Beijing has worn many names—Khanbaliq, Yanjing, Beiping—but for 800 years it has been the dynastic and cultural heart of China. Its spine is imperial: the gates of Tiananmen, the vermilion courtyards of the Forbidden City, the marble causeways of the Summer Palace. Just beyond, a serpentine ribbon of stone arcs across the northern hills—the Great Wall, guarding, guiding, and humbling all who walk it.

Modern Beijing hums with creative energy. You’ll sip single-origin coffee in repurposed factories at 798 Art District and taste old Beijing flavors in hutongs where noodle shops and jiaozi houses glow at dusk. Evenings might mean artisan beer in a courtyard brewery, imperial cuisine in a century-old mansion, or a moonlit stroll around Houhai’s willow-framed lakes.

Practical notes: carry your passport for ticketed attractions and hotel check-in. Most places accept cards, and foreign cards now work with WeChat Pay and Alipay (link your card in-app); the subway is efficient and cheap. The Forbidden City is closed Mondays, and popular sites sell out—book ahead in peak season. Autumn and spring bring blue skies and crisp air, perfect for the Great Wall.

Beijing

China’s capital is a living atlas: imperial capitals layered beneath socialist boulevards and a hyper-modern skyline. It’s a city of ritual mornings—taichi in the Temple of Heaven—and long sunsets from Jingshan’s hill, where the Forbidden City unfurls like a golden scroll.

Top highlights include Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Jingshan Park, Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, Summer Palace, 798 Art District, and the Great Wall at Mutianyu or Jinshanling. Food is a journey itself—Peking duck, hand-pulled noodles, lamb hotpot, and street-side jianbing.

Where to stay (book with our partners):

• Design-forward luxury in Sanlitun: The Opposite House (home to Superfly and Jing Yaa Tang).
• Classic suite-style grandeur near Wangfujing: The Peninsula Beijing.
• High-value 5-star with a pool and a great location: New World Beijing Hotel.
• Reliable mid-range near the Forbidden City: Novotel Beijing Peace.
• Budget-friendly social vibes near Qianmen: 365 Inn Beijing or read recent reviews at 365 Inn Beijing Qianmen.
• Browse apartments and hotels: VRBO Beijing and Hotels.com Beijing.

Getting there and around: Search flights to PEK (Capital) or PKX (Daxing) on Trip.com Flights or Kiwi.com. Nonstop from the U.S. West Coast is ~11–13 hours; from Tokyo ~3 hours; from Singapore ~6 hours. High-speed trains bring you from Shanghai in ~4.5–5.5 hours and Xi’an in ~4–5.5 hours—book on Trip.com Trains. In-town, the subway is fast and bilingual; rides usually cost just a few RMB.

Day 1: Arrival, first tastes of the capital

Morning: In transit.

Afternoon: Land in Beijing and check into your hotel. If energy allows, take a gentle leg-stretch through the Qianmen and Dashilar lanes—historic shopfronts, shadowy alleyways, and century-old brands tell Beijing’s merchant story.

Evening: Welcome dinner with Peking duck. Book Siji Minfu near the Forbidden City for crisp, lacquered skin carved tableside, or try Jing Yaa Tang at The Opposite House for a modern take with sesame pancakes and house pickles. Nightcap at Great Leap Brewing #6 in a quiet courtyard—try the Honey Ma Gold infused with Sichuan pepper.

Day 2: Tiananmen, Forbidden City, and a sunset over golden roofs

Morning: Start at Tiananmen Square; arrive by 8:00–8:30 a.m. before crowds. Then head into the Forbidden City (Palace Museum). Bring your passport; tickets are real-name and often sell out. For easy entry, prebook:

Beijing Forbidden City Ticket Booking (Optional: guide service)

Wander the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the intimate garden, and side halls for calligraphy and clocks. Detours off the main axis reveal quiet courtyards and creaking cypress trees.

Afternoon: Exit north and climb Jingshan Park for a panorama of saffron roofs—a classic photo spot. Lunch nearby at Xian Lao Man for plump boiled dumplings (try pork with fennel) and cold smashed cucumber. Coffee at Metal Hands in Wudaoying Hutong, a minimalist cafe favored by local baristas.

Evening: Stroll the Drum and Bell Towers and along the willow-lined Houhai lakes. Dinner at Siji Minfu (if you didn’t go yesterday) or Da Dong for ultra-thin duck skin and inventive sides. For cocktails, slide into Union at The Opposite House; their tea-inflected menu nods to Beijing’s heritage.

Day 3: Temple of Heaven, hutong life, and acrobatics

Morning: Join dawn tai chi and choral rehearsals in the Temple of Heaven Park, then step beneath the cobalt tiles of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. Continue to the Lama Temple (Yonghe Gong) to marvel at the towering sandalwood Maitreya, and the nearby Confucius Temple for stone steles etched with ancient scholarship.

Afternoon: Lunch at Bao Yuan Dumpling in Liangmaqiao—famous for colorful, vegetable-dyed wrappers. Explore more hutongs around Nanluoguxiang and Yan Dai Xie Jie; pop into boutique tea houses and calligraphy shops. If it’s the weekend, the Panjiayuan Antique Market is a lively trove of jade, propaganda posters, and curios—go earlier for the best finds.

