yourself at least a couple of hours to walk, and get lost, through the historic Hutongs just to the north of the Forbidden City. Hutongs are traditional narrow streets that formed by the connection between the traditional courtyards that 4 generations of northern Chinese families used to live in, and provide a sharp contrast to the modern day Beijing of dramatic economic growth and glistening skyscrapers
- Tip #2 – visit the “wild wall” section of the Great Wall. The Great Wall is iconic, and a must when visiting Beijing. But the main sites of Badaling and Mutianyu can be super hectic with the sheer number of tourists and tacky infrastructure around them. Instead, as long as you’re in a basic level of fitness, head to one of the remoter wild wall sections, such as Jinshanling. There are way way fewer people, very similar views and, critically, that feeling of wow and adventure as you’re heading off into the distance on one of the Wonders of the World . . . something it is very hard to experience in the busier sites. I’ve written a more detailed review of this experience here – Walking the wild Great Wall of China by Jinshanling – so check out for more detailed tips
- Tip #3 – priorities if short on time. I think 3 days is about right for Beijing, but appreciate that some may have less time. I’d prioritise as follows: #1 The Forbidden City and area around it, including the Hutongs and grabbing some Peking Duck, and Tiananmen Square (you need to walk through the square to access the Forbidden City). #2 The Great Wall. #3 The Summer Palace. #4 The Temple of Heaven Park. #5 Other attractions such as Behei Park, the Lama Temple and the Drum & Bell Towers. You can easily fit #1-#4 in 2 days whereby you aim for #1 and #4 on Day 1 and #2 and #3 on Day 2, but just bring the energy with you!
- Tip #4 – Food. Peking Roast Duck is of course the signature dish and the Beijing Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant just to the east of the Forbidden City is the classic, if overpriced, place to have it (note its called Peking rather than Beijing just because Peking was the old “mispronounced-by-foreigners” name given the Beijing). But be sure to also try the Beijing dumplings which are actually more widely eaten in Beijing and have a variety for you to chose from
- Tip #5 – Beijing is massive and so are the famous sites. The city itself sits within 6 ring roads, the later of which is around 188km / 117 miles long, and with a population of around 22 million. So getting around can take a while – especially trips to outlying sites like the Summer Palace (40mins by taxi) and the Great Wall (1.5 hours – 2.5 hours depending on which section you chose). The famous sites are also massive – the Forbidden City & Tiananmen Square are more than a square km (half a square mile); and the Summer Palace is 3 square kms (1 square mile). So be prepared for quite a lot of walking, which in the stifling Beijing summer heat (temperatures can break 40 Celsius / 104 Fahrenheit) can be energy sapping
- Tip #6 – try to break the language barrier. Other than your hotel and tourist spots, don’t expect much English to be spoken. After all China is so vast, and at times insular, that it doesn’t really make sense for the vast majority to know anything other than Mandarin (and the local dialects). Be aware of it, but also see if you can bridge the barrier by using google’s simultaneous translator function (which is now allowed in China). You’ll be amazed just how open and how much you can learn from a taxi driver on one of those long rides to the Summer Palace or Great Wall. Might even be the best memory from your visit
- Tip #7 – Travel in Beijing. Naturally with 22m people, Beijing is crowded and has a few difficulties to be aware of when travelling as a foreigner. The first one is a bit obvious, but try to avoid the rush hour – you can get bordering on gridlock sometimes when trying to travel across the city by car, and the subway will bring a new meaning to you for crammed in. The second is about taxis – there are 71,000 taxis in Beijing (5x New York City), so there are usually plenty available. The problem is that Beijing isn’t the super-friendly-to-foreigners- city it used to be and you may likely get drivers refusing to take you just because of the extra hassle of trying to understand a foreigner. There isn’t that much you can do, although having the address written in Chinese can help. Uber is not allowed in China, but I do recommend downloading the Chinese version of Didi which is basically the same and has the English language option
- Tip #8 – be ready for some pollution. Beijing’s pollution has improved significantly over the past 10 years (I still remember it when it was at its worst – sports had to be cancelled and you’d find black residue in your nose), but it will still probably be roughly ten times worse than you are used to. Sometimes you’re lucky and its a bright clear day (in fact sometimes you’re really lucky and they fire up the “artificial rain enhancement rockets”), others it can get a bit smoggy. 2 days won’t harm you
- Tip #9 – don’t expect it to be cheap. Whilst China is still some way behind the West in average incomes, and for sure there are various things you can do in Beijing that are very cheap, some things (especially hotels, restaurants and bars) can still be western prices or more. Bear in mind that China is a land of extremes and Beijing has more billionaires than any city in the world
- Tip #10 – other attractions if you have time. The Lama Temple is very pretty and worth visiting if you haven’t been to a large Buddhist Temple before. The Drum and Bell Towers are great for views, and make sense to check out when walking around the nearby Hutongs. If you are spending the whole day at the Summer Palace, it’s worth a trip to the nearby Fragrant Hills Park, especially in Autumn. And of course, Beijing has some cracking bars – start off in Sanlitun and see where the lash takes you
