Travel Insights

With over 5000 years of rich history and 20 million inhabitants, the appeal of Beijing is unique. In Beijing, you’ll find stunning palaces, museums, peaceful temples and imperial gardens, as well as a staggering variety of food. Not to mention the Great Wall, which embodies hundreds of years of history (but no, it can’t seen from the moon).

Let’s highlight the must-sees in Beijing so you can make the most of your trip.

1. Great Wall of China

There’s no one way to witness the magnificence of this historic structure. The Great Wall is divided into sections in different stages of renovation and ruin. Here’s what you need to know:

• If you want to make a quick trip, drive down to the Badaling section, which has been restored and is pretty much insta-ready. However, since it’s quite close to Beijing (1 hour drive), it’s generally quite crowded.
• The Great Wall at Juyongguan is also nearby and quite popular. This section has also undergone heavy renovation.
• The Great Wall at Mutianyu will give you stunning views of the landscape, especially if you go on a 90-minute hike and take a cable car to the highest restored section.
• The Great Wall at Simatai has only undergone reinforcement instead of renovation and is ideal if you want to peek at the genuine structure.

2. Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is the largest palace complex in the world, sprawling across 180 acres and with over 800 buildings!

Ideally, you’d have to spend days here to know the rich history of the enduring complex in depth. However, a few hours touring the highlights are also satisfying to a large extent:

• Enter through the historic Meridian Gate (the only entrance now) and make your way over to
  the Gate of Heavenly Peace or Tiananmen (more on this later)
• Tour the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where royal celebrations like weddings and coronations took place
• Hall of Clocks and Watches that houses a staggering collection of ornate watches
• Be awestruck Gallery of Treasures that’s brimming with jade jewelry, delicate tea cups, and other imperial possessions
• Walk through the beautiful, sprawling Imperial Gardens

You can also walk a short distance to Jingshan Park after exiting the complex. If you climb up a winding staircase in the park, you’ll be rewarded with a magnificent view of the Forbidden City.

3. The Palace Museum

The Palace Museum (within the Forbidden City) houses an impressive collection of art primarily dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Here’s what you shouldn’t miss:

• Ceramics and porcelain pieces from the Song and Tang dynasties
• The paintings in this museum are the largest collection in China, with rare pieces date back to before the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)
• Bronze artifacts from the Shang Dynasty as well as from the pre-Qin period (221 BC)

4. Tianamen Square

Tianamen Square is among the top 10 largest squares in the world. It’s also where Mao Zedong declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China October 1, 1949.

Here are some prominent things to explore here:

Tianemen Tower

The tower was built during the Ming Dynasty and was where prominent declarations where made to the common people (for example, if a new emperor was ascending the throne)

Qianmen Gate or Zhengyangmen

This gate has seen 600 years of China’s historic past and served as the South Gate of the Capital during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Monument to the People’s Heroes

Bearing Mao Zhedoung’s inscription “The People’s Heroes are Immortal,” and constructed in 1952, this is the largest monument in China.

Mao Zhedoung’s Memorial Hall

This Hall is at the southern part of the square and the former leader’s remains are enclosed in a crystal coffin here.

Great Hall of the People

This building is situated at the west end of the square is hosts to China’s National People’s Congress meetings and congregations.

5. Summer Palace

The Summer Palace, orignally an Imperial Garden, is currently a sprawling complex of gardens, lakes, and palaces.

The highlights of the Summer Palace are Kunming Lake (located centrally and covering about three-fourth of the total area), Longevity Hill, the Halls (such as Hall of Benevolence and Longevity; Hall of Jade Billows, Yiyun Hall), the Long Corridor, the Farming and Weaving Picture Scenic Area, and the Central Axis Area.

6. National Museum of China

This museum was established quite recently – in 2003 – and its exhibits are a combination of China’s historic and revolutionary past. The historic section of the museum houses cultural artifacts from from 1,700,000 years ago to 1921 and the revolution section displays documents, books, and models that unravel the formation of China as it is today.

7. Yuyuantan Park

This tranquil, low key park is located at the far end of Tianemen square and is a favorite among locals who come here to simply lounge or play mahjong. If you come at dawn, you may see something unique: the elderly folks who come here with their songbirds.

