Beijing · Place guide
The Imperial Palace (Forbidden City)
The Forbidden City is the heart of imperial China — a vast palace where 24 emperors lived for 600 years.
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Beijing
Palaces, parks and hutongs
Start with the imperial landmarks, then leave room for the neighbourhoods between them. These guides bring together palace visits, temple grounds, hutong walks and a Great Wall outing.
Build a manageable trip
Start with these choices.
Know the area before joining the dots
Central Beijing and outings in the wider municipality are grouped here. Mutianyu and Tanzhe Temple need their own transport plans; they are not stops on a central-city walking route.
- Choose a palace or temple as the anchor for a day, then add a nearby park or neighbourhood.
- Keep the Great Wall separate from a full day of central Beijing sights.
- Check the current official booking rules before fixing a museum or palace day.
Beijing · Place guide
Beijing Temple Of Heaven
A 15th-century imperial altar where Ming and Qing emperors prayed for good harvests, now a 273-hectare park with blue-tiled domes.
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Beijing · Place guide
Jingshan Park
A Yuan Dynasty imperial garden on a 94 m man-made hill, Jingshan is the one place in Beijing where the entire Forbidden City unfolds beneath you in a single rooftop panorama.
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Beijing · Experience
Bell Tower to Houhai Stroll
Half-day walk from the Drum and Bell Towers through Shichahai's hutongs to Houhai Lake, tracing old Beijing's waterways and lanes.
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Beijing · Place guide
Wudaoying Hutong
A Ming-era shrine to Guandi (the deified Guan Yu, God of War) tucked into Wudaoying Hutong, a 632-meter lane of courtyard teahouses.
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Beijing · Place guide
Mutianyu Great Wall
A 5.4 km Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Great Wall stretch with 23 towers, far quieter than Badaling.
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11 published guidesAlongside the starting choices above, explore these places and experiences in the wider city area.
Beijing · Place guide
Beiwu Park
A free, leafy suburban park near the Summer Palace with rice paddies, arched bridges and quiet waterways.
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Beijing · Place guide
Summer Palace Beijing
Beijing's largest royal garden and a Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) masterpiece of lake, hill, and pavilions on the city's northwest edge.
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Beijing · Place guide
Yonghe Lama Temple
Beijing's largest Tibetan Buddhist temple, an emperor's birthplace with free incense and an 18-metre wooden Buddha.
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Beijing · Place guide
Tanzhe Temple
Beijing's oldest Buddhist temple, founded in the Jin Dynasty (265-316 AD, Western Jin), with Liao-era ginkgo trees.
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Beijing · Place guide
Miaoying Temple White Stupa
Yuan-era Tibetan stupa from 1279 in a Beijing hutong (traditional Beijing alleyway lined with courtyard houses) area with revived cafes.
Read the guideTurn places into a route.
Build a route around these guides
Choose the places that matter to you, then use the trip planner to work out your days.
Plan a tripWant a different pace or a different set of stops?
Plan your own tripPrepare for the journey.
Travel essentials · 9 min read
Beijing on the 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit: A 4-Day First-Timer's Itinerary
Beijing is the other half of the classic first China trip. Both airports are designated visa-free ports and the whole municipality is a permitted area. Four days covers the Forbidden City, the Wall, the Summer Palace and the hutongs, with time for a decent duck.
Read the articleTravel essentials · 11 min read
China Visa-Free Transit in 2026: The 240-Hour Rule, Who Qualifies, and How to Use It
Most first-time visitors from the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan and Korea can now see China without a visa. Two different schemes make that possible, and picking the right one decides how long you can stay and where. Here is the whole thing in one place.
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