Beijing highlights for 2 days – 10 tips

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
3
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
10
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
5
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
1
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
10
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
10
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
65 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
228th/454
Top 50%
continent
Asia
country
China
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$140 ($175-$350 in 2025 prices)
Time of year visited
July
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Big city Cool neighbourhoods Palaces
All Tags
Ancient ruins Buddhist site Bustling restaurants Gardens Hiking Lakes Mountains Old town Partying / Lash Restaurant recommendations Temple complex UNESCO world heritage site Wonder of the World
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

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.

 

In a nutshell:

  • Political and historic centre of China, and a must-visit
  • The Great Wall and the hutongs / Tiananmen Square / Forbidden City of the centre are the big highlights
  • City is enormous – allow travel time
  • Hutongs and food are a big part of the experience
  • 2–3 days is the right amount of time

 

The 10 Tips

 

  • 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.

 

10 Highlights

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#1 The Forbidden City - Beijing's huge palace right in the centre of the city that encapsulates the former imperial grandeur of the past centuries

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#2 Hiking parts of the Wild Wall just to the north of Beijing. Far quieter than the other sections and gives you that real sense of adventure

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#3 Walking through some of the traditional hutongs and picking up various bits and pieces to buy as souvenirs

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#4 Checking out the giant and world-famous Tiananmen Square

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#5 Walking through the beautiful gardens surrounding the lake of The Summer Palace just on the outskirts of Beijing

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#6 The local food - for sure Peking Duck, but also many of the other varieties that call Beijing home. In particular, the dumplings

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#7 - The Temples of Heaven and Earth with their grand designs, and gorgeous surrounding gardens

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#8 The Fragrant Hills Park next to the Summer Palace for walks through the hills and gardens

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#9 Some of the more touristy walls such as Badaling or Mutianyu. Super busy, but still stunning

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#10 Lashing in the various bars in Sanlitun

Orientation

 

 

Majority of the things to see are within the main centre of Beijing.  The only two you must leave the city for are the Summer Palace and the Great Wall, with distances depending on how quiet you want the section to be.

 

Beijing priorities if short on time

 

There is a lot to see.  If pushed for time work I would prioritise this way:

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Great Wall of China.  Don’t visit Beijing and not take the half day to see it.  Whether the super busy spots like Badaling and Mutianyu, or the more ambitious mega wow of the wild wall at Jinshanling, this is unmissable.

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Tiananmen Square.  The centre of Beijing and with views of the Forbidden City.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Walking through the Hutongs.  All surrounding the Forbidden City they are so traditionally Chinese and pretty that they are a must.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Eating Peking Duck and dumpings. Cheesy, but have to do it and there are restaurants serving it all throughout the centre.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Summer Palace.  It is majestic, but also huge, outside the city and takes up the majority of the day.  If have to chose between this and those above, chose those above.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Forbidden City.  Slightly controversial that I have split out from Tiananmen, but I would put it separate because you need to pay to enter the Forbidden City and it takes a long time to walk through vs Tiananmen which is simply an iconic square.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Temple of Heaven Park.  Really beautiful and with great views over the city.

 

⭐️⭐️ Behei Park.  Feeling of calm in the centre of Beijing and great for restaurants.

⭐️⭐️ The Drum and Bell Towers.  Interesting history, really frame the city with their views, but more for a longer stay rather than 2 days.

 

⭐️ Lama Temple.  Very pretty and worth visiting if you haven’t been to a large Buddhist Temple before, but if you have you can give it a miss

⭐️  Fragrant Hills.  They really are beautiful in the autumn, but for a first time visitor less of a priority.

 

Some broad tips for travelling in China

 

I lived in China for 2 years or so, and have now been living in Hong Kong for 10+ years.  I’m fascinated by what is such an awe-inspiring and vast place.  Here are 3 tips I would give to any first time visitor:

 

China is vast, try to get some context – huge in terms of its sheer land area, population, economy, but also its history and culture.  You could spend a lifetime travelling what is effectively like another continent and still only scrape the surface.  To help start to get your head around it, it helps getting some context.  For this, I would really recommend the book Wild Swans by Jung Chang, which tells the true story of 3 generations of women living in China from 1909 to modern day.  Highly recommend.

The Chinese people – it’s often difficult to interact with locals in China.  There are certainly strong cultural differences that go deeper than you would experience in most other parts of the world, but the main problem is of course the language.   Get out google translate for simultaneous translation.  You’ll be surprised how keen the locals will be to speak to you, and just how interesting you may find their stories.  It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to suggest those conversations could be the highlight of your whole trip.

Frustrations – travelling in China can often be difficult.  Scream-out-loud, pull-all-your-hair-out, call everyone a a f***ing ****, never-ever-going-back style difficult.   The language barrier, the often radically different way of doing things, the combo of an often world leading digital country mixed in with archaically manual processes can all make it feel at times like a challenge rather than a joy.   My advice is simply to go with it it’s all part of the adventure, and above all don’t lose your temper.  Shouting at someone or generally showing frustration will just be viewed by the Chinese as embarrassing and, at worst, a loss of face for them.  Which means you’ve got very pretty much zero chance of them helping you.  Patience, politeness and a smile will often see them wanting to help you.  They’re not trying to be difficult . . . most of the time 🙂

 

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

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