Evening: Hotpot at Dong Lai Shun, an old Beijing institution for copper-pot mutton and sesame sauce dips. Then a classic Beijing night at Chaoyang Theatre for gravity-defying acrobatics, or tea and short opera excerpts at Lao She Teahouse. Cap the night with a Jing-A brew at their Xingfucun taproom.

Day 4: The Great Wall at Mutianyu

Morning: Early departure (~1.5–2 hours by car) to Mutianyu, a scenic and less crowded Great Wall section with sturdy Ming-era ramparts and forested ridgelines. If you prefer a driver who speaks English and handles the logistics:

Private Mutianyu Great Wall Trip With English-Speaking Driver

Ride the cable car up, hike undulating towers, and, if you’re game, toboggan down through the pines—a beloved Mutianyu signature.

Afternoon: Lunch at a local farmhouse restaurant such as Xiaolongpu for homestyle stir-fries, mountain greens, and hand-cut noodles. Return to the city mid-afternoon; rest or enjoy a massage.

Evening: Yunnan flavors at Lost Heaven (think tea-smoked beef, lemongrass chicken, and chrysanthemum greens) or go contemporary Chinese at Hulu by TRB with shareable small plates. Night owls can wander Sanlitun’s bar lanes or the sleek Equis lounge for live DJs.

Day 5: Summer Palace, lakes and lanterns, and the Olympic Green

Morning: Glide through the Summer Palace’s painted corridors, climb Longevity Hill for sweeping lake views, and—if boats are running—float across Kunming Lake beneath the 17-Arch Bridge. The palace weaves gardens, temples, and royal retreat vibes into one contemplative escape.

Afternoon: Lunch near Beigongmen at small local eateries serving zhajiangmian (Beijing-style soybean paste noodles). Continue to the Olympic Green to see the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube—monuments to 2008 and 2022 that glow after dusk. If you’d prefer a guided day that includes city icons and the palace:

Private Full Day Tour: Forbidden City, Tiananmen & Summer Palace

Evening: Dine imperial-style at Bai Jia Da Yuan, a garden compound serving court recipes in pavilions lit by lanterns. Alternatively, keep it casual with skewers and late-night crayfish on Gui Jie (Ghost Street) at crowd-favorite Hu Da—expect queues and a boisterous local scene.

Day 6: 798 Art District and a hutong food crawl

Morning: Head to the 798 Art District, a 1950s factory complex reborn as Beijing’s contemporary art hub. Browse major galleries and design shops, then refuel at Voyage Coffee with a silky flat white among exposed brick and pipes.

Afternoon: Swing by the Capital Museum for rotating cultural exhibitions or return to hutong life for an afternoon tea in a quiet courtyard cafe. Save room for tonight’s eats.

Evening: Join a small-group hutong food tour that ducks into family-run kitchens tourists rarely find—think hand-pulled noodles, sesame shaobing, northern-style barbecue, and local craft beer. It’s delicious cultural immersion:

Beijing Hutong Walking Food and Beer Tour at Hidden Restaurants

Day 7: Beihai’s white dagoba, last bites, and departure

Morning: Circle Beihai Park’s lake beneath the White Dagoba, then step into Prince Gong Mansion’s rockeries and halls—one of Beijing’s grandest Qing residences. Breakfast nearby on Huguosi Snacks: savory tofu brains, fried dough sticks, and mung-bean desserts, or opt for a jianbing (egg-filled crepe) from a street stall.

Afternoon: Last-minute shopping along Wangfujing’s bookstores and specialty food shops, then depart for the airport or train station. Aim for the airport 3 hours before international flights; the Airport Express and Daxing Airport Express are the fastest in rush hour.

Evening: If you have a late departure, toast the week with one more courtyard beer at Great Leap or a refined tea service at a hutong teahouse.

Optional add-ons and alternatives

• All-in-one day of icons (great for tight schedules): All-Inclusive Tour: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Great Wall

Prefer a budget coach to the Wall with plenty of free time on the ramparts? Consider the MuBus to Mutianyu:

MuBus: Mutianyu Great Wall Tours with Options from Beijing

Eat and drink cheat sheet:

• Breakfast/coffee: Metal Hands (Wudaoying), Voyage Coffee (798), % Arabica (Sanlitun).
• Lunch staples: Xian Lao Man (dumplings), Bao Yuan (colored jiaozi), Mr. Shi’s Dumplings (expat favorite), zhajiangmian shops around Gulou.
• Dinner highlights: Siji Minfu or Da Dong (Peking duck), Lost Heaven (Yunnan), Bai Jia Da Yuan (imperial courtyard), Dong Lai Shun (lamb hotpot), Hu Da on Gui Jie (late-night spicy crayfish).
• Drinks: Great Leap Brewing, Jing-A Brewing, Union at The Opposite House, Equis lounge.

Booking reminders: Reserve Forbidden City tickets in advance (closed Mondays). For Great Wall trips, plan 6–8 hours including transport; Mutianyu offers cable car and toboggan options. Check live flight and train availability on Trip.com Flights, Kiwi.com, and Trip.com Trains.

In one week, you’ll trace Beijing’s grand axis from Tiananmen to the Drum Tower, climb the Great Wall’s timeworn steps, and taste the city’s soul in courtyard kitchens. It’s a capital that rewards curiosity—ancient, inventive, and endlessly walkable between cups of tea.