Beijing is famous for the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace, for hutong lanes of courtyard houses, and for Peking duck and Peking opera. It is the capital of China, home to about 21.8 million people, with eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, the newest being the Beijing Central Axis, listed in 2024.
- Where: north China, at the northern edge of the North China Plain, with Tianjin to the east and Hebei Province on every other side
- What it is: the capital of China and a municipality run directly by the central government, with 16 districts
- How big: 16,410 square kilometers (about 6,336 square miles); about 21.8 million residents at the end of 2025
- Also called: Peking, the older English spelling that survives in Peking duck, Peking opera and the airport code PEK
- Best known for: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and Peking duck
- How long to stay: three to four days for the core sights; see how many days in Beijing
Eight things Beijing is famous for
1. The Forbidden City
The palace of 24 Ming and Qing emperors, built between 1406 and 1420 and home to the court for 505 years. You walk it one way, south to north, from the Meridian Gate past the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the Imperial Garden, and the golden roofs look best from Jingshan hill afterward. It was listed by UNESCO in 1987, and it is the sight that needs the most planning: tickets go on sale at 20:00 Beijing time seven days ahead, booked with your passport, and the museum is closed on Mondays. Our Forbidden City guide and ticket guide cover the details, or let us handle the booking on a private Forbidden City tour.
2. The Great Wall
The Great Wall measured 21,196 km (about 13,171 miles) in the 2012 national survey, and 520.77 km (about 324 miles) of it lies inside Beijing, across six districts. That is why the capital and the Wall are visited together: Mutianyu, with its enclosed cable car and battlements on both sides; Badaling, with a high-speed train station at its foot; Jinshanling, for a longer walk past bricks stamped with inscriptions. Each is a day trip from the city. Read our guide to which section of the Great Wall to visit, or see the Mutianyu private tour that most of our guests choose first.
3. Tiananmen Square and the Central Axis
Tiananmen Square, 880 m long and 500 m wide, is the open heart of the capital, with the Gate of Heavenly Peace and the Forbidden City to the north, the National Museum of China to the east and the Great Hall of the People to the west. The visit is free, but as of November 2026 it needs a real-name reservation made 1 to 7 days ahead. The square sits on the Beijing Central Axis, a 7.8 km (about 4.8 miles) line of gates, palaces and altars that runs from the Bell and Drum Towers south to Yongdingmen. The axis was laid out for the Yuan capital Dadu, extended south under the Ming, and inscribed by UNESCO in July 2024 as Beijing’s eighth World Heritage site. See our Tiananmen Square guide, and the Jingshan Park guide for the view down the axis.
4. The Temple of Heaven
The altar where Ming and Qing emperors prayed for good harvests, built in 1420 and listed by UNESCO in 1998. The round Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests rests on 28 great columns that stand for the seasons, months and hours, and a whisper carries around the Echo Wall. Come early: the park opens around 6 am, and local people practice tai chi under the old cypresses. Our Temple of Heaven guide has the route. It is also the first stop on our classic Beijing day tour.
5. The Summer Palace
An imperial garden around Kunming Lake, first built in 1750 as Qingyi Garden and rebuilt under its present name in 1886, listed by UNESCO in 1998. The Long Corridor is painted with scenes from Chinese stories, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge crosses to South Lake Island, and the Marble Boat sits at the water’s edge. Boats cross the lake from spring into early November, and in winter the lake freezes. Plan on half a day. Read the Summer Palace guide.
6. The hutongs
Hutongs are the narrow lanes of gray-brick courtyard houses that still run through the old city, some laid out when Beijing was Dadu, the Yuan-dynasty capital, more than 740 years ago. Nanluoguxiang keeps that Yuan grid, and around the Shichahai lakes you pass red doors, persimmon trees and birdcages, with the Drum and Bell Towers at the north end. Walking the main lanes is free. See our hutong guide, or our hutong walking and rickshaw tour.
7. Peking duck
Beijing’s signature dish: a whole duck roasted until the skin crackles, carved at the table and wrapped in thin pancakes with scallion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce. Roast duck came north from Nanjing with the Ming court in the early 1400s. Bianyifang, which traces its history to 1416, still uses the older closed oven, and Quanjude, founded in 1864, made the hung oven famous. Beyond duck, try zhajiangmian noodles and copper-pot mutton hot pot. Our Peking duck and Beijing food guide says where to eat, and the Beijing food tour takes you there.
8. Peking opera
Beijing is the home of Peking opera, which mixes high, carrying song with spoken lines, dance, mime and stage combat. The easiest first evening is Liyuan Theatre, where short excerpts are performed with Chinese and English subtitles while you sit at tea tables. As of October 2026, shows start at 7:30 pm, mostly Wednesday to Saturday. Chang’an Grand Theatre and Mei Lanfang Grand Theatre also stage Peking opera. See Peking opera and shows in Beijing.
