Book the Forbidden City online
The ticket office releases a limited number of same-day tickets, and the queue before opening time is long.
Beijing
Beijing is a city of layers: the Forbidden City and the hutongs around it, wide avenues rebuilt in a single Olympic year, and food that changes from one alley to the next. Give it a little more time than Shanghai and it rewards you with the parts most visitors never see.
2 guides
What you'll find in this guide to Beijing?
Getting around
The subway is fast, cheap and reaches the main sights; the bus that circles the Second Ring Road is the scenic way across the city. Bring your passport: stations check ID.
Where to stay
The hutongs around the Drum Tower are the most atmospheric. Dongcheng and Xicheng put you close to both the Forbidden City and the best food.
What to eat
Peking duck done properly, then the street food of Wangfujing and the noodle shops that never make it into the guidebooks.
Shopping and souvenirs
Silk, tea and tea sets in the markets around Qianmen; the hutong shops sell the better souvenirs at a fraction of the tourist price.
Main sights
The Forbidden City early in the morning, the Temple of Heaven, and the climb up Jingshan Hill for the view over the whole city.
Day trips
The Ming tombs, the Great Wall at Mutianyu and a summer afternoon in the Western Hills.
All our Beijing guides
What to Do in Beijing: 12 Sights That Earn the Journey
What to do in Beijing: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall at Mutianyu, the Temple of Heaven and the 798 art district, with the time each one takes.
Where to Stay in Beijing for a Long Stay: Hotels and Colivings
Where to stay in Beijing for a long stay: what a coliving costs, which neighbourhoods suit remote workers, and how to book a month or more.
Tips for traveling to Beijing
Bring your passport everywhere
Hotel check-in, museums and the subway all ask for ID, and the details have to match the booking.
Go to the hutongs hungry
The best food in the city is in the alleys, not on the tourist streets, and the only way to find it is to walk.