8. Beihai Park

Beihai Park has a beautiful lake that both locals and tourists enjoy during the summer. You can go on a paddle boat ride at the lake or hike to a quaint white stupa overlooking the lake. If you continue to explore northwards, you’ll come across two interconnected lakes and numerous shoreside hangouts.

9. Temple of Heaven Park

Formerly a site where the emperor performed solemn rites for good harvest and other divine intervention, this sprawling area is now a heritage location with stunning, traditional architecture.

Here’s what you shouldn’t miss:

• The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
• The Imperial Vault of Heaven, which has an interesting octagonal shape and used to house ceremonial tablets of the emperor
• The Echo Wall that goes around the Vault. Fun fact: Your voice can travel from one end of the Wall to the other if the surrounding is quiet.
• The Round Altar which is crafted from pristine white marble and whose geometry revolves around the number nine.

10. Ming Dynasty tombs

The tombs of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors lie at the foothill of Tianshou Mountain and has stunning palatial architecture that attracts millions of tourists from all over the world.

11. Wangfujing

Wangfujing is Beijing’s most happening shopping district where you can find both high street bands or duck into a hutong (side lane) for amazing bargain shopping. You should also hang back for snacks in the evening at Snack Street, which is packed with interesting counters.

12. Lama Temple

Formerly the residence of Emperor Yong Zheng, the building was converted into a monastery in the 1700s. Come here for the beautiful roof architecture, frescos, tantric statues, and intricate woodwork.

13. National Stadium

Designed by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron and Chinese architect Li Xinggang, the exposed structure of the Stadium makes it looks like a bird’s nest. The stadium hosted the 2008 Olympics and has now become a center of other national and international athletic events. During December to February, Happy Snow and Ice Festival is held here, turning the stadium into the largest urban ski resort in China.

14. Beijing National Aquatics Center

Right beside the National Stadium is the Beijing National Aquatics Center, which was built for the swimming competitions of the 2008 Olympics. Locally it is known as the “water cube” and was turned into a water theme park in 2010 after a series of renovations.

15. Houhai

Houhai, which when translated literally means “Back Sea”, is an enormous artificial lake downtown Beijing, whose shoreside was a hotspot for wine sellers and other merchants in the ancient times catering to the royalty. Now it is open to everyone and is particularly fun in winter: the lake freezes over and locals turn up to merrily ice skate.

16. 798 Art Zone

If you’re into contemporary art, you should definitely plan a visit to this art district in Beijing. Formerly a complex of state-owned factories, this area attracted many artists in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Over the years, many galleries, studios, art centers sprung up along with thriving bars and restaurants that quickly became cultural hotspots in the district.

17. Beijing Zoo and Beijing Aquarium

If you’re traveling with a little one, keep Beijing Zoo and Beijing Aquarium on your list of places to visit in the city.
Why? Pandas, of course!

The zoo is home to about 450 different species of animals, but the scene stealers are the huge panda exhibit and the milu deer, golden monkey, and northeast tiger exhibits.

Beijing Aquarium is the largest inland aquarium in the world and houses thousands of different marine species from Chinese sturgeons and sea elephants to fiesty sharks. The ocean theatre in the zoo also hosts regular dolphin and sea lion shows.

18. Beijing Temple of Confucius

The Temple of Confucius was constructed in 1302 and is unique because it pays tribute to an actual human instead of a deity.
Now, the temple complex has been merged with Imperial Academy where diplomats and government officials once enrolled to learn about Confucian principles.

Here’s what you should seek out here:

• The funeral tablet of Confucius in the Hall of Great Accomplishment.
• A large collection of musical instruments and the central shrine in the Hall of Great Perfection.
• Rows of tablets with names of scholars who imbibed Confucian principles and passed the examples of the Imperial Academy during the Ming, Yuan, and Qing dynasties.

19. Marco Polo Bridge

The Marco Polo bridge gets its name from the fact that the famed traveler praised its magnificent architecture in his writings.

The bridge is also a witness to a significant moment in modern history: The Pacific conflict of WWII was sparked here in 1937 when Japan launched an attack on China.