Also remembered for: the Lama Temple, with incense lit in its courtyards; the Ming Tombs and their Sacred Way of stone animals and officials carved in 1435; the Olympics, since Beijing is the first city to have hosted both the Summer Games, in 2008, and the Winter Games, in 2022, and the Bird’s Nest stadium is open to visitors; the 798 Art District in a 1950s factory; and the ginkgo avenues that turn gold in late October.
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.
Facts people ask about Beijing
Where is Beijing?
In north China, at the northern edge of the North China Plain, with Tianjin to the east and Hebei Province on every other side. The municipality covers 16,410 square kilometers (about 6,336 square miles) in 16 districts, and mountains take up about 62 percent of it, which is why the Great Wall runs along ridges within a day trip of the city center. By high-speed train, Xi’an is 4 hours 10 minutes away and Shanghai 4 hours 18 minutes, on the fastest trains.
Is Beijing the capital of China?
Yes. Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and one of four municipalities run directly by the central government, with Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing. It has been a capital before: the Yuan dynasty laid out its capital Dadu here in the 13th century, and 14 Ming and 10 Qing emperors ruled from the Forbidden City. The city’s own records go back further, to the capital of the State of Yan in the Western Zhou period, roughly 3,000 years ago.
Are Peking and Beijing the same place?
Yes. The Chinese name, 北京, “northern capital,” has not changed. Peking is the older English spelling, from the Chinese postal romanization, and Beijing is the Hanyu Pinyin spelling, introduced in China in 1958 and adopted as the international standard in 1979. The old spelling lives on in Peking duck, Peking opera and the code PEK for Beijing Capital International Airport. The full story is in Is Peking the same as Beijing?
Why is it called the Forbidden City?
Its Chinese name is Zijincheng, the Purple Forbidden City. The purple is not a color. In old Chinese astronomy the Ziwei enclosure around the North Star was the home of the celestial emperor, and the palace was its counterpart on earth. It was forbidden because, for nearly five centuries, no one entered without the emperor’s permission. Chinese speakers today usually say Gugong, the Former Palace, which is why the museum is called the Palace Museum.
Are the Terracotta Warriors in Beijing?
No. The Terracotta Army is in Xi’an, in Shaanxi Province. The fastest high-speed trains from Beijing West to Xi’an North take 4 hours 10 minutes, and overnight sleeper trains run as well, so many visitors add Xi’an to a Beijing trip. See our Beijing to Xi’an train guide, or the Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai private tour.
See Beijing with a local team
Tours are operated by Beijing Fengyun International Travel Agency Co., Ltd., travel agency business licence L-BJ08847 (Domestic tourism and inbound tourism). Our guides and drivers are based in Beijing, and every tour is private: your own English-speaking guide and car, hotel pick-up within the 4th Ring Road, and no shopping stops. The classic Beijing day tour covers the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and a hutong walk, and the 3-day private tour adds the Forbidden City and the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Browse all private Beijing tours, or start with things to do in Beijing.
Price on request — send us your dates and group size for a written quote.
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 is Beijing famous for?
The Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace, plus hutong lanes of courtyard houses, Peking duck and Peking opera. Beijing is the capital of China and has eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, the newest being the Beijing Central Axis, listed in 2024.
What is the most famous sight in Beijing?
The Forbidden City, the palace of 24 Ming and Qing emperors, and the Great Wall, which most visitors see at Mutianyu or Badaling on a day trip. Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace complete the usual first-visit list.
What food is Beijing famous for?
Peking duck first: roast duck with crackling skin, wrapped in thin pancakes with scallion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce. After that, zhajiangmian noodles with fried bean sauce, copper-pot mutton hot pot, and street snacks such as tanghulu, hawthorn berries in a sugar shell.
Is Beijing worth visiting?
Yes, for a first trip to China above all. Nowhere else puts the Great Wall, an intact imperial palace, old courtyard lanes and the national capital within one city, and three to four days cover the core sights at a comfortable pace.
How many days do you need in Beijing?
Three to four days: one for the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, one for the Great Wall, one for the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and a hutong walk, and a fourth for the Lama Temple, the Ming Tombs or a slower pace. Two days works for a layover.
Is Peking the same as Beijing?
Yes. Both spell the same Chinese name, 北京, meaning northern capital. Peking comes from the older postal romanization, and Beijing is the Hanyu Pinyin spelling adopted as the international standard in 1979. Peking duck, Peking opera and the airport code PEK keep the old form.
Is Beijing the capital of China?
Yes. Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of four municipalities run directly by the central government. It was also the capital of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and it is home to about 21.8 million people.
Facts checked: 12 November 2026. Ticket prices, opening hours and entry rules can change; we re-check before every booking.