The best things to do in Beijing are the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, a day on the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace, an afternoon in the hutongs and a Peking duck dinner. Add the Lama Temple, the Ming Tombs or an evening at Gubei Water Town if you have more time.
- First-visit core: Forbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, a hutong
- Time needed: three to four days for the core sights
- Bring: your original passport; most big sights use real-name entry
- Reservations: the Forbidden City opens bookings at 20:00, seven days ahead, and sells no same-day tickets (as of November 2026)
- Mondays: the Forbidden City and the National Museum are closed (except public holidays); plan the Great Wall or the hutongs instead
Imperial Beijing
Many of Beijing’s big sights were built for the Ming and Qing emperors, who ruled from the Forbidden City. Several sit on or near the old central axis that runs north through Tiananmen and the Forbidden City to Jingshan.
Forbidden City
Built between 1406 and 1420 and home to 24 Ming and Qing emperors. You walk one way, south to north, from the Meridian Gate past the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the Imperial Garden.
Forbidden City tickets and reservations
You book with your passport number, tickets for each date go on sale at 20:00 Beijing time seven days ahead, and none are sold on the day.
Tiananmen Square
An 880 m by 500 m square between the National Museum and the Great Hall of the People. Entry is free but needs a reservation one to seven days ahead, and the flag-raising at sunrise has its own booking.
Temple of Heaven
Come early, when the park opens around 6 am and you’ll often see locals at tai chi under the old cypresses. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests rests on 28 great columns that stand for the seasons, months and hours, and a whisper can travel around the Echo Wall.
Summer Palace
Painted scenes along the Long Corridor, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge and the Marble Boat on Kunming Lake. Boats cross the lake from spring into early November, and as of November 2026 the season has ended; in winter the lake freezes. Plan on half a day.
Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan)
A vast imperial garden looted and burned in 1860, where you walk among the ruins of the European Palaces. The bronze horse head taken that year is now back on display at Zhengjue Temple.
Jingshan Park and Beihai Park
A climb of about 15 minutes to Wanchun Pavilion gives the best view over the Forbidden City’s golden roofs, with Beihai’s White Dagoba to the west. Jingshan’s gate faces the palace’s north exit.
Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple)
Incense is lit in the courtyards, where three sticks is the custom. Inside the halls, incense and photography are not allowed.
Ming Tombs
Walk the Sacred Way past 18 pairs of stone lions, camels, elephants and officials carved in 1435, then go down into Dingling, the only Ming tomb ever formally excavated. It’s about an hour’s drive from the city.
The Great Wall
Several officially open sections can be reached on a day trip from Beijing. Our guide to Great Wall sections near Beijing compares drive times, walking and cable cars side by side.
Mutianyu
Restored Ming wall with battlements on both sides and an enclosed cable car to Tower 14. Our usual choice for families and first visits.
Badaling
The most developed section, with cable cars on both the north and south lines, a high-speed train station near the north cable car, and the rebuilt China Great Wall Museum at its foot. As of November 2026 the north cable car is closed for maintenance until 25 December 2026, while the south funicular runs as usual.
Jinshanling
A walker’s wall in Hebei, known for sunrise views, inscribed bricks and the Qilin screen wall.
Simatai and Gubei Water Town
Towers perched on knife-edge ridges, and a cable car that takes you up to walk the wall after dark, all year round.
Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall
Where a reservoir rose over the lowest Ming ramparts, with old chestnut groves on the slopes above.
Great Wall facts
How long it really is, which dynasties built it, and whether you can see it from space.
Old Beijing: the hutongs
Beijing hutongs
Lanes of courtyard houses around Shichahai and Houhai, Nanluoguxiang, Wudaoying and Dashilar. Walking the main streets is free, and at the Drum Tower you can hear the drums played for visitors. Our hutong walking and rickshaw tour takes you through partly by rickshaw.
Food and evenings
Peking duck and Beijing food
Duck roasted over jujube wood in a hung oven or in a closed oven that never meets a flame, carved at the table and rolled in thin pancakes with scallion and sweet bean sauce. Then tanghulu, zhajiangmian and copper-pot mutton.
Peking opera, acrobatics and kung fu shows
Short Peking opera excerpts such as Farewell My Concubine at the Liyuan Theatre, usually on Wednesday to Saturday evenings (2025 schedule), or evening acrobatic shows at the Chaoyang Theatre (as of 2025).
Tell us your dates, group size and what you would like to see. We reply with a day-by-day plan and a written quote.
A theme-park day for families
Universal Beijing Resort
Seven themed lands in Tongzhou, at the end of Metro Line 7 and the Batong Line. Tickets are dated and tied to your passport; give it a full weekday if you have four or more days in Beijing.
A day trip to Gubei Water Town
Gubei Water Town
A water town with boat rides at the foot of Simatai, about two to two and a half hours’ drive from central Beijing. Stay into the evening, when the town’s lights come on and the night wall opens; our 5-day private tour includes it.
Which sight on which day
New to the city? Start with what Beijing is famous for, a short tour of the eight things people come for. Put the Forbidden City on a Tuesday to Sunday and book it the evening seven days before. Spend a Monday in the hutongs and at the Lama Temple. Mutianyu stays open, but travelers report it is at its busiest on Mondays, when the city museums are shut, so the Great Wall is better on another day. Start the Temple of Heaven early, and finish the Forbidden City at the north gate so you can walk straight across to Jingshan. Our guide to how many days to spend in Beijing has sample 2- to 5-day plans, and our easy-pace plan for grandparents and kids shows how to slow it down.
If you’d like a guide and car to join it all up, see our private Beijing tours, such as the Forbidden City private tour.
Tell us your dates, group size and what you would like to see. We reply with a day-by-day plan and a written quote.
Frequently asked questions
What are the top things to do in Beijing on a first visit?
Start with Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and give the Great Wall at Mutianyu or another open section a full day of its own. The Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace fit into a third day, ending with a walk in a hutong around Shichahai. Save one evening for Peking duck. Three to four days covers this comfortably.
What is closed on Mondays in Beijing?
The Forbidden City, the National Museum and the Mao Memorial Hall close on Mondays except public holidays. The main halls at the Temple of Heaven and some Summer Palace courtyards may also close on Mondays outside summer. The hutongs and the Lama Temple make good Monday plans. Mutianyu stays open, but travelers report it is at its busiest on Mondays.
Do I need my passport to visit Beijing's sights?
Yes. The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the National Museum, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall at Mutianyu use real-name booking or entry. Foreign visitors book with their passport number and must bring the same original passport on the day.
Can I buy Forbidden City tickets at the gate?
No. The Palace Museum sells no tickets on the day of your visit. Tickets open at 20:00 Beijing time seven days before each date and are booked with your passport, as of November 2026. The museum is closed on Mondays except public holidays.
What can I do in Beijing in the evening?
Have Peking duck, watch Peking opera excerpts at the Liyuan Theatre, usually Wednesday to Saturday evenings on the 2025 schedule, or see evening acrobatic shows at the Chaoyang Theatre, as of 2025. Further out, Simatai offers night walks on the Great Wall next to Gubei Water Town.
Are the Ming Tombs worth adding to a Beijing trip?
They make a good fourth day. The Sacred Way is lined with stone animals and officials carved in 1435, and Dingling's underground palace is the only Ming tomb ever formally excavated. The site is about an hour's drive from the city and pairs well with a Great Wall day.
Facts checked: 5 November 2026. Ticket prices, opening hours and entry rules can change; we re-check before every booking.