Beijing Tours &
Things to Do
Discover the best Beijing tours, the spectacular Great Wall at Mutianyu and Badaling, the imperial grandeur of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, the serene Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace, atmospheric hutong food walks, and bullet-train day trips to the Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an. Compare top-rated activities and plan your perfect Beijing itinerary.
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Explore Beijing by interest
Whatever brings you to Beijing — world-class museums, the river, or a long lunch — start with the experiences travellers love most.
Great Wall
Mutianyu and Badaling.
ExploreForbidden City
Imperial palace and square.
ExploreTemple of Heaven
Beijing’s loveliest temple.
ExploreSummer Palace
Lakeside imperial garden.
ExploreHutong & food
Alleyways and Peking duck.
ExploreXi’an Terracotta Army
Warriors by bullet train.
ExplorePanda House
See the giant pandas.
ExploreDay trips
Ming Tombs and more.
ExploreTop attractions in Beijing
The landmarks that define the city — and the tickets and tours that get you in, often skipping the line.
Great Wall
The world wonder.
Forbidden City
The imperial palace.
Tiananmen Square
The vast square.
Temple of Heaven
The Hall of Prayer.
Summer Palace
Lakeside garden.
Hutongs
Old-city alleyways.
Terracotta Army
Xi’an by bullet train.
Ming Tombs
Imperial burial grounds.
Beijing in 2 days
- 1Day 1: Great Wall
- 2Day 2: Forbidden City
- 3Tiananmen
- 4Temple of Heaven
Beijing in 3 days
- 1Day 1: Great Wall
- 2Day 2: Forbidden City
- 3Day 3: Summer Palace
- 4Wall, palaces & gardens
Beijing with kids
- 1Great Wall toboggan
- 2Panda House
- 3Summer Palace boat
- 4Hutong rickshaw
1.5 hrs awayGreat Wall (Mutianyu)
The world wonder.
1 hr awayMing Tombs
Imperial burial grounds.
5 hrs train awayXi’an Terracotta Army
Warriors by bullet train.
In the city awaySummer Palace
Lakeside garden.
In the city awayForbidden City
The imperial palace.
In the city awayHutong Food Tour
Alleyways and Peking duck.
Know before you go
Short, straight answers to the questions every Beijing visitor asks before booking.
The sweet-spot months
Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) bring mild, dry, clear weather — the most comfortable and beautiful times to visit Beijing and walk the Great Wall.
Spring (Apr–May)
Mild and blossoming, ideal for the wall and gardens, though occasional spring winds can carry dust.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Hot and humid with the chance of rain; busy with domestic tourists, so start early and carry water.
Autumn (Sep–Oct)
Crisp, clear and golden — many travellers’ favourite season, perfect for the Great Wall.
Winter (Nov–Mar)
Cold and dry with few crowds; the Great Wall under snow is magical, but dress very warmly.
Avoid the holidays
Chinese New Year and the October Golden Week are extremely busy with higher prices — book well ahead or avoid.
One day
The Great Wall at Mutianyu.
Two days
Add the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven.
Three days
The sweet spot: wall, palaces and the Summer Palace.
Four to five days
Add the Terracotta Army of Xi’an by bullet train.
A week or more
Combine Beijing with Xi’an, Shanghai and beyond.
Travelling with kids
Mix the wall toboggan, pandas and boats.
Subway
Beijing’s vast, cheap subway is the fastest way around the city, with English signage; buy a rechargeable transit card or use it via app.
Bullet train
High-speed trains link Beijing to Xi’an, Shanghai and beyond in a few hours, making far-flung day trips possible.
Ride apps & taxis
DiDi (China’s ride app) and taxis are inexpensive; have your destination written in Chinese to show the driver.
Tour transfers
Most Great Wall, Ming Tombs and Xi’an tours include hotel pickup or station transfers.
On foot
The Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and hutongs are best explored on foot — wear comfortable shoes.
From the airport
Beijing Capital and Daxing airports connect to the centre by Airport Express train and taxi in 40–60 minutes.
Book the Forbidden City
The Forbidden City caps daily visitors and requires advance booking with your passport — reserve ahead or join a tour that handles it.
Mobile payments
China runs largely on Alipay and WeChat Pay; set these up with a foreign card, and carry some cash as backup.
Choose your wall section
Pick Mutianyu for beauty and a toboggan, Badaling for ease, or Jinshanling for wilder hiking.
Bring your passport
You need your passport to enter major sights like the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, and for train travel.
Consider a guide
A local guide adds history and handles tickets, transport and the language barrier — invaluable for first-timers.
Internet access
Many Western apps are blocked in China; a roaming SIM or VPN set up before arrival keeps you connected.
Great Wall tours
Popular Mutianyu and Badaling tours fill up — book ahead.
Forbidden City
Daily entry is capped and needs advance booking — reserve early.
Xi’an bullet train
Terracotta Army day trips and rail seats sell out — pre-book.
Food tours
Hutong food and Peking duck tours are popular — reserve early.
Temple & palace tours
Guided Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace tours fill up — book ahead.
Peak seasons
Spring, autumn and Golden Week are very busy — plan ahead.
Great Wall tours
Around €45–110 for a guided Mutianyu or Badaling tour.
Forbidden City
About €30–80 for a guided Forbidden City and Tiananmen tour.
Food tours
Roughly €40–90 for a hutong food walk or Peking duck experience.
Xi’an day trip
Around €150–280 for a Terracotta Army bullet-train day tour.
Palace & temple tours
About €30–70 for a Summer Palace or Temple of Heaven tour.
How to save
Use the cheap subway, join group tours, and combine sights in one day.
Beijing through the seasons
What's best, how busy it gets, and one booking tip for each time of year.
- Best for
- Mild, blossoming weather.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Lovely; some dusty winds.
- Best for
- Long days, full open.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Hot, humid; busy.
- Best for
- Crisp, clear skies.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Best season; book ahead.
- Best for
- Snowy wall, few crowds.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Cold; dress very warmly.