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How to Plan a Trip to Beijing

Beijing Trip Planner is the best tool to know where to go, where to stay, where to eat when to go, and more vital travel information you need to know before your Beijing trip, Plan a perfect trip to Beijing, such an amazing city that is full of history and culture as well as thousands of hotels, attractions, shops, and restaurants, that’s why we stand out to help. Our Beijing Trip Planner is the best tool that aims to help to focus on where to go, where to stay, where to eat, when to go, and more vital travel information you need to know before you go, such as Visa-free Policy, city transfer, etc.

What are the features and highlights of Beijing

Beijing is one of the most popular cities in the world, renowned for its rich cultural heritage. You should not miss the following things:

Tian’anmen Square/Forbidden City/Jinshan Park (a half day)

Enter Forbidden City, the most imperial site of China from Tian’anmen Square, explore the halls and houses where the ancient emperors lived, and enjoy a panoramic view of the whole Forbidden city from a higher location in Jingshan Park.

Forbidden City
 

Hike one or two section of Great Wall (one or two days)

Beijing possesses most of the famous sections of Great Wall, such as Mutianyu, Badaling, Jiankou, Simtai, Huanghuacheng, etc. Enjoy a memorable hike on the Great Wall is the No. 1 things to do for all travellers in Beijing. The less-crowded and beautiful Mutianyu Section is most recommended. To enjoy a 2 days Great hiking, you can choose Gubeikou+Jinshanling, or Jinshanling+Simatai.

Great Wall of China
 

Appreciate the royal gardens in the Summer Palace (2 hours)

The Summer Place ranks No. 3 on TripAdvisor among all things to do in Beijing. This 700-acre royal retreat offers you a glimpse at how the imperial family once spent its leisure time. It is located on the northwestern suburb of Beijing.

Summer Palace
 

Explore the traditional living style of old Beijing in Hutong (1~5 hours)

Beijing Hutong connecting the quadrangle dwellings is more than a tourist attraction, but the pulse of this city. All the over 6,000 long, short, wide, narrow, straight and winding alleys link the whole Beijing from the ancient times. They tell various stories that happened here and show the historic development and cultural change of Beijing city.

Beijing in Hutong
 

Savor a delicious meal of Peking Roasted Duck in a local authentic restaurant

The daintiness of Peking Roasted Duck has been brought to the entire world as more and more restaurants of Peking Roasted Duck have been set up in Newyork, Paris, Melbourne. But the authentic recipe never go abroad. To savor at the true taste of Peking Roasted Duck, you really have to come to its originated place – Beijing.

Enjoy a tremendous performance of Chinese Kung Fu

Having no idea where to have fun in the night of Beijing? The Red Theatre is the place you should go where you can enjoy a Kungfu Show - the Legend of Kung Fu which is a theatrical production, presenting the origin and development of traditional Chinese martial arts with thrilling performance and vibrant show atmosphere. It is usually performed after 17:30. Address: 44 Xing Fu Da Jie, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Chinese Kung Fu
 

Things to Do Recommended for Family with Kids in Beijing

Enjoy an easy walk at Mutianyu Great Wall equipped with an advanced cable car, chairlift, and toboggan, or Camp on the Jiankou Wild Great Wall with a BBQ dinner.

Take a rickshaw through hutongs and play with a Chinese yo-yo made of wood or bamboo in a hutong's courtyard

Go on a treasure hunt in the National Museum of China

Experience Modern Beijing — ‘Smart’ Restaurant Lunch and Beijing’s New CBD Skyline

ijing Trip Itinerary: 4 Days Suggested

Four days are enough if you only want to see the essence of Beijing. A recommended itinerary is as follows:

Day 1: Arrival and explore Wangfujing or Sanlitun
Day 2: Discover the Forbidden City and the hutongs.
Day 3: Hike the Great Wall and visit the Temple of Heaven.
Day 4: Visit the Summer Palace and departure.

Best Time to Visit Beijing

Beijing is approximately at the same latitude as Philadelphia in the U.S. (but drier in winter and wetter in summer) and Madrid in Spain (though colder in winter).

Although you could travel Beijing throughout the year, autumn (September and October) is the most recommended season to visit, as the weather is usually quite temperate, and there are relatively few tourists.

The high season is from April to October. Pros: warm weather and long days; cons: crowds, heat, and high costs.

The low season is from November to March. Pros: less crowd and lower prices; cons: cold weather and short days.

We recommend that you book at least 6 months in advance if you plan to visit during these Chinese holidays:

China's summer holiday season (July and August)
Labor Day (May 1–3)
National Day (October 1–7)
Spring Festival (late January or early to mid February)

Read more about Beijing's weather.

Where to Stay in Beijing? - Wangfujing, Hutong

Beijing Tourist Map
 

Wangfujin Area (王府井)

Wangfujin area has fantastic location and top class hotel facilities. It is located at the east side of the Forbidden City within 30mins walking. This area is also the paradise of shopping and food hunting. Many luxury 5 stars hotels are located at Wangfujin Area, such as the St Regis Beijing, Waldorf Astoria Beijing, etc. But the hotel rates here are usually higher than other areas in Beijing.

Beijing Wangfujin
 

Qianmen Area (前门)

Qianmen Area is located right in the front of Tian’anmen Square. It takes only about 5 minutes to walk to Tian’anmen Square, and 10 minutes to Forbidden City. For those want to stroll around the imperial Forbidden City, this area is the best choice. It also have many place for shopping and dining. The Ritz Calton is the bes hotel at this area.

Hutong Area (胡同)

Hutong Area is located on the north of Forbidden City. If you want to stay in somewhere local and more cultural, Hutong Area is the best choice. This area gathers many famous attractions in Beijing, such as Drum Tower, Nanluoguxiang, Prince Gong’s Masion, Lama Temple, Shichahai, etc. Hotels types ranges from boutique courtyard hotels to Youth hotels, business hotels, luxury hotels, etc. There are also many souvenir shops, bars and restaurants here.

Travel in Beijing With or Without Visa?

Beijing applies to the newest 144-Hour TWOV (Transit Without Visa). Transit passenger from 53 specified countries who holds valid passport and connecting flight tickets to a third country or region can stay in Beijing up to 6 days without a Chinese visa, for examples: America > Beijing > Hong Kong; Australia > Beijing > Singapore. There are 144-Hour Visa-free Counters set up in Beijing Capital International Airport. Check 6 Steps to Apply for 144-Hour Visa Free

If you want to stay longer than 4 days in Beijing, or Beijing is just a part of your China trip, you will have to apply for a China Tourist Visa (L Visa) before coming to China. You can apply for Chinese visa at Chinese Embassy and consulates in your country.Except special circumstance, applicants can get a Chinese Visa after 1 ~ 4 working days, even on the same day of your submission.

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